The British are keen to start 'shellacking'
Posted on Sunday, November 07, 2010 at 01:34 AM
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I never thought about it on Wednesday, but apparently using the word "shellacking" as President Obama did on Wednesday is an Americanism. There's been a lot of comment about it England. Like most commentators, the Daily Telegraph's Jenny McCartney is taken by the word and wants to use it more herself. However, she doesn't have the right meaning, at least to my ear. I know the word from sports broadcasts, but also (I think) from old war movies.
When you give the enemy a good "shellacking" you're not just winning, you're pounding him - hard, so he begs for mercy. You can't use the word (again, to my ear) as McCartney wants to, describing her malfunctioning computer as "completely shellacked" or to describing yourself as "shellacked by the flu."
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Towngate | Nov 07, 2010, 03:25 PM EST
Jenny McCartney can be shell-lacquered in the 'Immobilised by a hardened cover' sense if she so wishes. In the war movie: " NOT Saving Barry O'Bama " - it surely means being 'Bombed to Buggery!
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Monsoonman | Nov 07, 2010, 02:08 PM EST
If you listen to Nancy Pelosi you would think nothing happened. She wouldn't have changed a thing during her tenure as speaker of the house, because she and her fellow liberals accomplished great things for the US. She said they reduced the deficit & reduced unemployment...She did such an outstanding job in fact, by acclamation she is going to be elected the new house minority leader. She heard nothing from the vast majority of american voters and is ignoring the results of election.
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jamieLM | Nov 07, 2010, 12:15 PM EST
WoundedK and seagreen are right. "Shellacking," with the emphasis on the 2nd syllable, is also a polite way of saying getting your "a** kicked." The expression has been around for decades. Health reform is needed, but it should've been done in small logical steps. Instead, the Dems created a nightmare monster-bill that's going to cost us even more money for less coverage and possibly no coverage for employees of small businesses. Obama tried to do too much too fast and promised things he couldn't possibly deliver. He had help from far-left liberal congressmen (Pelosi & Reid) and cabinet advisors, some of whom also got "shellacked" or who bailed out before the election. In 2 yrs. there'll be some more "shellacking" if things don't improve.
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boomerbob | Nov 07, 2010, 10:27 AM EST
Well, we gave Obama the SHELLACKING, after the WHITEWASHING Obama gave us while selling us out to the corporate interests of BigPharma and Insurance, VARNISHING over his campaing promises of universal health care.
Now he's often heard singing "I SEE A RED DOOR AND I WANTED IT PAINTED BLACK" as he aimlessly wanders the halls of the White House in a drooling stupor, not knowing what to do, as usual. Does he roll up his sleeves and actually do something or run around the country speaking his silver-tongued words of BS as he has for the past two years. Leaving the real work to others.
He will surely be hiding from the Congressional MEAT GRINDER lest he's TARRED AND FEATHERED, or at the very least EATEN ALIVE by the very GOP who gave him that SHELLACKING.
Perhaps the next time he'll not play POCKET POOL with corporate America and avoid offering up a RED HERRING to attract voters with CANDY-COATED empty of truth and meaning.
It's time for a little CROW PIE, Mr Obama. Perhaps you shoulda stayed in Illinois where people are accustomed to such SMOKE AND MIRRORS.
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seagreen | Nov 07, 2010, 10:04 AM EST
When Pres Obama referred to a shellacking, it was an American saying meaning " Shellac" which is a resin used in automotive finishing. In a sense it is a glue that solidifies everything, or immobilizes the product, and has always been used in US sports commentary I.E the Seahawks were "Shellacked" by the Raiders
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WoundedKnee | Nov 07, 2010, 08:17 AM EST
I was listening to Irish radio on line, and I note that they don't kow how to pronounce it. They put the stress on the first syllable, SHELLacking.
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