One of my favorite Southern sayings: "I wouldn't spit on him if he was on fire."
(There is a less-polite version involving crossing the road, which one ought not repeat in polite company.)
So give me a New Year's gift: tell me your favorite regional phrase! Or just who you are.
Cheers!!!!
"I don't trust him as far as I can throw him."
ReplyDeleteI have always loved and hated that one. I mean, I think I have a pretty good arm (and my brothers have always agreed with me) so I throw pretty far. Does that mean I trust "him" or should I trust all people the same since I wil throw them all the same distance? But at the same time it's catchy and it does make a point...I guess.
Happy new Year!
PS-I'm an engineering PhD student....4 months from defense, 5 months from first baby....trying to decide if I want to continue with (academic) science or not.
Can't think of a favorite saying, sorry.
ReplyDeleteDelurking:
Canadian mother of two (ages 1 and 5). Recently tenured economist at mid sized research school. Fortunate to have a part time academic appointment (a novel post-tenure option my university introduced I think to save money...) which gives me a nice balance of work and children.
Enjoying your blog for several years now. Thanks!
My dad has a huge repertoire of ridiculous expressions, many of which don't make much sense. Two examples: "he's as nervous as a whore in church" and "it's colder than a well-digger's behind in the Yukon". The first is fine, the second takes a minute to figure out, which kind of defeats the point.
ReplyDeleteOne I got from a friend that I love but have never had occasion to use: "don't give me shit and call it ice cream."
Delurking: Regular reader since four years. Ph.D. in Biochemistry/Microbiology. Mother of three small kids, live in Sweden. Found your blog when I'd recently started working in Quality Assurance in a big pharmaceutical firm (not so many to choose from in Sweden). Recently moved on to smaller biopharmaceutical firm, still in QA and liking it lots. I find your blog highly informative AND entertaining, a rare combination.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
It isn't from my region, but I like, "All hat and no cattle."
ReplyDeleteI also like, and don't remember the attribution, "Even if you don't get the shitty end of the stick, you are still holding a stick with shit on it."
Dad of two who hangs out less and less often at "Entropy Comes Easy" because Facebook is too damn easy.
One of my favourites is 'wouldn't know them from a bar of soap'.
ReplyDeleteDelurking - I am a recently completed PhD in chemistry, living downunder in NZ, very recently gone back to university to do my nursing training. So much happier now, kind of wish I had figured this out earlier!!
Delurking - Your old pal Not So Little Sister (Megan) when I was blogging. Miss emailing with you but I can't for the life of me remember what my email address was or the password when I had my old bloggity blog. Oh what motherhood does to the brain. Now mother of two girls (almost 8m and 3 1/2 years). Not in the science field at all...
ReplyDeleteMy favourite phrase, no idea if it's regional (I'm British, I grew up all over Europe, my region-processing circuits are fried), is 'S/he couldn't talk me out of a burning car.'
ReplyDeleteAlso, am fond of the very British 'he's so tight he wouldn't give an Eskimo a cough-drop'.
Hello! I said I'd come over and comment, and I have.
delurking - recently tenured bio prof with 2 year old.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favourite antipodean sayings:
ReplyDelete'like flies on sh!t' (intended for something that is avidly desired)
:)
g
i like the one you chose. also "dumber than a box of rocks," "nervouser than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rockers / the last snake in ireland," "lower than a snake's navel." or are the last two just my mother? my real favorite is the way that southerners take the basic patterns and give them new twists. once i heard someone in a diner say an acquaintance "didn't have no more sense than that sugar-shaker."
ReplyDeleteReally late, but finally at a keyboard instead of my phone. Not really regional, but I love "[poop] in one hand and want in the other, and see which one fills up first." And I really want to thank you for your honest writing about grad school -- I just quit my engineering PhD at ABD. And it's really nice to find someone outside the hivemind who can give that perspective of "it's not really worth it."
ReplyDeleteI'm late too, tried to think of a regional saying that wouldn't be lost in translation and failed. So here's merely delurking: mom of 2 (5y, 18m) still in grad school, from Finland. My field is Molecular Biology. I'm with you at cookie-baking, knitting and reading books, whenever I have time and energy.
ReplyDelete