# "Pissing In Paris" -- The Colloquialism Game **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 8, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pissing-in-paris-the-colloquialism-game/570693 "2011-02-08T21:12:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pissing-in-paris-the-colloquialism-game/570693/1 "2011-02-08T21:12:34Z")
First, the backstory: I was at a birthday party for one of The Littlest Briston’s classmates over the weekend when I met quite possibly the worst person I’ve ever met in my life. A loudmouthed nitwit who talked about herself and her life nonstop, alternating between how her life was the envy of everyone lucky enough to know her, and how utterly terrible everything was in her life what with everyone and everything out to screw her over. A few minutes into our time together, I knew she was utterly full of shit in everything she said, and started to tune her out. While I was lost in my own thoughts, I suddenly realized that she had paused and was waiting for me to respond to what she had said. “…I mean, can you believe he’d try something like that?”, she asked. “Huh. Unbelievable”, I half-heartedly returned, when all of a sudden this game formed in my head. “Yeah, he was _such_ a jerk”, she said. Time to see if this could work: “Yeah, I know the type. Always pissing in Paris, ya know?” “EXACTLY! You know just what I mean…”, she replied. So naturally, I’ll now be doing everything in my power to make it known the world over that “pissing in Paris” is now the official colloquialism for “saying something which is meaningless, just to see if some pompous jackass will act like they know _exactly_ what you’re talking about”. Now, the game: Simple – come up with a definition for the previous person’s colloquialism, and then leave a colloquialism of your own for the next person to define. Up first: “Waiting for the bees to turn blue” ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pissing-in-paris-the-colloquialism-game/570693/2 "2011-02-09T05:39:17Z")
Waiting for the bees to turn blue means just chilling out while waiting for little toddlers to tire themselves. Next: “Stuffing the turkey” ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pissing-in-paris-the-colloquialism-game/570693/3 "2011-02-09T12:11:53Z")
> [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](#): > > “Stuffing the turkey” euhm… filling a house with trinkets to make it sell easyer? next: swallowing the toe ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pissing-in-paris-the-colloquialism-game/570693/4 "2011-02-09T13:36:16Z")
> [@willthekittensurvive](#): > > euhm… filling a house with trinkets to make it sell easyer? > > next: swallowing the toe Coaching for the Jets. Next: “Coaching for the Jets.” ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pissing-in-paris-the-colloquialism-game/570693/5 "2011-02-09T14:51:43Z")
Going off to get a goddam snack! Next: Eating the tough cheese. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pissing-in-paris-the-colloquialism-game/570693/6 "2011-02-09T15:09:45Z")
Putting up with the shit life throws at you. Next: Reading My Pet Goat. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pissing-in-paris-the-colloquialism-game/570693/7 "2011-02-09T15:10:19Z")
Eating the tough cheese = telling your boss some unpleasant news Next: Kicking the walrus ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pissing-in-paris-the-colloquialism-game/570693/8 "2011-02-09T15:13:49Z")
Kicking the walrus = Making such someone is really dead before you print the obit (the walrus was Paul) Next: Reading My Pet Goat. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pissing-in-paris-the-colloquialism-game/570693/9 "2011-02-09T16:14:43Z")
Reading my pet goat - Trying to make sense of soemthing after it’s been figuratively masticated, digested and “discarded” in a completely unrecognizeable form. (i.e. I reviewed the version of my idea that the committee finally approved - it was like reading my pet goat.) Next: washing the bananas ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pissing-in-paris-the-colloquialism-game/570693/10 "2011-02-09T16:38:24Z")
“washing the bananas” = preparing to argue in favor of Intelligent Design (you know, the “Banana Theory”) next: cooling the coffee ---
**Author:** ![HardlySanguine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HardlySanguine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HardlySanguine)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pissing-in-paris-the-colloquialism-game/570693/11 "2011-02-09T16:57:46Z")
Accidentally falling back to sleep and missing an important appointment. “buying antidepressants for the mouse” ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pissing-in-paris-the-colloquialism-game/570693/12 "2011-02-09T17:07:36Z")
“buying antidepressants for the mouse” = Going through the motions of cheering up somebody whom you don’t really care about. “put it in a bucket and drop it into a well” ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pissing-in-paris-the-colloquialism-game/570693/13 "2011-02-09T17:30:50Z")
Wrap a vague idea in pretty-sounding B.S., tell it to other people, and flesh it out based on their reactions. “Shopping for wildebeests” ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pissing-in-paris-the-colloquialism-game/570693/14 "2011-02-09T18:25:02Z")
Shopping for Wildebeests – Running around or trolling with a fake sob story until you find someone to give you sympathy. “Smoking the ham” ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pissing-in-paris-the-colloquialism-game/570693/15 "2011-02-09T19:53:05Z")
“smoking the ham”–doing something to try to make something appear kosher when it’s impossible. “scaring the clown” ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pissing-in-paris-the-colloquialism-game/570693/16 "2011-02-09T20:17:35Z")
Shopping for Wildebeests – Running around or trolling with a fake sob story until you find someone to give you sympathy. Instant classic! I am so using this! “scaring the clown” Turning the tables in a way that only a select few who share a vulnerability can appreciate. “Winching up a an old boot” ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pissing-in-paris-the-colloquialism-game/570693/17 "2011-02-09T20:32:24Z")
“Winching up an old boot” - remembering useless crap that you not only don’t need, but that distracts you from remembering what you were trying to think about. “Running the washer with the lid open” ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pissing-in-paris-the-colloquialism-game/570693/18 "2011-02-09T23:42:34Z")
“Running the washer with the lid open” Doing maintenance work with the failsafe disabled. q.v. flying by the seat of your pants. “Fired up on unleaded petrol” ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pissing-in-paris-the-colloquialism-game/570693/19 "2011-02-10T01:22:21Z")
“Fired up on unleaded petrol” - Having post-vasectomy intercourse. Dusting your grandma’s urn. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pissing-in-paris-the-colloquialism-game/570693/20 "2011-02-10T03:44:19Z")
Dusting your grandma’s urn – Dwelling on the past while convincing yourself that you’re actually accomplishing something by doing so. Ordering the shrimp platter [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pissing-in-paris-the-colloquialism-game/570693.md?page=2)