"A few lenghts of MDF"?

Question

Hi there!Again, I have trouble with a phrase in a british book. This is a book of self-help, and the chapter talks about how women sometimes give men a chance because they believe that, although he is not exactly everything they want, there is room for improvement.The sentence is:(quote) The social attraction element has been taken care of: either we think you already look right or we guess you might scrub up well with a little patience and a few lenghts of MDF. (unquote)I get the general meaning, but I would like to know exactly what MDF stands for. The meanings I found in acronym dictionaries don't seem to apply here.Thanks a lot!-- Elsa T. S. Vieira

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Hi there! Again, I have trouble with a phrase in a british book. This is a book of self-help, and ... like to know exactly what MDF stands for. The meanings I found in acronym dictionaries don't seem to apply here.[/nq]
If the meaning you found was "medium density fibreboard" then I think that's the meaning jocularly intended here. British television is packed with cheap "make-over" shows in which people, gardens and houses are snartened up and given a new look. MDF, a substitute for wood, has become something of a joke because it is so frequently used as a cheap way of quickly "improving" the look of a room. So I think the author is borrowing that image of a quick, cheap make-over. -- Phil C.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Hi there! Again, I have trouble with a phrase in a british book. This is a book of self-help, and ... exactly what MDF stands for. The meanings I found in acronym dictionaries don't seem to apply here. Thanks a lot![/nq]
This has already been answered by John Dean in alt.english.usage.

I'll explain a little more.

MDF is 'medium density fibre'. It is a type of flat board sometimes used to improve the interior of an old building by, for example, covering an unsightly wall.

Your example
[nq:1](quote) The social attraction element has been taken care of: either we think you already look right or we guess ... a variation of an older idiom referring to paint: "a lick of paint" rather than "a few lengths of MDF".[/nq]
For example: "we guess you might scrub up well with a little patience and a lick of paint".

"Lick" refers to the action of applying paint with a brush. The motion of the brush over a surface is similar to that the tongue of an animal (or human) licking the surface.

The basic idea being conveyed is the covering up of imperfections.

The reference to MDF suggests that the imperfections are too major to be covered up using paint!

-- Peter Duncanson UK (posting from u.c.l.e)

Usenet · Answer

Ok, I got it. What I was missing to understand it was the reference to the (over?)abundance of DIY mania in the UK these days :-)

Thank you all!

-- Elsa T. S. Vieira
[nq:1]Hi there! Again, I have trouble with a phrase in a british book. This is a book of self-help, and ... for. The meanings I found in acronym dictionaries don't seem to applyhere. Thanks a lot! -- Elsa T. S. Vieira[/nq]

Usenet · Answer

In article , Elsa T. S. Vieira (Email Removed) writes
[nq:1]Hi there! Again, I have trouble with a phrase in a british book. This is a book of self-help, and ... an abbreviation, or some call it an "initialism" which is only a sub-set of abbreviations, as indeed is also "acronym".[/nq]
-- Dave OSOS#24 (Email Removed) Remove my gerbil for email replies

Yamaha XJ900S & Wessex sidecar, the **** one Yamaha XJ900F & Watsonian Monaco, the comfortable one

http://dswindell.members.beeb.net

Usenet · Answer

http://www.acronymfinder.com/af-query.asp?String=exact&Acronym=mdf

Actually, I found it, I just didn't think it made much sense before I knew of the proliferation of DIY shows and the craze for fibreboard (in portuguese, we call it contraplacado, but I had to adjust the metaphor... it would sound very funny in portuguese :-))

-- Elsa T. S. Vieira
[nq:1]In article , Elsa T. S. Vieira (Email Removed) writes[/nq]
[nq:2]Hi there! Again, I have trouble with a phrase in ... meanings I found in acronym dictionaries don't seem to applyhere.[/nq]
[nq:1]Quite naturally you won't find MDF in an "acronym dictionary", because it isn't an acronym, simply an abbreviation, or some ... gerbil for emailreplies Yamaha XJ900S & Wessex sidecar, the **** one Yamaha XJ900F & Watsonian Monaco, the comfortable one http://dswindell.members.beeb.net[/nq]

"A few lenghts of MDF"?

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