My dad and I were standing by the grill earlier talking about health care reform. Pretty standard. I'm no expert, but I do know that the arguments being made against government health care are crap arguments. It's no more socialist than the police force any one of us can benefit from. And there would be no increase in taxes. Or rather, there would be, but gone would be the health care premiums and deductibles making health care CEOs filthy rich. Personally, I think taxes would work out cheaper, and we'd be a healthier nation. Maybe I'm looking at it wrong though.
But let's get back to those crap arguments being made. The bastardization of information in the media is a problem of obese proportions, and some Americans are ready to believe whatever they hear from the idiot with the loudest microphone, which is why I was surprised when my dad told me some of the New Republicans are really getting pissed about the sorts of propaganda being spouted at high volume by loudmouths like Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich. This is refreshing news for freedom of speech. Intelligence might just get its voice yet.
Now the funny part. Our discussion reminded my dad of a euphemism his father often used for describing unintelligent, crap arguments. He described the irresponsible speaker as “talking like a man with a paper ass.” I admit I can't quite figure out what this phrase means, but I like it, and somehow it makes sense inside my head. I hope to keep this phrase handy for regular use. But still I'm curious. Any ideas why it works?
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9 comments:
Maybe it's like a way to describe someone just before they're found out to be a liar...."liar, liar, pants on fire"?
:)
Haha! Especially if you add an accelerant (i.e. the methane of a fart). Then you've really got ka-flammo, pants on fire.
I'm not convinced though. Somehow this explanation seems a bit too complicated to be the real explanation for the saying....
Well, no one else commented with an alternative explanation, guess mine is the right one then...
I too was confused by this phrase for many years (grandfather) until my 90 year old uncle completed the saying. It's actually "You're talking like a man with a paper ass....... backing up to a blowtorch" meaning that you are talking on a suject in which you are ill informed
My dad said this till the day he died , my buddy said oh no we'll never know what that meant now ,because we always thought it was so funny ,then I found a book called American Slang ,,,,, sure enough it was in there ,
"man with a paper ass ,or talk like a man with a paper ass ,,,, a small or insignificant man one who's ideas are unimportant . trivial .
Thanks, Anonymous & Unknown!
My father used this expression often. We used to find it very amusing. I would describe it as "Big Hat, No Cattle" or someone who sounds off a lot but has no substance to back up what they say. I think it was used frequently during WWII. Still a great way to describe someone with a weak argument.
It seems that, in retrospect, you and your father were the ones talking with paper asses. Funny that? 'healthcare reform' didn't turn out so cheap or painless did it? And the fuckupedness is just beginning.
naI first came across the term "paper ass' when I was reading A Helmet For My Pillow, by Robert Leckie, which is his personal account during the Cape Gloucester Campaign (among other island battles in which he fought) in the South Pacific. "Oh what a paper-assed shavetail son of a bitch. Commando sits on his brains." I took that to mean Lt Commando is ignorant and doesn't know what the hell he's doing. I hope that helps.
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