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#100926 04/15/03 05:28 PM
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Badword you Capfka.


#100927 04/16/03 02:44 AM
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Quinion seems to share your doubts, capfka.

http://www.quinion.com/words/qa/qa-pea2.htm

Bingley


Bingley
#100928 04/16/03 10:03 AM
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Yes, precisely, Bingley. Loadsa fun ...


#100929 04/16/03 01:11 PM
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A common explanation, the one accepted by Oxford Dictionaries,
is that it comes from Royal Air Force slang. However, nobody
there or anywhere else seems to know why. Some say that it
may have been applied to the efforts of pilots to do aerobatics,
such as loops. It is notoriously difficult (I am told) to get
manoeuvres like this even roughly circular, and instructors would
describe the resulting distorted route of the aircraft as
pear-shaped.
I’ve not seen firm evidence to convince me of this explanation,
which sounds a little far-fetched, but that’s the best I can do


#100930 04/16/03 01:33 PM
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The Oxford is often wrong or incomplete, Bill. How much time do you think they can afford to spend verifying the etymology of every single entry? They probably accepted the definition for lack of another rather than because they were convinced that it is true.

It is a very, very doubtful one. If it were common air force slang I'd believe it, but it's not.


#100931 04/16/03 05:07 PM
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Dear pfranz: I'm impressed that you feel superior to the OED2. As Leo Durocher said,
show me a good loser, and I'lll show you a loser.


#100932 04/16/03 05:20 PM
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FTR, OED2 has nothing to say about this pejorative usage of pear-shaped; but the online version has a New Entry marked "draft entry March 2003", which includes this:

3. colloq. (chiefly Brit., orig. R.A.F. slang). to go (also turn) pear-shaped: to go (badly)
wrong, to go awry.

1983 J. ETHELL & A. PRICE Air War South Atlantic 158 There were two bangs very close together. The whole aircraft shook and things went ‘pear-shaped’ very quickly after that. The controls ceased to work, the nose started to go down. 1989 Air Forces Monthly Feb. 53/2 When a disadvantaged fighter manages to manoeuvre back into a neutral position, it is a sign to the attacker that things are already going pear-shaped. 1995 FourFourTwo Sept. 108/1 The day itself was one of those prize-winningly crappy days when everything went pear shaped. 1999 J. CASSIDY Street Life 118 Next we travelled to Bournemouth and it was there that things began to turn rather pear-shaped.


the RAF supposition seems to be based (per usual) on the first citations found in print.

#100933 04/16/03 06:28 PM
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I have to confess that origin from difficulty in making perfectly circular loops seems
a bit improbable. In the first place, why in hell would airforce place any value on ability
to make perfect circle. In secondplace, pilot could not have any point of reference to
judge his circle by. And unless he were skywriting, nobody could judge his success
in approximating perfect circle. Bad cess to OED.


#100934 04/16/03 06:45 PM
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hey guys? there's nothin' in the OED entry (or citations) about deformed loops. more like suggestions of bottoming out. <g>


#100935 04/16/03 06:45 PM
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Well, then there is the possibility of a sexual innuendo .... not that I would ever trail my pure white robes in that gutter
Par example : "When I was young I had an hour glass figure but as I've aged its gone all pear shaped."
Chuckle chuckle chuckle!


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