new proverb

[Baker, John]

        Clearly not number one - church marquees always support going
against the flow.  Google reveals that it's a reference to Noah, who
built a boat on dry land far from the water.  Actually, the Bible does
not indicate where Noah built the Ark, but presumably it wouldn't have
been too close to the water's edge, since it wasn't to be used until the
Flood.  Although it's not clear to me exactly how going against the flow
is like building a boat on dry land far from the water, it's probably an
advertisement for a sermon in which this would be explained.


John Baker




-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
Of Jonathan Lighter
Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2011 5:49 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: new proverb

On a marquee outside a local church:

"Going Against the Flow is like Building a Boat on Dry Land."

Somebody knows less than squat about boat-building. Or else is
a black-belt in proverb irony.

I pick number one.

JL

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