I wonder...
Apr. 4th, 2009 11:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexpgpI ran across a business card of one of my long-ago magician friends. One side contains his contact information; the other, a photo of his Pride™ and Joy™.
The trademark characters are intentional. The image is that of a bottle of Pride furniture polish standing next to a bottle of Joy dishwashing liquid, not of what you might otherwise expect. It was generally good for a laugh ("Say, let me show you a picture of my pride and joy!")
Which got me to thinking: why "pride and joy"? I got to thinking of Cockney rhyming slang, and easily, er, translated "pride and joy" into "bride and boy," thought I was onto something but quickly concluded I was chasing a phantom.
First, as I understand it, rhyming slang depends on using the nonrhyming part of the expression as the substitution in conversation, e.g., a slang expression for "wife" is "trouble and strife," but the reference would be to one's "trouble," not "strife." Second, I can't imagine not including little girls in the definition of "pride and joy."
Just a thought.
* * * Speaking of England, a recent news report tells of how the cops in one burg showed up to a house fire and actively prevented neighbors from attempting a rescue of the family inside, despite the mother screaming from an upstairs window and begging for someone to save the kids. Only one of the children survived the fire, if I recall correctly, despite the best efforts of the constabulary.
While driving around yesterday, I came up with the bare bones of a story that was substantially the same, except that someone ends up defying the police by knocking down an officer or two, running into the house, and saving the family. The twist comes when the law decides to prosecute that someone for failing to obey, for endangering themselves, and whatever else they might think up.
I'm thinking an updated version of Inherit the Wind, folks. (Or at least it seems that way at first blush.)
Duty calls. Got to go take care of some stuff.
Cheers...
The trademark characters are intentional. The image is that of a bottle of Pride furniture polish standing next to a bottle of Joy dishwashing liquid, not of what you might otherwise expect. It was generally good for a laugh ("Say, let me show you a picture of my pride and joy!")
Which got me to thinking: why "pride and joy"? I got to thinking of Cockney rhyming slang, and easily, er, translated "pride and joy" into "bride and boy," thought I was onto something but quickly concluded I was chasing a phantom.
First, as I understand it, rhyming slang depends on using the nonrhyming part of the expression as the substitution in conversation, e.g., a slang expression for "wife" is "trouble and strife," but the reference would be to one's "trouble," not "strife." Second, I can't imagine not including little girls in the definition of "pride and joy."
Just a thought.
While driving around yesterday, I came up with the bare bones of a story that was substantially the same, except that someone ends up defying the police by knocking down an officer or two, running into the house, and saving the family. The twist comes when the law decides to prosecute that someone for failing to obey, for endangering themselves, and whatever else they might think up.
I'm thinking an updated version of Inherit the Wind, folks. (Or at least it seems that way at first blush.)
Duty calls. Got to go take care of some stuff.
Cheers...
