"In the time it takes me to boil an egg,

[Crackpot]

in other words he was far too sensible to run for public office.

[Guinevere]

You mean too chicken-shit.

We need good, smart, committed people to run for public office (at all levels) and they should not be afraid to run because small events in their past could get blown all of of proportion, because their families could become "targets," or because they can't afford to run.

For all of that, we need a massive sea change and serious campaign finance reform.

[MajGenl.Meade]

In the time it takes Mitt Romney to become President, he'll earn $878,000,000,032.58 and also have died

[dgs49]

A semantic opinion, if you please.

The expression "chicken-shit" has evolved to mean cowardly. I disagree.

"Chicken-shit" originally referred to the gold decorations on the black brim of an Army field-grade officer's saucer cap. "Chicken-shit," as a characterization, rightly refers to someone who is too concerned with minor details and not concerned with the Big Picture. It refers to a military officer or non-military leader (usually esconced in some bureaucracy where the trait is valued) who knows every line of every relevant regulation, but wouldn't know true leadership if he tripped over it.

Carry on.

[dales]

In the time it takes Mitt Romney to become President, he'll earn $878,000,000,032.58 and also have died

Without taking a bent shekel with him to werever he's headed.

[rubato]

"...

The expression "chicken-shit" has evolved to mean cowardly. I disagree.
... "

Carry on.

I thought it meant something more like "bullshit" as in LBJs expression "you have to be able to tell chicken salad from chicken shit" quoted by various incl. McGovern.

yrs,
rubato

[MajGenl.Meade]

dgs, you could be correct. But "chicken guts" was a U.S. Civil War slang term for an officers' gold braid. In the UK it would be "scrambled eggs".

'Chicken shit' meaning overly bureaucratic, pen-pushing, petty-fogging did gain popularity in US forces during WW2. But I think you've confused the guts with the shits

Meade

[oldr_n_wsr]

one comes from the other.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Perhaps so oldr, but I think it was just an ignorant substitution (in WW2 or later). Gold braid does not look at all like chicken shit but it does look like chicken guts.

It's the same kind of thing as "draw a line in the sand". That's metamorphosed from "draw a line on the ground" (or in the dirt) because G Bush was making a little jokette changing it to "sand" because of the desert location. Now everyone seems to think one must draw lines in the sand, even where there is none. Thanks George!

Anyway, in the time it took to discuss this Mitt Romney made $282,304.38

Meade

[oldr_n_wsr]

Now if only I made the same. But I did make some money, enough to keep me happy. And, while I might envy those who make more during the time I make this post, I do not deny them the money they made. I am happy in my situation and do not want anything from those who's situation allows them to make more unless it denies me from making/keeping mine.

[Guinevere]

dgs, you could be correct. But "chicken guts" was a U.S. Civil War slang term for an officers' gold braid. In the UK it would be "scrambled eggs".

'Chicken shit' meaning overly bureaucratic, pen-pushing, petty-fogging did gain popularity in US forces during WW2. But I think you've confused the guts with the shits

Meade

My uncle, the USCG Rear Admiral, Upper Half (ret), always referred to the braid on his cap as scrambled eggs.

[oldr_n_wsr]

I had my hat on today and was blessed with bird-$h!t on it.

[MajGenl.Meade]

My uncle, the USCG Rear Admiral, Upper Half (ret), always referred to the braid on his cap as scrambled eggs.

Yes, I thought that the words might not be restricted to UK services.

Meade

[Sean]

It's the same kind of thing as "draw a line in the sand". That's metamorphosed from "draw a line on the ground" (or in the dirt) because G Bush was making a little jokette changing it to "sand" because of the desert location. Now everyone seems to think one must draw lines in the sand, even where there is none. Thanks George!

Myth! The expression 'draw a line in the sand' is older than that...

The exact origin of the phrase is unknown: the Oxford English Dictionary suggests a transitional use from 1950, but a definitely figurative use only as late as 1978:


He drew a line in the sand with the toe of his boot, and said, ‘It's as though I told you “I can punch you in the nose, but you can't reach across that line to hit me back”’.

—Washington Post, 19 December 1950


Notwithstanding the supposed public revulsion toward more federal spending, waste and bureaucracy-building, Congress seems to have gone out of its way to draw a wide line in the sand in front of Carter.

—Washington Post, 29 October 1978

Link

[The Hen]

Do we REALLY need to talk about my shit?

[MajGenl.Meade]

Well it seems to be the norm

[The Hen]

There are too many coprophilliacs on this site for me.

Gute Nacht Gracie.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Myth!