"Kicking footballs"

[Jonathan Lighter]

Somewhere, somehow, I encountered a similar phrase in response to "Where's...?," viz., "up your ass looking for papaya."

  Zero Googlits.

  JL

Scot LaFaive <spiderrmonkey at HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Scot LaFaive
Subject: Re: "Kicking footballs"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It is usually used when someone asks someone else where something is. For e=
xample, if a friend asks you "Where are my car keys?" you might answer "If =
they were up your ass kicking footballs you'd know." Not the most helpful a=
nswer.
I've probably heard this phrase mostly in the Chippewa Falls/Eau Claire, WI=
area, maybe even exclusively. Kind of weird what we take for granted in la=
nguage, assuming what we say is common knowledge.
Scot L.



> Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2006 22:33:44 -0400> From: douglas at NB.NET> Subject: Re:=
"Kicking footballs"> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> > ---------------------- =
Information from the mail header -----------------------> Sender: American =
Dialect Society > Poster: "Douglas G. Wilson" las at NB.NET>> Subject: Re: "Kicking footballs"> ----------------------------=
---------------------------------------------------> > >I've always conside=
red the phrase "up your ass kicking footballs" (as in> >if you ask someone =
where the phone is, they might say "If it was up your> >ass kicking footbal=
ls you'd know it/know where it is") to be fairly> >common. But imagine my h=
orror when I look in The Google and only find two> >hits (one with "kicking=
" and one with "kickin"). Am I wrong? Is this not a> >common phrase? I've h=
eard it quite a few times here in Wisconsin (mainly> >central WI), but now =
I'm wondering if I haven't heard it from the same> >three people all my lif=
e. My world really isn't that small, is it?> > I've never heard it or anyth=
ing much like it. I lived in Madison WI area> for 8 years. Maybe I didn't g=
et out enough. What is the meaning of the> expression?> > -- Doug Wilson> >=
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n.> Version: 7.1.408 / Virus Database: 268.13.16/504 - Release Date: 10/27/=
2006> > ------------------------------------------------------------> The A=
merican Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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