I was only following orders....

[En_Route]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0503/victim-of-brendan-smyth-calls-on-brady-to-resign.html

[Tank]

The poo has definitely hit the propeller and it's going to fly everywhere.

[markmcdaniel]

A few more such incidents and the Catholic laity may wall decide that they no longer need the Catholic hierarchy I don't think that I will weep much if it should this should come to pass.

[Recusant]

Excellent article; thank you for posting it, En_Route. A couple of little details piqued my cultural curiosity. When the dirt-bag is described as ". . . this tea-drinking, Marie biscuit-eating . . ." what exactly is being conveyed? Is there some connotation of him having a nefarious nature, or is it exactly the opposite, i. e. as a eater of Marie biscuits and drinker of tea, he was well camouflaged? Second, do you happen to know what is the origin of the phrase "an ordinary 4x2"?

[Asmodean]

"an ordinary 4x2"?

That sounds like a standard support beam.

[Recusant]

"an ordinary 4x2"?

That sounds like a standard support beam.

I agree, but is it a recognized idiom in Ireland, when speaking of a normal everyday person, to describe them as a piece of construction lumber?

an ordinary man that's walking the streets - an ordinary 4x2.

[Asmodean]

I agree, but is it standard in Ireland, when speaking of a normal everyday person, to describe them as a piece of construction lumber?

Here, it is not that uncommon to apply paper formats to people, for instance by calling someone an A4 person... Same thing, no?

[Recusant]

I didn't know that; thanks Asmodean. I do agree that it's similar, assuming that your earlier idea regarding the meaning of "4x2" is correct.  

So, an "A4" person is a normal everyday person. Do people in Norway use any other paper sizes to describe people?


EDIT: Apologies to En_Route for this derail. My curiosity got the better of me.

[Crow]

do you happen to know what is the origin of the phrase "an ordinary 4x2"?

I have no idea and was currious myself and asked all my Irish (northern and proper ) mates and none of them had heard of the phrase before. It might just be a regional or generational phrase.

[En_Route]

I didn't know that; thanks Asmodean. I do agree that it's similar, assuming that your earlier idea regarding the meaning of "4x2" is correct.  

So, an "A4" person is a normal everyday person. Do people in Norway use any other paper sizes to describe people?


EDIT: Apologies to En_Route for this derail. My curiosity got the better of me.

No need to apologise for breathing new life into this moribund topic, least of all to a chap most of whose contributions are to the derail thread. I am Irish,  and can confirm that I have not encountered this colloquialism in my puff.

[Asmodean]

Do people in Norway use any other paper sizes to describe people?

Not unless they work for a printer, really... But yes, an A4 person usually means a very average Joe OR someone who does their best to conform to some set ideal of normality.