Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Random intrusion of inapt shoe metaphors

Ann Althouse, amidst noting the cyber gang raping, rants an LOL:
... Republicans are wondering what shoe might drop next.
The expression is "waiting for the other shoe to drop." People have 2 shoes. This is an expression to be used when one thing has happened in a context where you expect one more thing to happen. You live in an apartment and you hear, from upstairs, a shoe drop. You therefore conclude that your neighbor is taking off his shoes and rationally expect to hear the second shoe. There's no expression "what shoe might drop next." There's no rain of multiple shoes. There's no concept that if there's one shoe, there are probably a whole lot of other shoes out there.

Sorry, I got sidetracked. That just annoys me. The random intrusion of inapt shoe metaphors.
More: Althouse comments on The Estimable Norse God Levi, i.e. "sex on skates"(New York Magazine).

2 comments:

emjay said...

And if the shoe fits, wear it. Or just go ahead and drop it.

gcotharn said...

LOL emjay - I'm a sucker for mangling metaphors in fun ways - cracks me up every time.