Wierd sayings

[zippyt]

Fuck'n A Skippy ,

What the hell does this meen ? And who the Hell is Skippy ???

[Crimson Ghost]

Originally Posted by zippyt

Fuck'n A Skippy ,

What the hell does this meen ? And who the Hell is Skippy ???

Skippy is the guy who invented the peanut butter.
-------------
That'll learn ya.

How's about I break my foot off in your ass? - That sounds mighty painful.

I don't care if it short-dicks every cannibal in the Congo. - I know what it means. I use it at least once a week.

Colder than a witch's tit.

[Undertoad]

Oh for the love of Mike.

[wolf]

Or Pete.

Anyone who doesn't understand what "piss like a racehorse" means hasn't spent much time watching racehorses piss.

I wonder about things like ...

Useless as tits on a bull (as well as the "on a left handed monkey" version).

Speaking of tits ... why are winter temperatures referred to as being "colder than a witches tit?" I assure you mine are quite warm. I would probably me more amenable to experimental investigation of this particular saying that Els.

Speaking of weather ... Does a brass monkey actually have balls?

Speaking of balls ... why does that mean courage?

[Tonchi]

In the US we say "happy as a clam". In Mexico it's "happy as a worm." Of course, worms are probably less obviously happy than clams are, but in Mexico they like their sayings to rhyme. Thus they changed it to "feliz como un lombriz". Now that I think about it, few of our common sayings rhyme.

[wolf]

Cutting the Cheese is very difficult to explain to non-native English speakers.

I had to explain that to the CEO/Medical Director of our hospital.

In the board room.

During a meeting.

She said it in the course of preparing an elaborate cheese tray intended for a later meeting.

Our executive staff all stifled a guffaw when she told me to tell someone waiting for her that she would be with them when she was through cutting the cheese.

Seeing the looks around the table, she figured out that she had obviously made some linquistic faux pas, but no one was willing to explain it to her.

I had to.

The Medical Director/CEO is from Spain. She speaks at least 1/2 dozen languages. American Idiom still mystifies her despite living in this country for more than 40 years.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Speaking of weather ... Does a brass monkey actually have balls?

Legend says

In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and many freighters
carried iron cannons. Those cannon fired round iron cannon balls. It was
necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon. But how to prevent them
from rolling about the deck?
The best storage method devised was a square based pyramid with one
ball on top, resting on four resting on nine which rested on sixteen.
Thus, a supply of thirty cannon balls could be stacked in a small area
right next to the cannon.
There was only one problem -- how to prevent the bottom layer from
sliding/rolling from under the others. The solution was a metal plate
called a "Monkey" with sixteen round indentations. But, if this plate
was made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it. The solution
to the rusting problem was to make "Brass Monkeys."
Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much
faster than iron when chilled. Consequently, when the temperature dropped
too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannon
balls would come right off the monkey. Thus, it was quite literally,
"Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey!"

The Navy says

According to the United States Navy Historical Center, this is a legend of the sea without historical justification. The center has researched this because of the questions it gets and says the term "brass monkey" and a vulgar reference to the effect of cold on the monkey's extremities, appears to have originated in the book "Before the Mast" by C.A. Abbey. It was said that it was so cold that it would "freeze the tail off a brass monkey." The Navy says there is no evidence that the phrase had anything to do with ships or ships with cannon balls.

[wolf]

That one about flipping the bird isn't true either.

[Cyclefrance]

Originally Posted by zippyt

Fuck'n A Skippy ,

What the hell does this meen ? And who the Hell is Skippy ???

Not sure about yr answer Crimson. I thought Skippy was a famous Australian kangaroo (the Ozzie answer to Lassie, although I think the old 'What's the matter Lassie?' 'bark-bark-bark-bark!' 'What! Little Jimmy's fallen in the well?' 'Bark-bark-bark-bark!' 'And the rope's broken so you can't pull him out?', etc., etc., was replaced with some strange chittering and mouth wobbling which is all kangaroos can do, otherwise the 'conversation' followed much the same line - BTW whaever happend to Rin-tin-tin? - Go, Rinty, go!! - and anyone remember the name of his young boy master? Did he go on to greater things, like, maybe Champion the Wonder Horse, or perhaps The Elephant Man?? ). Sorry, got a bit carried away there - back to Skippy - IMHP, that makes the saying more visually appealing to an Australian (and possibly even to a Welshman) who would usually have to make do with a sheep!

[wolf]

Rin-Tin-Tin's boy was named Rusty. No last name. I seem to recall him being the charming orphan that for some reason lived at the Cavalry fort.

I am young enoug that Rin-Tin-Tin predates me by quite a few years, but old enough that the B&W reruns were on TV when I was a kid.

I liked the Lone Ranger a lot better.

[Cyclefrance]

Originally Posted by wolf

Rin-Tin-Tin's boy was named Rusty. No last name. I seem to recall him being the charming orphan that for some reason lived at the Cavalry fort.

I am young enoug that Rin-Tin-Tin predates me by quite a few years, but old enough that the B&W reruns were on TV when I was a kid.

I liked the Lone Ranger a lot better.

Thanks Wolf - came back in a flash as I read it. Agree with you about Lone Ranger - those old silver bullets do it every time. Guy who played hime was Clay Silverheels(?)... And did you ever catch the strip of Lone Ranger in Mad Magazine? Good old Tonto (apparently tonto in Spanish means idiot!). Not to deviate too long from the purpose of this thread, would add that my favourite was Range Rider with JocK Mahoney - they just got the fight sound effects and actions to real 'total-awe' level from a young appreciative boy viewer's standpoint!

Saw your brass monkeys query - some do, some don't depends on the foundry doing the casting and whether there's enough brass left over ( you cold get some 'total-awe' ones from the right foundry!)

Which brings up another saying we have here: 'pull the other one, it's got bells on' meaning that the person saying it saw that someone was trying to play a joke on him or con him or embarass him. Think it comes from 'pulling the leg' meaning to play a prank on a person.

The only 'clean' reference to bells I can think of would be those strange country dancers we have known as Morris Men - all dressed in white trousers and shirts, wearing straw hats with ribbons, bells around the bottoms of their trousers, dancing in heavy duty boots and banging each others sticks (that they carry in their right hand) together. All to the accompaniment of unrecognisable tunes played on an accordion by a three-parts drunk person who insists on tapping his foot almost in time and swaying back and forth as he plays. See, I told you we were normal!

[Cyclefrance]

Just remembered a north England saying from Yorkshire/Lancashire area which is said when told something surprising or incredible:

'Well, I'll go t' foot of our stairs!'

Why...???

[wolf]

I actually happen to like Morris Dancing.

Lovely way to spend the First of May, isn't it?

Jay Silverheels played Tonto, Clayton Moore was the Lone Ranger.

Now, gentleman ... what is it about your left nut in particular that makes you want to trade it for things? And did Lance Armstrong offer his to the devil to win the Tour DeFrance that many times in a row ...

Mystery masked man was smarter
He got himself a Tonto
Cuz Tonto did the dirty work for free
But Tonto he was smarter
Said, "Kiss my ass Kimosabe,
I've bought a boat, I'm going out to sea..."
- Lyle Lovett

You and me who, white man?

Lance Armstrong was just faster than greased lightening.

[Elspode]

Does anyone besides me think that Monty Python's "The Fish Slapping Dance" was based on Morris Dancing?