Putting Lipstick on a Pig

A co-worker recently pointed out a sentence he read in an email: "That would be like putting lipstick on a pig."



I like UrbanDictionary's definition best:
A term used by many, generally in reference to someone who may be trying to make something or someone look appealing or attractive when it quite clearly will not work, or will only deceive the dumbest of people.

Example:

Used car salesmen have a reputation for "putting lipstick on a pig" because they can often talk you into buying a car that might just be a piece of junk!

Read here about how Obama put the phrase back into popular use in 2008.

Fabrics and Deposits

This morning I was in Barracas with my Spanglish-speaking husband. After we left Easy (lately our second home), I was commenting on some of the buildings and he said, "Yeah there are lots of fabrics and deposits." He laughed. And then he said, "Cómo se dice depósito?"

And of course, he was talking about this kind of depósito: warehouse in English:

And this kind of fábrica: factory in English:

Deposit and fabric also have meanings, of course.

Deposit usually referring to a bank deposit and fabric referring to what you make clothes out of (tela, género)

the sooner the better

I was writing this phrase ("the sooner the better") today and realized I liked it enough to post a few more examples:

Bluefin Tuna Catch a (Small) Break:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/11/opinion/11mon4.html?scp=2&sq=%22the%20sooner%20the%20better%22&st=cse

The numbers of endangered bluefin tuna are rapidly dwindling, due to vast overfishing fueled by Japan’s insatiable sushi appetite...

...The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will require the 50 longline vessels in the gulf to start using the hooks on May 5. Some fishermen are already using them, because they work so well. The sooner the better, because the gulf is where the bluefin spawn each spring.

Unconstitutional Policing

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/opinion/unconstitutional-policing-in-puerto-rico.html?scp=4&sq=%22the%20sooner%20the%20better%22&st=cse

The Justice Department has issued a devastating report on the rampant corruption and constitutional violations committed by the Puerto Rico Police Department, the second-largest police force in the United States. It concluded that “lasting reform will require nothing less than federal judicial intervention.” And the sooner, the better.

"Bilingual Babies: The Sooner, The Better"

http://www.spanglishbaby.com/2011/09/bilingual-babies-the-sooner-the-better/

Happy New Year!

Here's hoping that your 2012 is even better than your 2011...

And if your 2011 was awesome, who says this year can't be more so?

I don't hear many people talking about New Year's Resolutions around here. By far the most common resolution in the States is to lose weight. Wikipedia says that only 12% succeed in making their New Year's resolutions come true.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year%27s_resolution

My New Year's resolution is to write more letters to my very good friend Randi in Texas. We write letters because we feel as though we can share a lot more details that way than we do through email. (Plus Randi is an excellent artist and she can't include all her drawings in emails!) Letters are just more special. Period. And they are so much fun to receive! Don't you think?

What's your New Year's Resolution?

Clarification

You're "on the right track" ...

...NOT in a good path.

Ready to Get This Over With!

I am currently waiting for a lovely girl from Orbitz Customer Service to call me at home. After hours of trying to book flights for my parents through the website, they continue to reject my purchase. We called the credit card company. No problem there.

No one likes calling customer service, but fortunately this non-native English speaker has been quite pleasant. Her English is excellent, but there are always little hints that remind you you're not speaking with a native.

I couldn't help but smile when she attempted to repeat an expression I used:

Her: "Ma'am, is there a number I can call you back at because this is going to take a few minutes."

Me: "Yes, my number at home is..."

Her: "Are you going to be home this afternoon?"

Me: "Yes, I'll be home until we get this over with." (i.e. until we solve this problem/finish this)

Her: "Ok, I'll try to call you as soon as possible so you can get over with this."

I always tell my ESL learners to try to use appropriate words and phrases they read or hear from native speakers. This is exactly what she was doing, albeit she meant to say "get this over with."

I hope she calls me back...

Jump the Gun

I love questions about idioms. Today I got one about "jump the gun" from this sentence:

"I don't know if you have finished testing the lab, so I might be jumping the gun, but I started retesting it and have run into a few issues."

So, in this case, jump the gun means doing something before it should be done.

This person might be jumping the gun because he might have started retesting too early.

You might find this idiom easier to remember if you think about its origin. The idiom was originally used in sports contests that began with the firing of a gun. If a runner, for example, started before the gun was fired, they would say he/she jumped the gun.

More examples:

Investments are often acts of patience, which means you have to know when to act, and not jump the gun.

I’m not usually one to jump the gun on holidays. I like to enjoy them each as they come. That's why I never put up my Christmas tree before Thanksgiving.

They didn't want to jump the gun and launch them before they were ready, that's understandable. (http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2123988/Google-Brand-Pages-Lacking-But-Youll-Make-One-Anyway)