Quaint Expressions Revisited

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Of the nine threads with the word “quaint” in the title, I started three of various relevance.

Quaint and Curious Weather Sayings
and
Quaint and imprecise measures of snowfall
were barely affected by posts

However, Quaint expressions you heard once or twice but use yourself regularly went on to the third page before burning out.

Today’s “quaint expression” is one I heard Jimmy Dean (Mr. Sausage) use on a late night talk show (probably Carson’s) many years ago. Dean was in Nashville to do some recording and was walking downtown when he saw a bum approaching with what looked like clothes he had been wearing for weeks and a three growth of stubble. The bum was muttering to himself, “I don’t understand it. I just don’t understand it. Every time I get out of jail it rains.”

Your turn.

2

“You can’t turn a pile of poop into a pudding pie.”

Used when someone’s trying to put positive spin on a bad situation, or bullshit their way out of a bad place.

3

“…a minute”, when used to indicate a significant length of time passed.

Examples:

“Ray, how ya doing? It’s been a minute, huh?”

“It’s been a minute since I got back from vacation.”

etc. I use it all the time.

4

Since this thread isn’t going anywhere special, and since I felt the need to share this item from today’s email, here it is:

I should mention that this thread was started before the death of Jimmy Dean, and for that I apologize.

5

If ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ were candy and nuts, we’d all have a Merry Christmas.

6

My friend likes to say “You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken shit no matter how much mayonnaise you use.”

7

I don’t know how if this qualifies as “quaint”, but it caught my ear when listening a talk show host in New Zealand discussing a local political issue:

“Too much spin and not enough spine.”

8

“Even a clock that doesn’t run is right twice a day.”

9

Here’s a new one for y’all:

“Green Lantern Theory of Geopolitics”: “American military might” is like a Green Lantern’s power ring, “that, roughly speaking, we can accomplish absolutely anything in the world through the application of sufficient military force. The only thing limiting us is a lack of willpower.”

Cite.

The Green Lantern Theory of X can be applied to just about anything, with the underlying implication that you don’t have the courage to face the consequences, e.g. The Green Lantern Theory of Spicy Foods, The Green Lantern Theory of Pulling Off a Bandaid, etc.

10

I took a while to respond. I have been flat out like a lizard drinking.

11

(Is this one new?)

That fellow over there is not the sharpest crayon in the box, is he?