Help: leg up to her chin, and "drive-by"

Question

Hi all:what does it mean, "legs up to her chin" ? it was used to described a girl. does it mean "long legs"? couldn't find it anyware.the other question is "drive-by", it was seen in "Desperate housewives" when Bree said to her son :" he (referring to his gay partner) is a doctor? you did it better than I've done ( referring to finding a good bread-earning husband/partner)" her husband, who was a dentist, shout back" that was a bit driving-by".I understand that driving-by refers to "drive-by shooting", meaning innocent collateral damage. Sounds to me like an old chinese proverb: "when the city gate is on fire, it's the fish in the nearby pond that suffers" =B3=C7=C3=C5=CA=A7=BB=F0=A3=AC=D1=EA=BC=B0=B3=D8=D3=E3=A3=ACcheng= men shihuo, yangji chiyu. Is myunderstanding right? can someone give me some examples? all I could find was the literary meaning of shooting, not figurative meanings.thanks

Usenet · Accepted Answer

Hi all:
pow: what does it mean, "legs up to her chin" ? it was used to pow: described a
pow: girl. does it mean "long legs"? couldn't find it anyware.
Pat: "This might be a little girl doing forward or backward rolls, but if it is a woman, then this describes a sexual position, either taunting or inviting. Curious: Is she on her back or on her hands and knees. Neither aspect refutes my descriptions."
pow: the other question is "drive-by", it was seen in "Desperate pow: housewives" when Bree said to her son :" he (referring to pow: his gay partner) is a doctor? you did it better than I've pow: done ( referring tofinding a good bread-earning pow: husband/partner)" her husband, who was a
pow: dentist, shout back" tat was a bit driving-by".

pow: I understand that driving-by refers to "drive-by shooting", pow: meaning innocent collateral damage.
Pat: "Not innocent, no. A drive-by shooting is a deliberate attempt to terrorize or kill someone, with no regard for the safety of the bystanders. The very fact that guns are loaded and discharged belies the innocence.
Pat: In this particular family discourse or argument,I would translate the comment as a "low blow" (metaphor from boxing). It may have been purposefully or inadvertently hurtful, but certainly touched a raw nerve."
pow: Sounds to me like an old chinese proverb:
pow: "when the city gate is on fire, it's the fish in the nearby pow: pond that suffers" ³ÇÃÅÊ§»ð£¬Ñê¼°³ØÓã£¬chengmen shihuo, pow: yangji chiyu. Is my understanding right? can someone give pow: me some examples? all I could find was the literary meaning pow: of shooting, not figurative meanings.
Pat: "I have never heard of this as a metaphor, though it may be current outside my circle of reference.
a, I never watch Desp. Housewives
b. I don't catch many of the racy, newsy Hollywood and rock star gossip programs"

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Hi all: what does it mean, "legs up to her chin" ? it was used to described a girl. does it mean "long legs"? couldn't find it anyware.[/nq]
In BrE if a girl is described as having "legs up to her chin" it means that she has long legs.
There is an example here (5th paragraph):
http://www.b3ta.com/questions/cringe/post318409
my friend jan thought this was a bit much, so later on in the evening, when she was really drunk, she purred up to the father of the bride at the bar. jan is exactly his type (in fact, she's most men's type), being a voluptuous 6' blonde from newcastle with thighs like a baby giraffe and legs up to her chin.

Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.english.usage)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Hi all: what does it mean, "legs up to her chin" the other question is "drive-by"[/nq]
1. Legs up to her chin: exceptionally long legs; "legs up to herarmpits" is a variant I have heard. Often said enviously by women with short legs.
2. Drive-by: A drive-by shooting is one performed from a movingvehicle, therefore necessarily the event is of short duration. A "drive-by" event is one which starts suddenly and is finished quickly. Often with implications of casualness and superficiality.

Alexandra Pelosi's new documentary, "Right America: Feeling Wronged," - was reviewed in the Washington Post thus:
It's drive-by journalism, to put it charitably, a string of stupefyingly brief hit-and-run interviews with a bunch of unidentified people

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Pat: "This might be a little girl doing forward or backward rolls, but if it is a woman, then this ... no regard for the safety of the bystanders. The very fact that guns are loaded and discharged belies the innocence.[/nq]
Pat, would you please stop confusing us innocent furriners with your drive-by explanations? If you can't answer questions correctly, please don't!

You'd be crazy to e-mail me with the crazy. But leave the div alone.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Pat: "This might be a little girl doing forward or ... fact that guns are loaded and discharged belies the innocence.[/nq]
[nq:1]Pat, would you please stop confusing us innocent furriners with your drive-by explanations? If you can't answer questions correctly, please don't![/nq]
Oh, no. My answers are given in all seriousness. I know the "long legs" expression as " all the way up to her...whatever", and the drive-by shooting is whatever you or anyone wants to make of it. It is NOT harmless. There may, but need not be "innocent collateral damage".
Now if the original poster had not quoted the expressions as they occurred, well, so... Without proper context, anyone's guess is as good as mine, or yours.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Hi all: what does it mean, "legs up to her chin" ? it was used to described a girl. does it mean "long legs"? couldn't find it anyware.[/nq]
Yes, it means long legs. It's hyperbole. Everyone's legs only go to their hips, but some look very long (usually because they are slim) and so the speaker says they go even farther than the hips. BTW, one post had some flabber-jabber about *** but it was nonsense.
[nq:1]the other question is "drive-by", it was seen in "Desperate housewives" when Bree said to her son :" he (referring ... dentist, shout back" that was a bit driving-by". I understand that driving-by refers to "drive-by shooting", meaning innocent collateral damage.[/nq]
yes, In this case it's the cavalier notion of the injury to others, the cavalier attitude of the shooter, that's being empahsized, not their innocence. They weren't even talking about her husband, but nonetheless she took the opportuntiy to insult him.

However I think going from drive-by to driving-by is stupid. It shows an excessive desire to say something current, to go to great lengths use what he intends as hip language. It's ridiculous.
[nq:1]?Sounds to me like an old chinese proverb: "when the city gate is on fire, it's the fish in the ... can someone give me some examples? all I could find was the literary meaning of shooting, not figurative meanings. thanks[/nq]
Posters should say where they live, and for which
area they are asking questions. I have lived in
Western Pa. 10 years
Indianapolis 10 years
Chicago 6 years
Brooklyn, NY 12 years
Baltimore 26 years

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]However I think going from drive-by to driving-by is stupid. It shows an excessive desire to say something current, to go to great lengths TO use what he intends as hip language. It's ridiculous.[/nq]
Posters should say where they live, and for which
area they are asking questions. I have lived in
Western Pa. 10 years
Indianapolis 10 years
Chicago 6 years
Brooklyn, NY 12 years
Baltimore 26 years

Help: leg up to her chin, and "drive-by"

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