Jumper cables

[Benjamin Zimmer]

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:

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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