Jumper cables

[Dennis R. Preston]

I have several hundred (and references therein to several thousand more).

Dennis R. Preston. 1975 Proverbial comparisons from Southern Indiana.
Orbis 24,1:72-114.

dInIs

>I have a few:
>
>"Uglier than sheep shit in shallow water"
>
>"Uglier than Sammy Davis, Jr. eating Chinese mustard"
>
>"Funkier than ten gallons of Get-Back"
>
>-Wilson
>
>On Jun 26, 2005, at 11:31 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>
>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
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>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
>>Subject:      Re: Jumper cables
>>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>--------
>>
>>At NYU in 1970 I heard "Busier than a cat covering shit on a cement
>>highway."  My interlocutor had learned it from his father.
>>
>>"He was quiet as a wooden-legged man on a tin roof and busy as a
>>one-armed paperhanger with the hives" appears on p. 64 of Carl
>>Sandburg's _The People, Yes_ (1936).
>>
>>"Busier than a one-legged man at an ass-kickin' (contest)" shows up in
>>several WWII novels published in the '50s.
>>
>>JL
>>
>>Benjamin Zimmer <bgzimmer at RCI.RUTGERS.EDU> wrote:
>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>-----------------------
>>Sender: American Dialect Society
>>Poster: Benjamin Zimmer
>>Subject: Re: Jumper cables
>>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>--------
>>
>>Jim Landau:
>>>I heard an interesting ethnic slur(?) today: "I was as busy as jumper
>>>cables at a Puerto Rican wedding".
>>
>>Sam Clements:
>>>I first heard a variant in about 1979 as "jumper cables at a Mexican
>>>Wedding." Heard in California. From a Texan.
>>
>>The "Canonical List Of Language Humor" maintained by the rec.humor
>>newsgroup in the mid-'90s included these similes:
>>
>>-----
>>Busier than a cat covering shit on a hot tin roof.
>>Busier than a centipede at a toe countin' contest.
>>Busier than a one-armed taxi driver with crabs.
>>Busier than a one-eyed cat watching nine mouseholes.
>>Busier than a set of jumper cables at a Mexican wedding.
>>Busier than a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest.
>>Busy as a one-armed wallpaper hanger with the crabs.
>>Busy as a one-legged cat trying to bury shit on a frozen pond.
>>-----
>>
>>I'm sure Rey "Maledicta" Aman has many more in his files.
>>
>>
>>--Ben Zimmer
>>
>>
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--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
Morrill Hall 15-C
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1036 USA
Office: (517) 432-3791
Fax: (517) 453-3755