# Words I'd like to use but where I'm unsure of tone or implications **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 2, 2013, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-id-like-to-use-but-where-im-unsure-of-tone-or-implications/662405 "2013-07-02T00:55:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-id-like-to-use-but-where-im-unsure-of-tone-or-implications/662405/1 "2013-07-02T00:55:26Z")
E.g., would referring to one’s role in an organization as a “dogsbody” be humorously self-depreciating, or pathetic? Is a “dog’s breakfast” as negative as it sounds? What exactly are “horses for courses?” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-id-like-to-use-but-where-im-unsure-of-tone-or-implications/662405/2 "2013-07-02T01:39:55Z")
“Dogsbody” is pretty archaic in the US, so no one would know what you mean. “Horses for courses” means that some horses like a particular track, and do poorly elsewhere. A racehorse may run very well on a turf track, but poorly on the dirt, for instance. The phrase has a general sense of some people are more successful in certain environments but not in others. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-id-like-to-use-but-where-im-unsure-of-tone-or-implications/662405/3 "2013-07-02T01:44:11Z")
Only a blackguard would even start a thread like this. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-id-like-to-use-but-where-im-unsure-of-tone-or-implications/662405/4 "2013-07-02T01:51:00Z")
> [@Arrendajo](#): > > Only a blackguard would even start a thread like this. What about whiteguards, huh? \*\*\* Racist! 😛 * * * ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-id-like-to-use-but-where-im-unsure-of-tone-or-implications/662405/5 "2013-07-02T02:54:39Z")
> [@Arrendajo](#): > > Only a blackguard would even start a thread like this. Not really my legerdemain. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-id-like-to-use-but-where-im-unsure-of-tone-or-implications/662405/6 "2013-07-02T03:15:55Z")
I have no idea what any of these refer to. ---
**Author:** ![colander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@colander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colander)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-id-like-to-use-but-where-im-unsure-of-tone-or-implications/662405/7 "2013-07-02T03:44:24Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > Is a “dog’s breakfast” as negative as it sounds? Well, it means “a badly botched job” and references the practice of feeding a dog last night’s dinner leavings. To an American English speaker who is unfamiliar with the origin of the term, it will probably sound even worse than that, since it immediately evokes images of the many much, much grosser things that dogs are known to enjoy eating. So, yeah, it’s probably pretty bad. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-id-like-to-use-but-where-im-unsure-of-tone-or-implications/662405/8 "2013-07-02T13:17:06Z")
On the other hand, “the dog’s bollocks” is very much not what it sounds like–the dog’s bollocks is the bee’s knees and the cat’s pyjamas. 😃