phrases with a double meaning

Inspired

Sun, Oct 02 2011, 4:41 am

In a recent mishpacha article the writer used the phrase "blow their wad".
As some of you may know this phrase has a clean meaning but more often it is used to mean something not so "clean". I think it is a phrase which should be avoided in a frum publication. People might use it in the wrong context not realizing that it has an unclean meaning and have other people thinking the wrong thing. What does anyone else think?

Inspired

Sun, Oct 02 2011, 7:18 am

zaq wrote:

I think--or, rather, given the publication that you're mentioning--I am absotively posilute that neither the writer nor the editor had any idea there wads, I mean was, another meaning to the phrase. I'm rather surprised that ** you ** know it.

If you knew me or my upbringing you wouldn't be surprised at all.

Do you think as a writer a professional author writing for publication is obligated to know the meanings of what they write? I think so.

I remember awhile ago when an author in the Junoir wrote that someone "screwed up" most people felt she should have known better.

Sun, Oct 02 2011, 8:33 am

I still wouldn't have known what other meaning it could have if you hadn't included that link. And one thing you don't have to worry about - no one can use the expression in a negative way without knowing how - and she won't learn how from a mishpacha article.

And is a writer writing for a jewish magazine responsible to know every 'unclean' expression in the books? I can give you a WHOLE list of words that have dirty connotations as well. I don't want to get this thread locked, though. I'm sure you can think of them though!

Inspired

Sun, Oct 02 2011, 8:44 am

kb wrote:

If you read the link that is exactly what posters did. Use it for its clean meaning and had people shocked. I would hate to hear a frum woman say "I told my husband not to do it but he blew his wad at the mall" to some secular male co worker.

Quote:

And is a writer writing for a jewish magazine responsible to know every 'unclean' expression in the books? I can give you a WHOLE list of words that have dirty connotations as well. I don't want to get this thread locked, though. I'm sure you can think of them though!

Not every unlean expression, just the ones that are ambiguous and can have an unclean meaning. Noone in todays world would/ should describe someone as being "gay" and think they are saying he is happy.Personally I think using "high" to meran a little drunk should be avoided in the frum world as well. Yes, I do think a writer should know that a phrase could have another meaning.

skymile

Sun, Oct 02 2011, 11:17 am

I work in a heimish office and one of the chassidishe men is in charge of collecting debt. he always uses weird expressions that it's clear (to me) that he has no clue that they mean something dirty. he once told a customer to "stop yanking my balls". he told another customer to tell his son that he "deserves a spanking". it was pretty funny (at the time) but I'm always afraid a customer (especially if it's female) will sue for harassment or something. yet I feel very uncomfortable telling my equally heimishe boss that it's wrong...

zaq

Sun, Oct 02 2011, 9:58 pm

Inspired wrote:

Do you think as a writer a professional author writing for publication is obligated to know the meanings of what they write? I think so.
.

Your mistake lies in calling heimish writers "professional" and expecting heimish publications to live up to the standards of secular ones. What passes for professional writing in the heimish world would be laughed out of the reception area at any secular publishing house, but the readers of periodicals such as Mishpacha for the most part neither know nor care that it is written in substandard English.

zaq

Sun, Oct 02 2011, 11:24 pm

chana_f wrote:

Funny you posted about that, I noticed the same thing. The worst was the Hamodia's year in review section which had a picture of snowplows and used the term "blow job"! shock

I saw that section of the paper sitting on top of the recycling heap in my building, stopped to look at that caption, mentally rolled my eyes and continued on my merry way. Having once upon a time managed to keep a straight face when a frum girl applauded a glassblower's skill by saying "great blow job!" I am no longer shocked by bloopers like these.

Barbara

Sun, Oct 02 2011, 11:48 pm

zaq wrote:

chana_f wrote:

Funny you posted about that, I noticed the same thing. The worst was the Hamodia's year in review section which had a picture of snowplows and used the term "blow job"! shock

I believe the frum girl had no clue what she was saying.

I believe that the editors knew EXACTLY what they were saying, and were having a little fun at the expense of an audience that either wouldn't know what they were saying, or would be embarrassed to admit that they understood.

Mama Bear

Mon, Oct 03 2011, 1:02 am

"Blow your wad" is something most people would not know. It's difficult for the typical frum writer to know every single double entendre. I was a little taken aback when I saw that phrase but I realized that the majority of ppl wouldnt know it. The caption on the hamodia picture though??? Much more common phrase, I nearly jumped out of my seat when I noticed that!.... then I realized that the copyeditors at hamodia are most likely sheltered people (probably even sheltered Gur people!) and it slipped right by them.

The trouble is that the mainstream media today does not think twice using vulgar jokes and double meaning jokes, it's part of their vocabulary, so the average frum person reading the secular paper would not realize when something is dirty.

So many times when I want to use a common phrase on a facebook status or in an email, I check wikipedia or dictionary.com to make sure the word or phrase does not have a doulbe meaning.

I remember a very frum heimishe writer (in the Yated I think) using the word orgy in a story of hers and argued with me when I told her the word clearly had a zxual connotation and I was shocked she used it. She said she didnt even know it had a double meaning, she uses it all the time....

a relative of mine, sheltered as they come, uses the word "c.r.a.p" all the time, and doesnt realize it's just a 'nicer' variation of the "S" word. It's hard to explain 'street slang' and double entendres to people who are completely sheltered. that's the pitfall of adopting a phrase one reads or hears from teh streets, without fully knowing what it means....

zaq

Mon, Oct 03 2011, 9:49 am

Barbara wrote:

I believe the frum girl had no clue what she was saying.

For sure, for sure. She was a friend of mine and innocent as can be. Later on someone pulled her aside and told her what she'd said, and she wanted to sink into the earth.

Barbara wrote:

I believe that the editors knew EXACTLY what they were saying.

Are you serious? At Hamodia? Are we talking about the same right-wing frummy publication? The one people subscribe to who don't own a radio because radio is tref? Surely you jest?