Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 8 of 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
#72485 06/17/02 01:38 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
F
veteran
Offline
veteran
F
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
Only a few heroes ever escaped Cerberus's guard

Just occurs to me that this is probably why Kerberos (Greek) is the name of a pretty effective computer security system.

Cerberus was the original Hellhound, but who was the original Hellcat? The Sphinx? Another jealous guardian of a pathway, as I recall, but beaten by wit rather than charm.


#72486 06/17/02 01:48 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
F
veteran
Offline
veteran
F
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
dancing a merry tangent
Heck, that almost never happens here, alexis

a shambles, to me, is a mess, a cock-up, close to a disaster sometimes.
Yes, this is another situation where the Aussie (prob. meaning Australasian here, eh CapK? ) meaning of old slang is almost exactly the same as the Brit meaning.
The stuff about butcher's and/or fishmonger's benches was to do with supposed origins of the word.

For a disaster we'd talk about an "absolute shambles", though it would still be more like a huge cock-up than a genuine disaster. Thinking about it, "shambles" rarely relates to a physical mess, it's more of an organisational/administrative mess. Does that apply elsewhere?

Fisk


#72487 06/17/02 02:02 PM
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 43
E
newbie
Offline
newbie
E
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 43
If you can't have your way, you'll interrupt to poison
any other discussion on this board. Spamming.


Ha, ha. There he goes again. This could easily be applied to you you little toad. You've been guilty of this on innumerable occasions and yet you will never admit to being wrong. Absolute denial is a mental illness, Kenny boy. Get some help. You are getting worse and worse every day.


#72488 06/17/02 02:05 PM
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 43
E
newbie
Offline
newbie
E
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 43
and there you go again, Consuelo, repeating verbatim below what you said just above. Repetitive interruption.

How perceptive of you Kenny boy! And do you notice anything else? The content man! Read the words! What do they say? Or can you not understand them? I think people are trying to tell you something but you just don't get it. Well, it'll just have to go on like this forever, won't it Kenny babes?


#72489 06/17/02 11:26 PM
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 833
M
old hand
Offline
old hand
M
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 833
Geoff made me laugh out loud!

"a pair of snakes in the glass" indeed!

Sighhh....I miss him.

Let us go in peace to love and serve the board.

#72490 06/18/02 08:22 PM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 39
R
newbie
Offline
newbie
R
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 39
In response to FishonaBike's clarification of "Mancunian"

I see... But I still say you would have to be as mad as a hatter to say mad as toast or cheese or eggs...

Incidentally, which of these expressions is equivalent to "mad as a hatter" (crazy), and which is equivalent to "mad as a hornet" (angry)?

Robert


#72491 06/18/02 10:39 PM
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
B
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
B
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
I've heard "Strong as an ox" but I'm sure there must be more strength-type expressions.

How about for weakness - anybody know expressions?


Dumb as a box of hammers.
Red as a tomato
White as a ghost
Silent as a mouse



#72492 06/19/02 01:44 AM
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 833
M
old hand
Offline
old hand
M
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 833
Dunno about weakness, bel, but one "as...as" I enjoyed when I came across it in Giovanni Guaresci's Don Camillo books was "full as an egg."

The problem, of course, is dealing with absolutes: something is either full, or it isn't - kinda like being a little bit pregnant or a little bit dead...! but I still really like "as full as an egg." In fact, maybe I'll read the Don Camillo books next - once I finish Lucy Carmichael. (That will be a sad day, indeed - I wish all books could be this good!)

Let us go in peace to love and serve the board.

#72493 06/19/02 01:58 AM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
W
wwh Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Dear MG: Full as an egg is not really an impressive metaphor. Have you never noticed the rather large air sac in one end of the egg? At the moment I can't remember which end for sure, but I think it is the big end.
If an egg has about thirty cc. of contents, almost two cc is in that little sac. I suppose it is necessary so that rise in temperature which cause liquid volume to increase can't cause rigid shell to break open.


#72494 06/19/02 02:01 AM
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 833
M
old hand
Offline
old hand
M
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 833
Ah, Bill - but the rigid shell DOES break open if, for example, you boil it without puncturing it first.

I thought the air space in an egg was much smaller? and contained between the shell and the membrane? maybe the phrase should be, "as full as an egg membrane"??!!

Let us go in peace to love and serve the board.

Page 8 of 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,283
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 444 guests, and 3 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,510
LukeJavan8 9,916
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5