Barry Lyndon's "weakness"

[Moby2001]

Before Barry goes to spy on the gambler, his German mentor advises him to
report that he was discharged from the Prussian army on account of "weakness in
the loins." Anyone have any idea excatly what type of malady that would be?
(I keep thinking its the same as the reason for Handjob's impending discharge
in FMJ: chronic masterbation). ;-)

[Phil Noir]

moby2001 writes:
<Before Barry goes to spy on the gambler, his German mentor advises him to
report that he was discharged from the Prussian army on account of "weakness in
the loins." Anyone have any idea excatly what type of malady that would be?>

An STD perhaps?

[Thurston]

>>>>

"An" before a consonant?

You know where the "loins" are? They ain't the "groin".

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Legz3]

I think "weakness in the loins" means a hernia.
Jeff W.

[geoffrey alexander]

Thurston Rus...@teleport.com writes:

>> phil...@aol.com (Phil Noir) writes:
>> moby2001 writes:

>> <Before Barry goes to spy on the gambler, his German mentor advises him to
>> report that he was discharged from the Prussian army on account of "weakness in
>> the loins." Anyone have any idea excatly what type of malady that would be?>
>
>> An STD perhaps?

>>>>>

>"An" before a consonant?

It is correct in this instance.

>You know where the "loins" are? They ain't the "groin".

Wrong again.

--
Geoffrey Alexander

finger geof...@beethoven.iavalley.cc.ia.us
for pgp public key, website addresses, and other fun things.

[Melanie Lamm]

In article <19971209162...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
le...@aol.com (Legz3) wrote:

>I think "weakness in the loins" means a hernia.

Btw, that scene is taken verbatim from Thackeray's
book, and no further context is provided for the phrase,
so it's probably best researched in its historical
context, rather than a Kubrickean construct.

[Daniel Booth]

In article <66jkjq$7n0$2...@news1.teleport.com>, Thurston
Rus...@teleport.com wrote:

> > phil...@aol.com (Phil Noir) writes:
> > moby2001 writes:
>
> > <Before Barry goes to spy on the gambler, his German mentor advises him to
> > report that he was discharged from the Prussian army on account of
"weakness in
> > the loins." Anyone have any idea excatly what type of malady that
would be?>
>
> > An STD perhaps?
>
> >>>>
>
> "An" before a consonant?
>

> You know where the "loins" are? They ain't the "groin".

"A" or "an" is determined by pronunciation. STD is pronounced
"ess-tee-dee". If it were an acronym (STUD perhaps, for "sexually
trnsmitted uterine disease"?), "a" would be correct.

Also, "loins" is a long-established euphemism for genitals--i.e. "fruit of
my loins" to refer to one's child.

Phil is right on both counts. On the other hand, "ain't" is considered to
be an illiterate colloquialism.

Ol' Schoolmarm Dan

[plav...@usatoday.com]

In article <66i7gm$2bk...@news.primenet.com>,

lamm...@widenet.com (Melanie Lamm) wrote:
>
> In article <19971209162...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
> le...@aol.com (Legz3) wrote:
>
> >I think "weakness in the loins" means a hernia.
>

Doesn't it mean simply that one can't keep it in his pants?

-------------------==== Posted via Deja News ====-----------------------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet

[geoffrey alexander]

da...@cornell.edu (Daniel Booth) writes:

>Absolutement<... unless you're British......

{I, whom am neither....

[tak]

In article <geoffrey....@beethoven.iavalley.cc.ia.us>,
geof...@beethoven.iavalley.cc.ia.us says...

>
>da...@cornell.edu (Daniel Booth) writes:
>
>>In article <66jkjq$7n0$2...@news1.teleport.com>, Thurston
>>Rus...@teleport.com wrote:
>
>>> > phil...@aol.com (Phil Noir) writes:
>>> > moby2001 writes:
>>>
>>> > <Before Barry goes to spy on the gambler, his German mentor advises
him to
>>> > report that he was discharged from the Prussian army on account of
>>"weakness in
>>> > the loins." Anyone have any idea excatly what type of malady that
>>would be?>
>>>
>>> > An STD perhaps?
>>>
>>> >>>>
>>>
>>> "An" before a consonant?
>>>
>>> You know where the "loins" are? They ain't the "groin".
>
>>"A" or "an" is determined by pronunciation. STD is pronounced
>>"ess-tee-dee". If it were an acronym (STUD perhaps, for "sexually
>>trnsmitted uterine disease"?), "a" would be correct.
>
>>Also, "loins" is a long-established euphemism for genitals--i.e. "fruit of
>>my loins" to refer to one's child.
>
>>Phil is right on both counts. On the other hand, "ain't" is considered to
>>be an illiterate colloquialism.
>
>>Absolutement<... unless you're British......

^

If you're trying to spell 'absolutely' in French, there ain't supposed to be
a 't' there.

Cheers,

Mt

*

[geoffrey alexander]

t...@passport.ca (tak) writes:

>If you're trying to spell 'absolutely' in French, there ain't supposed to be
>a 't' there.

>Cheers,

>Mt

Sorry. Hate to run afoul of the Canadian Language Laws... :)

>*

[Moby2001]

I recall that the "weakness in the loins" line got a chuckle out of the
audience when I first saw the film in a near empty theater in 1975. Even
though loins and groin are two entierly different things (as Derek kindly
informed me) I think most folks' gut recation (pun intended) is that its some
sort of sexual thingy.

[stev...@gmail.com]

Since he was being sent to seek a servant class position, i.e. subservient to another man, I think the may have been meant to infer cowardice. Otherwise, it would be suspicious for an ex-cavalry man to seek such a position, even in those days.

[Nicolas Taylor]

I heard weakness in the loins meant a tendency to have homosexual relations repeatedly in certain situations. An Army person told me seemed to know his stuff.

[Don Stockbauer]

On Thursday, January 27, 2022 at 9:01:28 PM UTC-6, Nicolas Taylor wrote:
> I heard weakness in the loins meant a tendency to have homosexual relations repeatedly in certain situations. An Army person told me seemed to know his stuff.

I heard weakness in the lions means they'll probably spare you your life.