Nice expression

Bertel Lund Hansen

unread,

Mar 15, 2023, 5:48:02 AM3/15/23

to

In a tv program about four murders in the UK a woman was speaking at her
son's funeral. She described him lovingly with vivid words as somewhat
wild. She used this expression:

He could start an argument in an empty room.

I liked that.

--
Bertel, Denmark

occam

unread,

Mar 15, 2023, 6:32:55 AM3/15/23

to

Nice. It could be applied a couple of posters here in AUE.

John Dunlop

unread,

Mar 15, 2023, 7:12:13 AM3/15/23

to

occam:

Oh no it couldn't!

--
John

occam

unread,

Mar 15, 2023, 7:19:35 AM3/15/23

to

Sorry John, I didn't know you were in the room!

Peter Duncanson [BrE]

unread,

Mar 20, 2023, 11:38:57 AM3/20/23

to

I don't know when that phrase originated but there are variants;

"fight" instead of "argument"
"pick a fight" instead of "start an argument"
"house" instead of "room"

etc.

--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)

Sam Plusnet

unread,

Mar 20, 2023, 4:25:44 PM3/20/23

to

"Start an argument in a phone box" is part of that "etc."

--
Sam Plusnet

lar3ryca

unread,

Mar 20, 2023, 6:13:09 PM3/20/23

to

When I lose something, and someone comments on it, I often say
"I could lose a bass drum in a telephone booth."

--
Greek cows say "μ"

occam

unread,

Mar 21, 2023, 3:16:00 AM3/21/23

to

I would like to propose: "He could start an argument with his own
reflection in the mirror".

[I have prepared a submission to the Académie Anglaise.]

Bertel Lund Hansen

unread,

Mar 21, 2023, 3:58:00 AM3/21/23

to

Den 20.03.2023 kl. 21.25 skrev Sam Plusnet:

>> I don't know when that phrase originated but there are variants;
>>
>>    "fight" instead of "argument"
>>    "pick a fight" instead of "start an argument"
>>    "house" instead of "room"
>>
>> etc.
>
> "Start an argument in a phone box" is part of that "etc."

I don't think that works well. If you're on the phone to someone, you
can easily start an argument.

--
Bertel, Denmark

Peter T. Daniels

unread,

Mar 21, 2023, 8:00:28 AM3/21/23

to

That's redundant. Either word works by itself.

occam

unread,

Mar 21, 2023, 8:50:14 AM3/21/23

to

No it wouldn't.

"He could start an argument with the mirror" could mean that the person
is mad, and that he is in the habit of talking to inanimate objects e.g.
the dishwasher, the TV set, a portrait on the wall etc.

"He could start an argument with his own reflection" does not work 100%
either. Reflections are everywhere, e.g. in water, in shop windows,
polished cutlery, and so on.

Neither of those depict the situation as I imagine it.

Peter T. Daniels

unread,

Mar 21, 2023, 1:34:13 PM3/21/23

to

On Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 8:50:14 AM UTC-4, occam wrote:
> On 21/03/2023 13:00, Peter T. Daniels wrote:
> > On Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 3:16:00 AM UTC-4, occam wrote:
> >> On 20/03/2023 16:38, Peter Duncanson [BrE] wrote:
> >>> On Wed, 15 Mar 2023 10:47:58 +0100, Bertel Lund Hansen
> >>> <gade...@lundhansen.dk> wrote:

> >>>> In a tv program about four murders in the UK a woman was speaking at her
> >>>> son's funeral. She described him lovingly with vivid words as somewhat
> >>>> wild. She used this expression:
> >>>> He could start an argument in an empty room.
> >>>> I liked that.
> >>> I don't know when that phrase originated but there are variants;
> >>> "fight" instead of "argument"
> >>> "pick a fight" instead of "start an argument"
> >>> "house" instead of "room"
> >>> etc.
> >> I would like to propose: "He could start an argument with his own
> >> reflection in the mirror".
> > That's redundant. Either word works by itself.
>
> No it wouldn't.
>
> "He could start an argument with the mirror" could mean that the person
> is mad, and that he is in the habit of talking to inanimate objects e.g.
> the dishwasher, the TV set, a portrait on the wall etc.

"in the mirror" (as you wrote above)

> "He could start an argument with his own reflection" does not work 100%
> either. Reflections are everywhere, e.g. in water, in shop windows,
> polished cutlery, and so on.
>
> Neither of those depict the situation as I imagine it.

That bespeaks a dearth of imagination.

Why would Narcissus be excluded?

Anyway, brevity is a virtue in a dis.

occam

unread,

Mar 21, 2023, 3:02:37 PM3/21/23

to

On 21/03/2023 18:34, Peter T. Daniels wrote:
> On Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 8:50:14 AM UTC-4, occam wrote:

Bertel wrote:

> He could start an argument in an empty room.

To which occam replied:

> It could be applied a couple of posters here in AUE.

Well, occam had you in mind when he wrote that.
Now go and find yourself a mirror, Daniels.

Sam Plusnet

unread,

Mar 21, 2023, 3:42:02 PM3/21/23

to

"in the phone box" (and the context) implies both (or more) participants
are in that box.

It's fairly redundant now, since phone boxes are a vanished (vanishing?)
item.

--
Sam Plusnet

Peter T. Daniels

unread,

Mar 21, 2023, 4:04:53 PM3/21/23

to

Oh, my. occam is referring to himself in the third person.

occam seems to think that any comment on his hallowed words
is an "arument."

Ken Blake

unread,

Mar 21, 2023, 4:10:21 PM3/21/23

to

I hadn't seen a phone booth in years. until last week when I saw one
in front of a restaurant we went to.

Phil Carmody

unread,

Mar 23, 2023, 3:16:57 AM3/23/23

to

Sam Plusnet <n...@home.com> writes:
> On 21-Mar-23 7:57, Bertel Lund Hansen wrote:
>> Den 20.03.2023 kl. 21.25 skrev Sam Plusnet:
>>>> I don't know when that phrase originated but there are variants;
>>>>
>>>>    "fight" instead of "argument"
>>>>    "pick a fight" instead of "start an argument"
>>>>    "house" instead of "room"
>>>>
>>>> etc.
>>>
>>> "Start an argument in a phone box" is part of that "etc."
>>
>> I don't think that works well. If you're on the phone to someone,
>> you can easily start an argument.
>
> "in the phone box" (and the context) implies both (or more)
> participants are in that box.

Except it doesn't.

And if there's more than one in a cramped phone box, it's highly likely
that even moderate ones would start an argument, as they would be
treading on each other's toes, and having to put up with each other's
farts. So the phrase doesn't even work well if you do mentally place
more than one person into the box.

But, worst of all, the words you put in quotes aren't even the
words that you're quoting, whilst pretending they are to be taken in
their original context. You turned an "a" into a "the". Which
phone box? Is there a special phone box somewhere that I should know
about?

Phil
--
We are no longer hunters and nomads. No longer awed and frightened, as we have
gained some understanding of the world in which we live. As such, we can cast
aside childish remnants from the dawn of our civilization.
-- NotSanguine on SoylentNews, after Eugen Weber in /The Western Tradition/

Sam Plusnet

unread,

Mar 23, 2023, 3:38:47 PM3/23/23

to

aue posters don't even need a phone box.

--
Sam Plusnet

Jerry Friedman

unread,

Mar 23, 2023, 4:12:47 PM3/23/23

to

Oh yes we do!

--
Jerry Friedman

Al in Dallas

unread,

Mar 23, 2023, 4:23:43 PM3/23/23

to

"No it ISN'T! Argument is an intellectual process. Contradiction is just the
automatic gainsaying of anything the other person says."

TonyCooper

unread,

Mar 23, 2023, 6:20:26 PM3/23/23

to

On Thu, 23 Mar 2023 13:23:41 -0700 (PDT), Al in Dallas
<alfar...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>On Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 3:12:47?PM UTC-5, Jerry Friedman wrote:

There's room for argument in that statement. Room 12A, actually.
--

Tony Cooper - Orlando,Florida

Sam Plusnet

unread,

Mar 23, 2023, 9:13:09 PM3/23/23

to

If you book the full half hour argument in the US, do you have time
deducted for the ads?

--
Sam Plusnet

occam

unread,

Mar 24, 2023, 6:03:46 AM3/24/23

to

<smile> see 'mirror' and 'reflection' elsethread. <no we don't!>

Peter T. Daniels

unread,

Mar 24, 2023, 11:09:31 AM3/24/23

to

On Friday, March 24, 2023 at 6:03:46 AM UTC-4, occam wrote:
> On 23/03/2023 21:12, Jerry Friedman wrote:
> > On Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 1:38:47 PM UTC-6, Sam Plusnet wrote:
> >>>>> Den 20.03.2023 kl. 21.25 skrev Sam Plusnet:

> >>>>>> "Start an argument in a phone box" is part of that "etc."

> >> aue posters don't even need a phone box.
> > Oh yes we do!
>
> <smile> see 'mirror' and 'reflection' elsethread. <no we don't!>

It's still astonishing that you consider that an "argument."

occam

unread,

Mar 24, 2023, 12:30:19 PM3/24/23

to

Go find yourself a mirror, you tedious Yank.

Peter T. Daniels

unread,

Mar 24, 2023, 1:17:14 PM3/24/23

to

Ah, yes. Your bigotry will out.