A Way with Words A Way with Words

Discussion Forum

Please consider registering
guest

Log In Register

Login form protected by Login LockDown.


Register | Lost password?
Search
Advanced Search
Advanced Search:

— Forum Scope —



— Match —



— Forum Options —




Wildcard usage:
*  matches any number of characters    %  matches exactly one character

Minimum search word length is 4 characters - maximum search word length is 84 characters

RSS
Feel one's oats
Perhaps a not so pleasing praise
2013/02/23
5:20am
Robert
Posts: 190
Joined:
2011/10/03
Offline
1
0

A Newsweek article describes the President in good fighting spirits as 'feeling his oats.'   No matter how well-worn the idiom, it seems pretty back-handed to figure the President, or anyone, as a horse, no? Somehow it's not quite flattering as 'strong as a horse' or good-naturedly teasing as 'proud as a peacock,' etc., perhaps because the reference to food makes it sound a little too realistic, as opposed to symbolic. No?

2013/02/23
8:04am
Dick
Fort Worth, TX
Posts: 245
Joined:
2010/10/19
Offline
2
0

I eat oatmeal or Cheerios nearly every day and I certainly feel them a few hours later.

2013/02/23
6:04pm
tromboniator
Alaska
Posts: 284
Joined:
2009/08/18
Offline
3
0

Robert, I don't see it as back-handed; perhaps a bit more informal than might be expected in referring to the President, but I don't think it's pejorative at all.

2013/02/23
10:12pm
Robert
Posts: 190
Joined:
2011/10/03
Offline
4
0

Ok. Some foreigners will wince when that's explained to them for the 1st time.

2013/02/24
2:58am
Raffee
Iran
Posts: 227
Joined:
2012/06/03
Offline
5
0

Robert said
Ok. Some foreigners will wince when that's explained to them for the 1st time.

Yes. This could be the problem with some of your (or any language's) idioms. Like, I think, you use 'bark' for people, too. I've encountered it so once or twice.

Was my use of 'so' in the last sentence correct? I meant, "I've encountered it used in this way". Or maybe better to say, "I've encountered it used so", ha?

2013/02/24
4:57am
tromboniator
Alaska
Posts: 284
Joined:
2009/08/18
Offline
6
0

Raffee, I would say that both of your constructions using so are correct. I prefer the first one, but I don't think it's "better."

2013/05/10
7:01am
AnMa
Posts: 64
Joined:
2009/06/09
Offline
7
0

Robert said it seems pretty back-handed to figure the President, or anyone, as a horse, no?

I can't tell whether this is joking, but I always thought that the "oats" in this idiom was a metaphor for "newly acquired manhood" (as a youth in the flower of puberty) and literally was meant to refer to the testicles.

All RSS