| What's the meaning of this expression?? _Help needed! | |
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| Jul 30, 2006 22:15 |   |
 | I watched this American TV drama(DH) and came up against this interesting expression (interesting to me:D) ... ...since that woman has walked into our house, the clocks have stopped working...... How could an plain/ unattractive woman make the clocks stop working? lol I am pretty sure that is what I heard. And from the context I could see that was to say how plain/ unattractive 'that woman' was, i never heard about this expression before, and I am wondering if this is a common used one or just a creative plumping out of the heroine?? Thanks a lot! |
| Jul 30, 2006 22:33 | #1 |
| Rita, It is just another"American Slang" She is so ugly she could stop a clock..Another one is he/she was so ugly as a child the parentes had to tie a bone around his/her neck to get the dog to play with her/him..lol..American slang is a language all by it self:)) |
| Jul 31, 2006 17:09 | #2 |
| Gene's reply is on the money, Rita. How about this slang: "Well I'll be a blue-nosed gopher!" An expression of absolute amazement. "When I was just knee-high to a grasshopper." When I was just a little child. Lots of fun expressions to entertain English speaking listeners that confound non-Americans trying to make sense of what we're saying... The Australians have a collection of such sayings too. |
| Jul 31, 2006 18:36 | #3 |
| I guess this woman is bossy, tyrannical or downright eccentric. To her, there is simply no day and no night. Every hour is the same. She can do anything at any hour without caring if it is day or night.Hohoho!!...isn't it great if she sings the opera at midnight!! What a scream!!!! |
| Jul 31, 2006 19:45 | #4 |
| Thank you, LoveChina, very interesting explanation. It's good to learn. I think that "tying a bone around the kid's neck to attract the dog playing with him/ her" slang will please Xinjiang Uighur (or Uigur) parents very much. It's a big NONO to say Xinjiang Uighur muslims' kids are beautiful, even if they are really beautiful. Beautiful kids always attract more attention than the plain looking kids from both the good and the evil/devil, who might take them away. So in Xinjiang, you will more likely to hear poeple say: this kid is SO ugly!!! Hi Griz, Yours are funny too, thanks for sharing! :D |
| Sep 1, 2008 16:05 | #5 |
| Rita, I lived in the US for awhile and now live in Canada and never heard the expression "stop a clock". Looks like you got lots of answers, so I'll add another expression I like ....she entered the room and "time stood still"....kind of like the clock stopping....but in the West it means that when she entered the room, her beauty, her presence, her grace, her gentleness, her intelligence so captivated us all that it was like time stood still. It, to me, is such a wonderful compliment. I like this one better :) but it may not help answer your question. |
| Sep 1, 2008 20:44 | #6 |
| Candon - I also prefer your one and have never heard the other one. Maybe they just have too many ugly girls in the US so they have no need for the version we both know!!!!! |
| Mar 8, 2009 00:25 | #7 |
| GUEST14230 | Well the expression is a little out dated here, but as far as i know, In the 1930's its was a custom to 'stop the clock' when some one died. So take of that what you will, I've never heard a formal explanation of the expression and I'm a native :) |
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