Hiaasen: on a dumpling

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Marius Hancu - 30 Jan 2010 07:53 GMT

Hello:

Just curious:
Is this idiom
"like sh.t on a dumpling?"

----
Tool said, "Doc, you look like sh.t on a dumpling."

Carl Hiaasen, Skinny Dip, p. 185
----
--
Thanks.
Marius Hancu

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Lars Eighner - 30 Jan 2010 10:54 GMT

In our last episode,
<d18546bf-b1ad-4131-85ed-5657c2168a27@c4g2000yqa.googlegroups.com>, the
lovely and talented Marius Hancu broadcast on alt.usage.english:

> Hello:

> Just curious:
> Is this idiom
> "like sh.t on a dumpling?"

I don't think 'idiom' is the right term. It is a colorful simile which is
not uncommon. It is grammatical and the meaning can be derived from the
meaning of its parts. The only problem I can see is that 'look like'
has, perhaps, one of its metaphoric senses.

Sue looks like her mother.
His injury looks like bad news for the Bears.

The second of these shows 'look like' in a metaphoric sense since 'bad news'
cannot possibly have a physical appearance, 'news' being intangible.

You can decide for yourself if in this case what is meant is Doc has the
appearance of sh.t on a dumpling or looks as unappealing as sh.t on a
dumpling. In some cases it might be a bit of both.

> ----
> Tool said, "Doc, you look like sh.t on a dumpling."

> Carl Hiaasen, Skinny Dip, p. 185
> ----
> --
> Thanks.
> Marius Hancu

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Marius Hancu - 31 Jan 2010 01:32 GMT

> > Just curious:
> > Is this idiom
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> > ----
> > Tool said, "Doc, you look like sh.t on a dumpling."

Thanks.
Marius Hancu

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Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2010

Hiaasen: on a dumpling