Cheese fallen off your cracker?

[Jonathan Lighter]

If "one short of complete" is a universal, where are examples from, say, pre-1960s English ?

JL

"Dennis R. Preston" <preston at MSU.EDU> wrote:
---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: "Dennis R. Preston"

Subject: Re: Cheese fallen off your cracker?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"One short of complete" is surely a universal. One of my favorites is
Polish "Nie ma pianti kelpki," which is (literally) "He/she doesn't
have fifth stave." Some old small barrels had five staves. Cute huh?

dInIs (Prestonski)

>>on 3/3/05 3:20 am, Jonathan Lighter at wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM wrote:
>>
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>> -----------------------
>>> Sender: American Dialect Society
>>> Poster: Jonathan Lighter
>>> Subject: Re: Cheese fallen off your cracker?
>>>
>>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>--> -
>>>
>>> From "Cliches (Was Re: Schoolhouse Ro)," rec.humor, April 15, 1991 :
>>>
>>> He's not running on all 8 cylinders.
>>>
>>> Doesn't have both oars in the water.
>>>
>
>The gold standard for me is still "a few french fries short of a
>happy meal". I recall posting a compilation of "short-ofs" (taken
>from a web site devoted to the topic) a few years ago that should be
>archived.
>
>> > JL, not familiar with any of these.
>>>
>>
>>How about:
>>
>>Two prawns short of a barbie
>>
>>A few slabs short of a patio
>>
>>- Neil Crawford
>
>And of course the process is productive. In _The Burglar on the
>Prowl_ (2004), Lawrence Block has his burglar-narrator come up with
>this one, in reference to an unethical philandering plastic surgeon
>who gets himself into some very serious trouble by his own arrogant
>oversights:
>
>"And he showed her Cuckoo's picture anyway?" Ray said. "Not too
>bright, is he, Bernie?"
>"Not the sharpest scalpel in the autoclave", I allowed, "but..."
>
>
>Larry


--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic,
Asian and African Languages
Wells Hall A-740
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1027 USA
Office: (517) 353-0740
Fax: (517) 432-2736


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