tiger mothers and other tiggers

[Robin Hamilton]

From: "Victor Steinbok" <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>

> I suppose, the real question is
> what Chua got her terminology, if she did not coin it herself (i.e.,
> China==Tiger symbolism).

How many tigers are there currently around?  The other one that immediately
springs to mind is "tiger economy".

Given that this was (am I right?) originally, or at least once, applied to
the economy of Southern Ireland / Eire, there's something a little
unfortunate about the choice of this term to apply to any activity.

Then there's, set in Bagadad in the version I encountered, the story of
Mullah Nazradin and the tigers, where the punch-line is, "See, it works!"

Robin

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