neat phrases from Kent Desormeaux

Doug Harris cats22 at FRONTIERNET.NET
Mon May 5 14:02:14 UTC 2008


I never heard the term 'real george', but I've been using a variation
on it for a year or so now in reference to, and when talking to, one
of my basset hounds.
Unlike his sister, Gracie, George is what we refer to as 'doggily
challenged' -- literally too dumb to come in out of the rain. On
occasions such as that, and in a number of others, I tell him, "You're
_such_ a george." The meaning is not complimentary, but does suggest, I
guess, that this 18-mo-old is sorta kinda cool in his very own special
way.
Oh, and FWIW, I am aware that I could say far unkinder things to him
and get the same, innocently loving, reaction -- so long as I speak in
a kindly tone of voice. ;)
dh
-
Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: neat phrases from Kent Desormeaux
---

Those are neat, George! I also find your use of "neat" neat. Are you
likewise a man of mature years? When I was a teenager in the 'Fifties,
"neat" was really neat. Not even "real george" was able to dislodge
"neat" from its position of power. Indeed, I didn't even know that
"real george" was real slang till someone mentioned it here in a post.
An ad for a local DJ went, "The teenagers say that he's 'real george,'
but his name is really [forgotten]." Nobody in Saint Louis, black or
white, considered "real george" to be neat. [Oh! Your name is
"George"! Sorry about that. :-)]

-Wilson

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