American Phrases - Page 5

Urbane Guerrilla · 11-13-2006, 11:06 PM

There are all sorts of explanations for "the whole nine yards" and about all of them miss fire on some inconvenient point...

The standard full load for a cement mixer truck is ten cubic yards, not nine.

There was a rather durable story that the ammunition load for the wing guns of the P-51 Mustang fighter was a nine-yard belt of .50 caliber for each of six guns, and there are a few photos of ground crewmen schlepping a belt of the stuff that looks durn near nine yards total, but then some iconoclast went and did some measuring or interviewing.

Flint · 11-13-2006, 11:17 PM

I'm sure y'all have seen me make slightly Southern sounding posts sometimes...

Urbane Guerrilla · 11-13-2006, 11:23 PM

Nauticalisms come to mind, some of which are suffering from a decay of meaning: by and large didn't mean generally to the sailors of yesteryear, but I'm not sure enough of what it did mean to say without doing some googling first. Splice the mainbrace hasn't, but is fading into mere quaintness. Hit between wind and water is better explained as holes in the hull than as catching a wallop in the perineum, I think. Copperbottomed is out of currency nowadays except in historical novels.

11-18-2006, 11:14 AM

rag = newspaper (more often used by older folks)

slower than pond water = a southernism used by my Dad

"trunk" you probably know, but when I first came across the British word "boot," I was perplexed for days.

xoxoxoBruce · 11-18-2006, 03:52 PM

Yes, boots and bonnets have nothing to do with automobiles.

wolf · 11-14-2006, 12:49 AM

A few in relatively standard American usage have been, uh, altered by my exposure to another dwellar ...

"Useless as tits on a left-handed monkey" and "Come Hell, high water, Hitler, or the Second Coming of Christ" are two of the most memorable.

"Sucks moose cock" is one of my own.

I've been trying very hard to come up with some more of these, but I think because they are in such common usage, that I don't even consider that they are typically American phrases.

DucksNuts · 11-14-2006, 03:15 AM

The boys at work looked at me funny when i said "jeezly fuck" the other day - thanks 'spode.

I was impressed when I read it, and it must of stuck on some level.

Shawnee123 · 11-14-2006, 10:44 AM

Dull person=personality of roadkill

Taking a dump (which may be an Americanism itself)= Dropping the kids off at the pool

Cheese and rice=Jeezus Christ

xoxoxoBruce · 11-14-2006, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shawnee123

Taking a dump (which may be an Americanism itself)= Dropping the kids off at the pool

That's the first time I ever heard that explanation, must be an Ohio thing. Here it means taking a crap.

Shawnee123 · 11-14-2006, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

That's the first time I ever heard that explanation, must be an Ohio thing. Here it means taking a crap.

Are you being silly? You do know I meant:

Taking a crap="dropping the kids off at the pool."

I couldn't figure out how to say it without using a various number of other Americanisms!

footfootfoot · 11-14-2006, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shawnee123

Are you being silly? You do know I meant:

Taking a crap="dropping the kids off at the pool."

I couldn't figure out how to say it without using a various number of other Americanisms!

He didn't have his joke hand up. You're excused with a two beer penalty, your cooler. That was some razor xob funny.

xoxoxoBruce · 11-14-2006, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

He didn't have his joke hand up. You're excused with a two beer penalty, your cooler. That was some razor xob funny.

No no, I thought it was weird, but that she was serious....went right over my head.

11-14-2006, 11:21 AM

Anything Foghorn Leghorn ever said.
The real McCoy was about the inventor of the first decent combustion engine... a free black man.
"is it a good-un?"... "it's a' real McCoy".

footfootfoot · 11-14-2006, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkzenrage

Anything Foghorn Leghorn ever said.
The real McCoy was about the inventor of the first decent combustion engine... a free black man.
"is it a good-un?"... "it's a' real McCoy".

Now I KNOW you read that book to the mini rkzenrage.

It had me choked up, believe it or don't.

(oooh bad pun, didn't mean it)

Pie · 11-14-2006, 12:10 PM

My father-in-law has some good ones:
"Finer than frog fur"
"Back when Hector was a pup"
"Older'n'dirt"
"I've got underwear that's older than you!"

11-13-2006, 11:06 PM	#1
Urbane Guerrilla Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Southern California Posts: 6,674	There are all sorts of explanations for "the whole nine yards" and about all of them miss fire on some inconvenient point... The standard full load for a cement mixer truck is ten cubic yards, not nine. There was a rather durable story that the ammunition load for the wing guns of the P-51 Mustang fighter was a nine-yard belt of .50 caliber for each of six guns, and there are a few photos of ground crewmen schlepping a belt of the stuff that looks durn near nine yards total, but then some iconoclast went and did some measuring or interviewing. __________________ Wanna stop school shootings? End Gun-Free Zones, of course.

11-13-2006, 11:17 PM	#2
Flint Snowflake Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Dystopia Posts: 13,136	I'm sure y'all have seen me make slightly Southern sounding posts sometimes... __________________ **************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio**

11-13-2006, 11:23 PM	#3
Urbane Guerrilla Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Southern California Posts: 6,674	Nauticalisms come to mind, some of which are suffering from a decay of meaning: by and large didn't mean generally to the sailors of yesteryear, but I'm not sure enough of what it did mean to say without doing some googling first. Splice the mainbrace hasn't, but is fading into mere quaintness. Hit between wind and water is better explained as holes in the hull than as catching a wallop in the perineum, I think. Copperbottomed is out of currency nowadays except in historical novels. __________________ Wanna stop school shootings? End Gun-Free Zones, of course.

11-18-2006, 03:52 PM	#5
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Yes, boots and bonnets have nothing to do with automobiles. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

11-14-2006, 12:49 AM	#6
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	A few in relatively standard American usage have been, uh, altered by my exposure to another dwellar ... "Useless as tits on a left-handed monkey" and "Come Hell, high water, Hitler, or the Second Coming of Christ" are two of the most memorable. "Sucks moose cock" is one of my own. I've been trying very hard to come up with some more of these, but I think because they are in such common usage, that I don't even consider that they are typically American phrases. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

11-18-2006, 11:14 AM	#4
marichiko Guest Posts: n/a	rag = newspaper (more often used by older folks) slower than pond water = a southernism used by my Dad "trunk" you probably know, but when I first came across the British word "boot," I was perplexed for days.

11-14-2006, 03:15 AM	#7
DucksNuts Bitchy Little Brat Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Queensland, Australia Posts: 5,067	The boys at work looked at me funny when i said "jeezly fuck" the other day - thanks 'spode. I was impressed when I read it, and it must of stuck on some level.

11-14-2006, 10:44 AM	#8
Shawnee123 Why, you're a regular Alfred E Einstein, ain't ya? Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 21,206	Dull person=personality of roadkill Taking a dump (which may be an Americanism itself)= Dropping the kids off at the pool Cheese and rice=Jeezus Christ __________________ A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones who need the advice. --Bill Cosby

11-14-2006, 11:21 AM	#13
rkzenrage Guest Posts: n/a	Anything Foghorn Leghorn ever said. The real McCoy was about the inventor of the first decent combustion engine... a free black man. "is it a good-un?"... "it's a' real McCoy".

11-14-2006, 12:10 PM	#15
Pie Gone and done Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 4,808	My father-in-law has some good ones: "Finer than frog fur" "Back when Hector was a pup" "Older'n'dirt" "I've got underwear that's older than you!" __________________ per·son \ˈpər-sən\ (noun) - an ephemeral collection of small, irrational decisions The fun thing about evolution (and science in general) is that it happens whether you believe in it or not.

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