[Ads-l] Knotted cotton

[Michael Quinion]

The implication in the visitor's message is that it's a compliment!

--
*Michael Quinion*
michael.quinion at worldwidewords.org


On 13/03/2024 14:05, Stephen Goranson wrote:
> I don't recognize it, but I wonder if it might help to know whether that was a compliment or an insult.
>
> Stephen G.
> ________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society<ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>  on behalf of Michael Quinion<michael.quinion at WORLDWIDEWORDS.ORG>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2024 6:04 AM
> To:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU  <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Subject: Knotted cotton
>
> A message has come in to my World Wide Words site from a visitor who
> asks about an expression used by his wife: "He's got muscles like a knot
> in a piece of number one cotton". My research sources are very limited
> these days and I can turn up no examples, let alone information on
> origin. Does anybody recognise it?
>
> --
> *Michael Quinion
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