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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Vocabulary

Shoulders to cry on were in short supply

Hi,

Tina hoped that they could be friends again. Mary looked skeptical and told Tina that shoulders to cry on were in short supply.

What does the expression in bold mean above?

Thanks a lot.
  

Top answer

" They want to tell you their sad story (cry on your shoulder) and have you comfort them and tell them they've done nothing wrong and everything will be alright. Except Mary ain't buyin' it. "Don't come around here lookin' for sympathy.

— Avangi

  • " They want to tell you their sad story (cry on your shoulder) and have you comfort them and tell them they've done nothing wrong and everything will be alright.
  • Except Mary ain't buyin' it.
  • "Don't come around here lookin' for sympathy.
  • " When something is in short supply, it's very scarce, or non-existant - very hard to find; very hard to come by.
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6 Answers
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Someone who has had a bad experience is looking for sympathy - "looking for a shoulder to cry on." They want to tell you their sad story (cry on your shoulder) and have you comfort them and tell them they've done nothing wrong and everything will be alright.

Except Mary ain't buyin' it. "Don't come around here lookin' for sympathy. Nobody's gonna give you any!"

When somet
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AvangiExcept Mary ain't buyin' it. "Don't come around here lookin' for sympathy. Nobody's gonna give you any!"


Hi Avangi,
Thanks a lot for your explanation. By the way, what does 'come around' mean?
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I guess "around here" is a colloquialism - "around there." "I haven't been around there for years!" (in those parts; around those parts)

"hanging around" "coming around" "Don't be coming around here bothering me." "I was just looking around."

The expression is quite different from "I think he's coming around," which can mean (1) he's regaining consciousness after havi
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Do you mean 'come around here' just means the same as 'com here'? Thanks.
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I think "coming around here" implies a certain attitude - a familiarity - a presumption - an audacity - some kind of intention.

It need not be something bad. "Why don't you come around any more?" (You used to be a familiar sight here.)

It's like the difference between "coming here" and "coming here like this."

Absent special context, "to come here" wou
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