Expressions
It's interesting to me to figure out why people talk the way that they do. Why do they use one word over another? What is the origin of that expression? Do they realize what is being conveyed when they say that? Given the nature of many common expressions, this post is more graphic than what I usually write.

Lately, I've thought about two expressions in particular. One that I started to use in jest among friends was, "so-and-so can go screw himself!" It appears in various forms, but it generally intends ill will or a lack of sympathy toward the other party. The tamer version of this would once have been, "go suck a lemon!" I remember hearing that initially, and wondering what was so bad about lemons. I understood that it was an insult, but after sucking a lemon on occasion, I found I quite liked it. I wonder if the more crass form of the insult has the same effect. It seems to me that most guys quite enjoy the opportunity to screw themselves, literally not figuratively. Sure there is deeper meaning to this insult, but on the surface, it can be quite harmlessly taken by the majority of men.

The other one, that was introduced to me more recently was the simile, "sweating like a whore in church." That brings to mind the question, should a prostitute be nervous in church? Jesus, the man whose life, death and resurrection is the reason churches gather, befriended many prostitutes. "Sweating like a whore hanging out with Jesus," would certainly lose it's meaning. It seems to me then, that "sweating like a whore in church" is not an insult to prostitutes, it is an insult to churches.

   [ posted by William @ 12:29 AM ]