an unexpected comparative

[Mark Mandel]

I ran into a couple of friends tonight when my daughter and I were
picking up a takeout meal. She recognized N and R -- a long-married
female couple -- but didn't remember which one was which. As we were
carrying our meals home, she said,

Daughter: "I'm sorry, I'm terrible with names. Which one was N and which was R?"
Me: "So am I. When I first met them I had to use the mnemonic that N's
name is longer than R's. N is more heavyset; R is slender."
D: "Ah, N is a little butcher."
M: "What?!!"
D: "She wears her hair short, and..."
M: [LOL in the middle of the street]
D: "What's so funny?"
M: "I didn't hear that as a comparative at all!!"

Mark A. Mandel

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org