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Discussion Groups / British English / April 2005A phrase I am not sure about
Hello Newsgroup! I am new to this place, so I am not sure at all if this is the right place to put my question (also please excuse my a bit rusted english - it's been a while since I spoke to a native speaker. So I am wondering about this: I own the internet-domain www.iron-butterfly.de (nothing to see there at the moment, and when I registered it I did not think about the band "iron butterfly" - that was before I started to listen to music). Now I want to put some blog onto that page, and I am looking for some kind of a theme, and randomly listened to a song from garbage, calles "butterfly collector". There is also mentioned "queen of the butterfly collectors". Well ... as I am already a bit embarresed about me not knowing "Iron ButterflY" (bought a CD now ;-) ), I wonder if there is a special meaning in this "(king of the) butterfly collectors"? Somehow I fear that this is a phrase that might be used by a subculture, and it might mean something I don't want to be connected with. Oh, maybe I am totally wrong, and people now wonder about this line, so here is a link to the lyrics of the song: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/garbage/butterflycollector.html Sorry again for my rusty english (this is what happens if you speak to russian and chinese people in english all the time ... hope it was not too bad!) Thank you in advance! Stefan > Hello Newsgroup! > Well ... as I am already a bit embarresed about me not knowing "Iron > ButterflY" (bought a CD now ;-) ), I wonder if there is a special > meaning in this "(king of the) butterfly collectors"? Somehow I fear > that this is a phrase that might be used by a subculture, and it > might mean something I don't want to be connected with. Usually when 'king' (or queen) is used in a phrase like this it means that the person is the best at whatever it is, so in this case, the best butterfly collector. > > Hello Newsgroup! > > Well ... as I am already a bit embarresed about me not knowing "Iron [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Usually when 'king' (or queen) is used in a phrase like this it means > that the person is the best at whatever it is, so in this case, the best > butterfly collector. I thnk he is asking if "butterfly collector" has any slang meaning that might be derogatory or obscene. I am not aware of any, but I'm not up on all the latest slang, either. The song he cites seems to just be using it as a phrase meaning frivolous pursuit. >> > Hello Newsgroup! >> > Well ... as I am already a bit embarresed about me not knowing [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] >on all the latest slang, either. The song he cites seems to just be >using it as a phrase meaning frivolous pursuit. I agree with the first part of your comment. However, my reading of the song is that "butterfly collecting" is not necessarily frivolous or casual. The "butterfly collector" is a woman who treats men as objects to be collected. She entices and enthrals them not only sexually but also mentally: "There's tarts and whores but you're much more You're a different kind 'cause you want their minds"  SignaturePeter Duncanson UK (posting from u.c.l.e) > >I thnk he is asking if "butterfly collector" has any slang meaning > >that might be derogatory or obscene. I am not aware of any, but I'm > >not up on all the latest slang, either. The song he cites seems to > >just be using it as a phrase meaning frivolous pursuit. > I agree with the first part of your comment. > However, my reading of the song is that "butterfly collecting" is not > necessarily frivolous or casual. The "butterfly collector" is a woman > who treats men as objects to be collected. She entices and enthrals > them not only sexually but also mentally: > "There's tarts and whores but you're much more You're a different > kind 'cause you want their minds" A collector of souls: Greek psyche, butterfly? Signaturehttp://www.dacha.freeuk.com/penny/1d-01.htm the old woman died so agonisingly and slowly one night after becoming impaled on the old lilac tree beneath her bedroom window. >> >I thnk he is asking if "butterfly collector" has any slang meaning >> >that might be derogatory or obscene. I am not aware of any, but I'm [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > >A collector of souls: Greek psyche, butterfly? I suspect that interpretation might come as news to the lyricist. :-) Having re-read the song I suggest that what the writer had in mind was a butterfly collection in a display cabinet, with the butterflies fixed in rows and columns. In the song the singer, the butterfly, is living rather than dead so the nature of control exercised is different. The first two lines of the song are: "So you finally got what you wanted You've achieved your aim by making me walk in line" SignaturePeter Duncanson UK (posting from u.c.l.e) Hi! Thanx to everybody for the help! I think I don't get into problems by using phrases and quotations of the song on my homepage then! Again: Thanx to everybody for helping! Stefan |
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