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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
Usage
One-armed paperhanger
Amidst the dialog in a Tom Clancy novel I find the following, spoken by a British government official:
"What is it you Yanks say, 'one-armed paperhanger'?
Oh? That's a left-pondian expression? Certainly I've heard it often enough in Canada. "Busy as a one-armed paperhanger with the hives!" Is it really uncommon in Blighty?
"What is it you Yanks say, 'one-armed paperhanger'?
Oh? That's a left-pondian expression? Certainly I've heard it often enough in Canada. "Busy as a one-armed paperhanger with the hives!" Is it really uncommon in Blighty?
Top answer
John Ings wibbled [nq:1]Amidst the dialog in a Tom Clancy novel I find the following, spoken by a British government official: "What is ... heard it often enough in Canada. [/nq] I've never heard it.
- John Ings wibbled [nq:1]Amidst the dialog in a Tom Clancy novel I find the following, spoken by a British government official: "What is ...
- heard it often enough in Canada.
- [/nq] I've never heard it.
- Googling for the phrase with "site:uk" reveals just 13 hits.
- ) But there are so many phrases meaning the same thing I don't think we're really missing out, do you?
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6 Answers
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John Ings wibbled
[nq:1]Amidst the dialog in a Tom Clancy novel I find the following, spoken by a British government official: "What is ... heard it often enough in Canada. "Busy as a one-armed paperhanger with the hives!" Is it really uncommon in Blighty?[/nq]
I've never heard it. Googling for the phrase with "site:uk" reveals just 13 hits. (I don't think we say "the hives" either, making
[nq:1]Amidst the dialog in a Tom Clancy novel I find the following, spoken by a British government official: "What is ... heard it often enough in Canada. "Busy as a one-armed paperhanger with the hives!" Is it really uncommon in Blighty?[/nq]
I've never heard it. Googling for the phrase with "site:uk" reveals just 13 hits. (I don't think we say "the hives" either, making
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[nq:1]Amidst the dialog in a Tom Clancy novel I find the following, spoken by a British government official: "What is ... heard it often enough in Canada. "Busy as a one-armed paperhanger with the hives!" Is it really uncommon in Blighty?[/nq]
Is that similar to 'as much use as a one-legged man in an ***-kicking competition?'
DC
Is that similar to 'as much use as a one-legged man in an ***-kicking competition?'
DC
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[nq:2]Amidst the dialog in a Tom Clancy novel I find ... paperhanger with the hives!" Is it really uncommon in Blighty?[/nq]
[nq:1]Is that similar to 'as much use as a one-legged man in an ***-kicking competition?' DC[/nq]
Not really, except that both phrases involve someone with a missing limb.
Don
[nq:1]Is that similar to 'as much use as a one-legged man in an ***-kicking competition?' DC[/nq]
Not really, except that both phrases involve someone with a missing limb.
Don
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[nq:1]Amidst the dialog in a Tom Clancy novel I find the following, spoken by a British government official: "What is ... heard it often enough in Canada. "Busy as a one-armed paperhanger with the hives!" Is it really uncommon in Blighty?[/nq]
We tend to call them decorators rather than paper-hangers. But we've plenty of similar expressions.
John Dean
Oxford
We tend to call them decorators rather than paper-hangers. But we've plenty of similar expressions.
John Dean
Oxford
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[nq:2]Amidst the dialog in a Tom Clancy novel I find ... paperhanger with the hives!" Is it really uncommon in Blighty?[/nq]
[nq:1]We tend to call them decorators rather than paper-hangers. But we've plenty of similar expressions.[/nq]
I recently watched the Movie "Catch Me If You Can" about the life of master forger and conman Frank Abagnale. In that, "paperhanger" was commonly used to de
[nq:1]We tend to call them decorators rather than paper-hangers. But we've plenty of similar expressions.[/nq]
I recently watched the Movie "Catch Me If You Can" about the life of master forger and conman Frank Abagnale. In that, "paperhanger" was commonly used to de
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[nq:1]Oh? That's a left-pondian expression? Certainly I've heard it often enough in Canada. "Busy as a one-armed paperhanger with the hives!"[/nq]
"With an itch" in my (American) experience.
Evan Kirshenbaum + HP Laboratories >"Algebra? But that's far too
1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 >difficult for seven-year-olds!"Palo Alto, CA 94304 >
"With an itch" in my (American) experience.
Evan Kirshenbaum + HP Laboratories >"Algebra? But that's far too
1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 >difficult for seven-year-olds!"Palo Alto, CA 94304 >
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