"::darkshadows::" <bloody@mary.org> wrote in
news:q2f0h39m7fpdsq66tc8ejeacrcu7ksfkv5@4ax.com:
>
> How to retool your ailing lexicon
> Where did you go wrong, and how can you retool your ailing lexicon? To
> increase your vocabulary with phrases you've heard but aren't quite
> sure how to use, read on.
>
>
> 1. "Cold turkey"
>
> Definition: Refers to the physical state addicts are in when
> withdrawing from drug addition, especially heroin. Their blood is
> directed to the internal organs, leaving their skin white and goose
> bumpy like a Thanksgiving bird ready to go in the oven. Mmmmm, junkie
> turkey.
>
> Origin: The first usage of this phrase is unknown, but it has as many
> applications as there are things to be addicted to.
>
> Use it in a sentence: After coming down with a strange illness that
> turned his eye-whites blue, Ozzy had to go cold turkey from biting the
> heads off live bats or any other animals.
>
>
> 2. "Going Dutch"
>
> Definition: To evenly split the cost of a group expense, like a meal.
>
> Origin: The origin of the phrase is unknown, but there is one
> explanation. In the 17th century, the Dutch were hated commercial
> rivals of the British, and have been a verbal target for them since.
> Anyone who "went Dutch" may have been considered a tightwad. Not
> surprisingly, the Dutch don't seem to love this phrase.
>
> Use it in a sentence: The last girl I went out with called me a
> superior patriarchal misogynist who didn't respect her independence
> just because I offered to pick up the tab. So last night I decided I'd
> play it safe and suggested to my date that we go Dutch. She called me
> a cheap bastard!
>
>
> 3. "Sh*t hits the fan"
>
> Definition: Refers to the commotion that can occur when a situation
> that was previously secret is publicly revealed. Graphically
> illustrates the distinction between fecal matter, which is not in
> itself such a problem, and fecal matter piling up to the ceiling fan
> and then being sprayed everywhere, which pretty much sucks.
>
> Origin: Depression-era America, when apparently excrement abounded.
>
> Use it in a sentence: "I'm telling you, Bob, if we don't figure out
> how to get your dad's pogo stick out of this tree, the sh*t's really
> gonna hit the fan. I mean, how's he supposed to get to work?"
>
>
> 4. "Put a sock in it"
>
> Definition: A terse request to be quiet.
>
> Origin: Since early gramophones had no volume control knobs, playing
> them at anything less than 11 ("my amp goes up to 11") required
> putting a sock in the amplification trumpet.
>
> Use it in a sentence:
> Girl: "Why are you hesitating? You don't like it, do you? You think it
> makes me look fat, right? Oh, I knew this would happen. I should never
> have gotten an orange leather..."
> Guy: "Ah, put a sock in it."
>
>
> 5. "Son of a gun"
>
> Definition:
> a) As an interjection, it means "gee whiz" or "well I'll be damned."
> b) As a name to call someone, it's a euphemism for a phrase that's
> already pretty
> tame: son of a bitch.
>
> Origin: According to the Phrase Finder (www.phrases.shu.ac.uk), the
> expression originated on sailing ships, where some women would have
> sex with sailors between the cannons. The male progeny of such a
> dangerous liaison would then be called a son of a gun. Nice pedigree.
>
> Use it in a sentence:
> a) "Son of a gun, who stole my toupee?"
> b) "Bob, you old son of a gun. How's the prostate?"
>
>
> 6. "For all intents and purposes"
>
> Definition: First of all, it ain't "for all intensive purposes." Think
> about it for a minute. What the hell could that possibly mean? For all
> uses that are short but really demanding? Like, oh, I don't know,
> midget arm-wrestling? No, "for all intents and purposes" means
> "realistically speaking; practically; in almost every way."
>
> Origin: Although its origin is unknown, the phrase used to be "to all
> intents and purposes," which is still sometimes heard.
>
> Use it in a sentence: Bob tried so hard to please Patty that he had
> long ago passed the "whipped" phase and was now, for all intents and
> purposes, her love slave.
>
>
> 7. "Big cheese"
>
> Definition: The most important person; the boss.
>
> Origin: The Urdu word for thing is chiz. The British likened its sound
> to the word "cheese" and, as cheese is so vital to the Brits that
> their pound currency was actually pegged to the price of medium
> cheddar for almost two centuries, they modified its meaning to "the
> main/best thing." The phrase crossed the Atlantic as "the big cheese"
> in about 1890.
>
> Use it in a sentence: The way he acted, you could tell Bob thought he
> was the big cheese of the joint. But really, with his faux chains,
> hedge-like chest hair and shiny zebra-striped shirt, he was just
> cheesy.
>
>
> 8. "Peeping Tom"
>
> Definition: A peeping Tom is a voyeur.
>
> Origin: It stems from an 11th century English legend in which Tom the
> tailor unlawfully peeps at Lady Godiva as she rides on horseback naked
> through Coventry. As a result, he was struck blind. Doh!
>
> Use it in a sentence: To mess with the minds of any would-be peeping
> Toms in the high rise across the street, every night Bob undressed in
> front of his window with all the lights on, then looked out into the
> night and gave a big wave before retiring.
>
>
> 9. "Beat around the bush"
>
> Definition: This old phrase means, well, you know, sort of to, like,
> stall and stuff, or lie even, instead of, um -- hey look, that dog has
> a poofy tail! Sorry, it means not to get to the point or the truth.
>
> Origin: It comes from hunting, where hunters would carefully beat
> around bushes hoping to drive out their prey instead of just going in
> after it.
>
> Use it in a sentence:
> Man #1: "Stop beating around the bush and ask the question already!"
> Man #2: "Okay, fine. Can I borrow your girlfriend for, like, an hour?"
>
>
>
>
Whatever happened to the phrase that people improved with age? you sure
knocked that on the head LOL.
Mercury.
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