[Klug-general] Virtual Servers
Mike Evans
mike at tandem.f9.co.uk
Sat Apr 14 11:41:28 UTC 2012
For non-native English speakers:
"It's the bees knees"
An expression meaning "It's the best, it's exactly the thing you want"
probably a word play on "It's the business".
"It's the dog's bollocks"
Is another phrase meaning the same thing and probably originated as a
street slang version of the first. These days "The mutt's nuts" is also
equivalent.
Finally we have the expression:
"That cuts the mustard"
Yet another, and much older, way of saying more or less the same thing,
and also of obscure origin. Possibly originating in the need for a
particularly sharp blade to cut mustard seed, which is like little
ball-bearings, or mustard plants, which are tough and string-like.
Mow you're equipped with your basic tool kit of English phrases meaning
"It's exactly what you want". What Colin appears to have done is taken
all three and put them in the blender. The result was a phrase which
just about any UK or US native English speaker would understand
immediately and probably cause a smile. Meanwhile the rest of the
English speaking world sees a chasm of doom and misunderstanding opening
before them.
So you see it is possible to combine bollocks, knees and mustard and end
up with something that sounds painful but is exactly what you want.
Whatever turns you on I guess.
Mike
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