shingle-eating grin (additional evidence)

[Jonathan Lighter]

I meant only that "shingle-eating grin" could not exist without the veiled
ref. to "shit."

It could make no *existential* sense.

JL



On Wed, Sep 28, 2011 at 4:45 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: shingle-eating grin (additional evidence)
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Sep 28, 2011, at 4:35 PM, Laurence Horn wrote:
>
> >=20
> > On Sep 26, 2011, at 7:51 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> >=20
> >> "Shit-eating grin" is another term that WWII novelists place in the =
> early
> >> '40s.
> >>=20
> >> I'd suggest that the unique "shingle-eating grin" makes absolutely no =
> sense
> >> except as a transparent euphemism.
> >>=20
> >=20
> > Isn't there more to it?  "Shit on shingles" is the standard =
> appellation for creamed chipped beef on toast in WWII lingo (eventually =
> trickling down to university dining hall lingo), so this might be not =
> paradigmatic replacement (i.e. simple euphemism) but syntagmatic =
> association:  If you find shit, can shingles be far behind (or below)? =
> If not, then a eating shingles would typically amount to eating shit (at =
> least metaphorically).
> >=20
> > LH
> >=20
> So if I'm right, one might expect to find hits for "shinola-eating =
> grin", based on the standard locution for an inability to distinguish =
> between two items, "(not) to know shit from shinola" (based on that =
> widely distributed brand of brown shoe polish).  And sure enough, there =
> are.  Not a huge number, but a tasty potpourri, among which are:
>
> The goofy, shinola-eating grin on his face told me this could have =
> definite possibilities.
>
> with enough tongue wagging and a bushy enough mustache, one can hide =
> even the largest shinola eating grin.
>
> I swear from the first song I had a HUGE shinola eating grin on my face.
>
> or, for equal opportunity insults:
>
> Coming from Michael Moore, it earns nothing more terrible than an =
> oafish, shinola-eating grin
>
> With his huge shinola-eating grin, John McCain looks like he's about to =
> make a tasty snack out of Huckabee in New Hampshire.
>
> that photo of him standing side by side with Hillary and her =
> shinola-eating grin.
>
> LH
>
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