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Usenet Posted 23 years ago
Usage

Sexing up

Hello folks,
what does "sexed up" mean in other words (taken from the BBC Homepage):

who had not denied the suggestion that the dossier was "sexed up".
Many Thanks!
Michael
  

Top answer

[/nq] It means "made more provocative". Usually the phrase refers to real sexual stimulation, but in this case it has been transmogrified to refer to the amount of weapons Saddam did or did not have at his disposal before the recent or, uhm, ongoing, unpleasantness. A certain British someone-or-other used the phrase "sexed-up" to mean that the British report on SH's weaponry had been made more provocative than British information warranted.

  • [/nq] It means "made more provocative".
  • Usually the phrase refers to real sexual stimulation, but in this case it has been transmogrified to refer to the amount of weapons Saddam did or did not have at his disposal before the recent or, uhm, ongoing, unpleasantness.
  • A certain British someone-or-other used the phrase "sexed-up" to mean that the British report on SH's weaponry had been made more provocative than British information warranted.
  • Since then, the phrase had been, as I said, transmogrified to refer to an exaggeration of known knowns, as Rummy would have it.
  • The British just can't handle the American idiom.
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7 Answers
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[nq:1]Hello folks, what does "sexed up" mean in other words (taken from the BBC Homepage): who had not denied the suggestion that the dossier was "sexed up".[/nq]
It means "made more provocative". Usually the phrase refers to real sexual stimulation, but in this case it has been transmogrified to refer to the amount of weapons Saddam did or did not have at his disposal before the recent or, uh
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[nq:1]in this case it has been transmogrified to refer to the amount of weapons Saddam did or did not have at his disposal before the recent or, uhm, ongoing, unpleasantness.[/nq]
No, it referred to his alleged capability to launch a WMD attack within
45 minutes.
[nq:1]A certain British someone-or-other[/nq]
World-renowned bio-chem weapons scientist and former UNSCOM weapons inspec
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In fact even the "sexier" connotation was originated by Andrew Gilligan:

"Mr Gilligan said it was him who had first used the word "sexier" in his discussions with Dr Kelly. Dr Kelly had adopted it, he said."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk politics/3143701.stm

Matti
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what does "sexed up" mean in other words (taken from the BBC Homepage):
[nq:1]who had not denied the suggestion that the dossier was "sexed up".[/nq]
It means "made more provocative". Usually the phrase refers to real sexual stimulation, but in this case it has been transmogrified to refer to the amount of weapons Saddam did or did not have at his disposal before the recent or, uhm, ongoi
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You know, the conversation was much more sexed-up when I thought someone was alluding to Star Trek and Gilligans Island.
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"
/nq]
[nq:2]Hello folks, what does "sexed up" mean in other words ... not denied the suggestion that the dossier was "sexed up".[/nq]
"
It means "made more provocative". Usually the phrase refers to real sexual stimulation, but in this case it has been ... refer to an exaggeration of known knowns, as Rummy would have it. The British just can't h
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[nq:1]It's often used metaphorically, and doesn't refer so much to sexual stimulation as sexual attractiveness. The aim is to attract public support to the cause by making the report less bland and boring.[/nq]
But mostly to make the threat from SH APPEAR to be more imminent.

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