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Pooh-Bah
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Car that loooks pretty ordinary on the outside but had hidden bells and whistles; eg, souped-up engine
A quick Googling suggests that the term is coming to have a broader meaning, that is, anything ordinary on the outside but extraordinary inside; though this usage hasn't yet found its way into the usu dictionaries
Any further input on this more generalized meaning appreciated--Thanks guys
dalehileman
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I think it's been used in sports for quite a while, in that same general usage; someone (or a team) that has some surprises "under the hood".
a similar, though not the same, phrase would be "sand-bagging".
formerly known as etaoin...
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Pooh-Bah
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eta: Thank you kindly. Perhaps I'm stretching the idea of a neologism
dalehileman
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Carpal Tunnel
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a sleeper is a spy, that live a long time in another country, waiting..(sleeping) until it is called to act (time of war) then the spy shows its true colors..
same idea with a car.. looks ordinary, but at crunch time, it shows that its no ordinary car.
(the spy/sleeper is old. (what, 1970's or? so entered common language in spy thrillers)
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Pooh-Bah
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Thanks guys, but I'm familiar with all the usu definitions. The thrust of my thread was whether the more generalized usage, which has not yet found its way into the usu dictionaries, has caught on; or whether it should even be considered as a unique extension of those defs
Last edited by dalehileman; 07/02/06 03:13 PM.
dalehileman
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Pooh-Bah
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Sleeper? You mean the kind of car that looks like this on the outside and has this under the hood? 
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Hi Dale. I wonder what you consider a "usu dictionar[y]." I've done a brief check and, so far, AHD, MWO, Encarta, COED, Cambridge International and dictionary.com all give the generic meaning, something along the lines of "something that achieves sudden, unexpected success." Perhaps it's the lack of your proffered definition, "anything ordinary on the outside but extraordinary inside" which is more like a definition for "ringer" than for "sleeper."
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Carpal Tunnel
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I thought sleepers were a type of pill.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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or a Woody Allen movie...
formerly known as etaoin...
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Pooh-Bah
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Fal: It is the more general def that I don't find. The usage to which I allude may not even be considered a separate meaning but an impromptu extension
But thanks for the suggestion, but I don't think "ringer" quite makes the grade
dalehileman
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