french fries on the stove

[Page Stephens]

I have never heard that phrase but I have heard "He is one french fry short
of  Happy Meal."

Page Stephens

----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Kl." <stevekl at PANIX.COM>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2004 8:52 AM
Subject: french fries on the stove


> ---------------------- Information from the mail
> header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Steve Kl." <stevekl at PANIX.COM>
> Subject:      french fries on the stove
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> This morning I did a radio interview with an AM station in New London, CT,
> and the radio host used an idiom that I've never heard before. I'm not
> even sure what he meant, but he said you've got to put (or get?) "your
> french fries on [or off?] the stove before your momma gets home".
>
> Contextually, I think he meant it to mean "have everything in order" but
> I'm not even sure of that, because I wasn't sure if he said "on" or "off".
>
> I was so struck by this that I wrote it down while talking to him -- has
> anyone ever heard of this expression before, and if so, what does it mean?
>
>
> -- Steve Kl.