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Blowing smoke
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Tony Cooper
May 21, 2013, 6:04:57 PM5/21/13
to
The grandchildren were over the other night, and I was on the phone
talking to my son. Not noticing that one of the boys was close enough
to hear my comment, I said "He's just blowing smoke up your ass" to my
son. (About someone who wanted to sell him something)
After the call, my grandson asked why someone would blow smoke up
there. (He knows what "ass" means) I danced around the question with
the usual "It's an expression that grown-ups use."
It got me wondering, though, about how such a saying came about. Some
internet sources say it goes back to the practice of giving tobacco
smoke enemas. That was a new one on me, but it was a real thing.
http://engineerofknowledge.wordpress.com/2012/04/05/do-you-recognize-this-medical-instrument/
As an aside, my grandmother firmly believed that blowing cigar smoke
into the ear would alleviate an earache. My grandfather, a cigar
smoker, was glad to oblige. My grandfather used to tell her that
pouring warm human urine in the ear worked better, but that was never
tried. I was never sure if my grandfather was serious or not.
--
Tony Cooper - Orlando FL
talking to my son. Not noticing that one of the boys was close enough
to hear my comment, I said "He's just blowing smoke up your ass" to my
son. (About someone who wanted to sell him something)
After the call, my grandson asked why someone would blow smoke up
there. (He knows what "ass" means) I danced around the question with
the usual "It's an expression that grown-ups use."
It got me wondering, though, about how such a saying came about. Some
internet sources say it goes back to the practice of giving tobacco
smoke enemas. That was a new one on me, but it was a real thing.
http://engineerofknowledge.wordpress.com/2012/04/05/do-you-recognize-this-medical-instrument/
As an aside, my grandmother firmly believed that blowing cigar smoke
into the ear would alleviate an earache. My grandfather, a cigar
smoker, was glad to oblige. My grandfather used to tell her that
pouring warm human urine in the ear worked better, but that was never
tried. I was never sure if my grandfather was serious or not.
--
Tony Cooper - Orlando FL
Dr Nick
May 22, 2013, 3:10:23 AM5/22/13
to
as with most things, we've come across it in imports). Indeed, I'm not
quite sure what it means (wasting your time?)
If I was to make a wild guess I'd go for something to do with horse
racing, but - like ginger - I'd expect that to be to make them go
faster.
Jerry Friedman
May 22, 2013, 2:56:10 PM5/22/13
to
On May 21, 4:04 pm, Tony Cooper <tonycooper...@gmail.com> wrote:
> The grandchildren were over the other night, and I was on the phone
> talking to my son. Not noticing that one of the boys was close enough
> to hear my comment,
Stages of life:
> The grandchildren were over the other night, and I was on the phone
> talking to my son. Not noticing that one of the boys was close enough
> to hear my comment,
You can't swear in front of your parents.
You can swear in front of anyone in your family.
You can't swear in front of your children.
You can swear in front of anyone in your family.
You can't swear in front of your grandchildren.
You can swear in front of anyone in your family.
Keep going!
> I said "He's just blowing smoke up your ass" to my
> son. (About someone who wanted to sell him something)
>
> After the call, my grandson asked why someone would blow smoke up
> there. (He knows what "ass" means) I danced around the question with
> the usual "It's an expression that grown-ups use."
>
> It got me wondering, though, about how such a saying came about. Some
> internet sources say it goes back to the practice of giving tobacco
> smoke enemas. That was a new one on me, but it was a real thing.
>
...
I wonder whether "blowing smoke" came first and "up your ass" was
added to make it more personal. "Blowing smoke"--creating something
conspicuous but insubstantial--seems reasonable for "bluffing", and
smoke is also good for hiding things.
--
Jerry Friedman
CDB
May 22, 2013, 5:14:44 PM5/22/13
to
On 22/05/2013 2:56 PM, Jerry Friedman wrote:
> On May 21, 4:04 pm, Tony Cooper <tonycooper...@gmail.com> wrote:
> [more than I wanted to know about blowing smoke]
> On May 21, 4:04 pm, Tony Cooper <tonycooper...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I wonder whether "blowing smoke" came first and "up your ass" was
> added to make it more personal. "Blowing smoke"--creating something
> conspicuous but insubstantial--seems reasonable for "bluffing", and
> smoke is also good for hiding things.
Mike L
May 22, 2013, 6:32:08 PM5/22/13
to
(if that expression exists).
--
Mike.
Iain Archer
May 25, 2013, 10:32:28 AM5/25/13
to
Dr Nick wrote on Wed, 22 May 2013 at 08:10:23 GMT
I heard it for the first time yesterday, as "You want them to blow smoke
up your ass?", while watching Shattered Glass on the box. The
impression I got there, having forgotten what I read here, was that it
meant something like "You want them to treat you as someone really
extraordinary?"; but I wasn't giving it total attention, so could have
got the context wrong. Or could perhaps the core meaning be "give
sycophantic attention to someone", where the attention could be either
genuine or a con?
--
Iain Archer
up your ass?", while watching Shattered Glass on the box. The
impression I got there, having forgotten what I read here, was that it
meant something like "You want them to treat you as someone really
extraordinary?"; but I wasn't giving it total attention, so could have
got the context wrong. Or could perhaps the core meaning be "give
sycophantic attention to someone", where the attention could be either
genuine or a con?
--
Iain Archer
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