Your big-boy pants

[Dan Goncharoff]

Agreed on meaning. I assume the verb strap refers to suspenders, not a
belt, although I am not familiar with the fastening technology on
modern-day big boy pants -- could it be Velcro?

DanG


On Fri, Jun 13, 2014 at 12:54 PM, Charles C Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:

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> Poster:       Charles C Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Your big-boy pants
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> In the example Jonathan gave, I think the expression "strap your big boy
> pants on" would mean something like "bite the bullet."  But it can also
> mean "not act immature or cowardly."
>
> Charlie
> ________________________________________
>      Christopher Philippo wrote:
>
> On Jun 13, 2014, at 8:32 AM, Jonathan Lighter
> wrote:
>
> > Philip Mudd, ex-CIA analyst, on CNN re Bergdahl:
> >=20
> > "As I said in the past, you gotta strap your big-boy pants on, 'cause =
> there
> > ain't no good decisions!"
>
>
> The overall meaning of =93you gotta strap your big-boy pants on=94 is =
> unclear to me - is it: grow up/don=92t be a baby?
>
> By strap, I suppose a belt is meant.  The use of =93big-boy=94 is, =
> ironically, infantile and when followed by a double negative it makes =
> one shudder that an ex-CIA analyst takes pride in repeatedly using the =
> expression.  Given that he specialized in South Asia and the Middle East =
> yet failed to anticipate, detect, or prevent the 9/11 attacks, and that =
> he was involved with Iraq prior to the invasion, and with setting up the =
> new dysfunctional =93government=94 in Afghanistan, and he speaks only =
> English and French and not Arabic, Kurdish, Turkish, Berber, Farsi, =
> Pushto, Punjabi, Urdu, etc. one wonders why he=92s listened to at all. =
> http://newamerica.net/user/286
>
> Chris=
>
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