Clear a weirdness bar in street shoes

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Georg - 12 Jan 2007 14:20 GMT

Hello!
There was a line in an episode of "Two and a Half Men" which I just
don't get language-wise.
Charly says to a rather strange (tall) woman "My weirdness bar for
chicks is pretty high but you are clearing it in street shoes".

2 things I don't get:

1- if you can clear a bar you don't run into it, right? So if she
clears his bar then she's NOT weird if I understand this correctly. But
then it doesn't make any sense.

2- street shoes- are those shoes with no or little heel? If so then it
would make only sense to me if he said something like "you crash into
the bar even in (low) street shoes".

Can a native speaker please explain and make this clear? Thank you!

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Jacqui - 12 Jan 2007 14:27 GMT

Georg wibbled:

> Hello!
> There was a line in an episode of "Two and a Half Men" which I just
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> clears his bar then she's NOT weird if I understand this correctly.
> But then it doesn't make any sense.

Think of the high-jump. If you can clear the bar you're jumping over it
- if you can clear a 'pretty high' bar then you're jumping really high.
In other words, while he will tolerate quite a high level, she's way
above that.

> 2- street shoes- are those shoes with no or little heel? If so then it
> would make only sense to me if he said something like "you crash into
> the bar even in (low) street shoes".

You wouldn't normally do the high jump in 'street shoes' (which may have
a heel, may not), you'd wear sports shoes of some kind. Street shoes
would be a handicap - but despite the handicap she's *still* clearing
the bar, so she's *really* weird.

(The *opposite* of his meaning would be "you crash into the bar even in
sports shoes" i.e. even with all the advantage you can muster, you are
still not weird enough.)

Jac

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Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2007

Clear a weirdness bar in street shoes