Totally Random ...

Fluffernutter wrote:WHAT IN THE HECK DOES "CUTE AS A BUTTON" MEAN?!?!

if you really want to know...

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It's up there with sweat like a pig; pigs don't sweat!

Fluffernutter wrote:WHAT IN THE HECK DOES "CUTE AS A BUTTON" MEAN?!?!

Actually that's one of the problems with the English language. The word 'cute' itself is a derivative of acute, and the accepted meaning of cute has come to be finding someone or something diminutively pretty or attractive or finding that they have a pleasing or charming demeanor, however back in the day the term cute used to refer to one's mental acumen. In other words a hundred years ago calling someone cute meant you thought they were clever or smart in some small way. The term, "cute as a button" could also be thought of then as being 'clever as a button' which doesn't make much sense either until one realizes that for decades quality outer garments - jackets, overcoats, and such - had brass buttons, and a common turn of phrase in the late 18th and early 19th centuries was "bright as a button" to indicate someone was particularly clever in some small way.

When fashion and economic trends forced haberdashers to transition from brass buttons to cloth covered wood for most common outer garments, the term "bright as a button" fell out of favor and was replaced with "cute as a button", still meaning 'clever or smart in some small way'. However as time has passed cute is no longer commonly used to indicate cleverness, and now has come to signify attractiveness, so "cute as a button" now indicates someone who is found to be diminutively pretty or attractive.

It's colloquialisms like this that make me feel sorry for someone who's learning English as a second language - it's a royal pain in the ass for those of us who speak it as a first language.

RM

The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary. ~ James Nicoll

THX1138 wrote:It's colloquialisms like this that make me feel sorry for someone who's learning English as a second language - it's a royal pain in the ass for those of us who speak it as a first language.

They say (or used to) that English was one of the hardest languages to learn as a second--Gaelic and Chinese were among the others. Outside of the fact that all idioms are hard to understand, our spelling's wonky and pronouniciation's worse. Caxton may have started trying to standardize it, but considering how many ways there are to spell some words...are you familiar with Colonel McCormick? One of the major figures of the Chicago Tribune's history and he tried to "fix" the spelling. Oh, if you could see the Tribs from the last decade or so that he was in charge--burocracy, grafic, thru, tho, altho...and so on.

How's that for random?

THX1138 wrote:The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary. ~ James Nicoll

I have this quote somewhere--I thought it was pretty funny and fairly accurate!

THX1138 wrote:Bingo and we have a winner! Tell me that doesn't just scream B & B in Serendipity. I'm telling ya', blc writes some good smuff.

OMG!!! I love that story!!!!!!! ♥

wE went to go see "The Taking of Pelham 123" today. This movie was so good. John Travolta, Denzel Washington, John Turturro ...

John Travolta can convincingly play ANYONE!

DBCrazy wrote:wE went to go see "The Taking of Pelham 123" today. This movie was so good. John Travolta, Denzel Washington, John Turturro ...

John Travolta can convincingly play ANYONE!

I'm wondering about that movie - I liked the original "The Taking of Pelham 123" with Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, and Jerry Stiller. It's not that I don't think the movie can't use an update, but sometimes I wonder if the remakes don't lose some of the original film's magic and charm.

RM

THX1138 wrote:

DBCrazy wrote:wE went to go see "The Taking of Pelham 123" today. This movie was so good. John Travolta, Denzel Washington, John Turturro ...

John Travolta can convincingly play ANYONE!

I'm wondering about that movie - I liked the original "The Taking of Pelham 123" with Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, and Jerry Stiller. It's not that I don't think the movie can't use an update, but sometimes I wonder if the remakes don't lose some of the original film's magic and charm.

RM

I never saw the original. At some point I tried and I don't remember what the problem was other than it didn't catch my interest. This movie is intense!

Driving back into town this evening we saw about a dozen Canada geese flying north in formation. I wouldn't have thought that they would be flying north already!

Kenny Rogers is doing a benefit concert - 50 Years! A smattering of his songs that pop to mind first ...

Lucille
You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille,
With four hungry children and a crop in the field.

...

Ruby
She's leaving now 'cause I just heard the slamming of the door
The way I know I've heard it slam a hundred times before
And if I could move, I'd get my gun and put her in the ground
Oh Ruby, don't take your love to town
Oh Ruby, for God's sake turn around

...

Reuben James
Reuben James
You still walk the fertile fields of my mind
The faded shirt, the weathered brow
The calloused hands upon the plow
I loved you then and I loved you now
Reuben James

...

and here's the whole of the "Baseball Song"

Little boy, in a baseball hat,
Stands in a field, with his ball and bat,
says "I am the greatest, player of them all"
puts his bat on his shoulder, and tosses up his ball.

And the ball goes up, and the ball comes down,
he swings his bat all the way around,
and the worlds so still you can hear the sound
as the baseball falls, to the ground.

Now the little boy, doesn't say a word,
picks up his ball, he is undeterred,
Says "I am the greatest, there has ever been,"
and he grits his teeth, and tries it again.

And the ball goes up, and the ball comes down,
he swings his bat all the way around,
and the worlds so still you can hear the sound
as the baseball falls, to the ground.

He makes no excuses, He shows no fear,
He just closes his eyes, and listens to the cheers.

Little boy, he adjusts his hat
picks up his ball, stares at his bat,
says "I am the greatest, the game is on the line,"
and he gives his all, one last time.

And the ball goes up, like the moon so bright,
Swings his bat, with all his might,
and the worlds as still, as still as can be,
and the baseball falls, and that's strike three.

Now its supper time, and his Mama calls,
little boy starts home, with his bat and ball,
says "I am the greatest, that is a fact,
but even I didn't know, I could pitch like that."

Says, "I am the greatest, that is understood,
but even I didn't know, I could pitch that good."

Some days you just kinda feel like a cigar band getting crumpled in an old jewelry box.

Ive seen the hangover three times in the past week at the movies...i think im really bored...

I need to study put I have this problem... I am easily distracted oh well, it's only english

On my roadtrip I spent all my time listening to the radio. I'd find one and listen until the signal petered out then I'd find another ... Anyway I found this one station. They identified themselves as
KFKQ!

I was like ... What???



I would have thought that the FCC would have said

to those call letters! I know the DMV wouldn't let you have FKQ.

Here's another something I ran across on the radio...

I found the NPR show "Wait! Wait! Don't Tell Me!" It was pretty entertaining ... I'd never listened to it before. Anyway the host was introducing Elizabeth Edwards, saying that she'd been on the show a couple years ago while her husband, Senator John Edwards, was running for President, and that she'd written a book titled "Resilience". Then he brought her out.

He was chatting with her about her last visit, and publicity, and her cancer, and mentioned the 1600* square foot house that they had built. And as serious as any question has ever been asked in any interview ever ... he asked her "What I really want to know is - How big is the dog house that John's living in these days?" **




-----------------
* The host was being facetious - it's really a 29,000 square foot mansion! (Valued at $6,000,000!)

** for those not in the know, he (J.E.) was found out to have a mistress AND a love child with her!

I don't wanna do anything!!