| Author |
Message |
Tim A. Dowd (Bodo)
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 3:10 pm: |       |
I'm getting visions of the Family Circus now...
Is it something each person might have? Such that for different people it's in different places?
Like a "happy place"? |
Ixoye724 (Ixoye724)
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 3:11 pm: | |
Is it in a moving Ahh...you're onto something here...
container? No, not in a container
Is it a property of some moving object? Yes
Is it in some "place" whose definition doesn't tie it permanently to a specific location, like "the darkest corner of the room" or something like that? Right - from one standpoint it is always in one "place", yet another factor makes it be in different "places". This is probably the key to what made Kevin afraid of "it". |
Ixoye724 (Ixoye724)
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 3:13 pm: | |
Is it something each person might have? It could be said that every person can have one of these, maybe even one or more times a day
Such that for different people it's in different places? No, for anyone who had "this", it would be in the same place
Like a "happy place"? Not this kind of idea |
(Stuccosalt)
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 3:16 pm: | |
Is it (or did he interpret it as being) in/on a person? Kevin? His mom? His teacher? |
Ixoye724 (Ixoye724)
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 3:24 pm: | |
Is it (or did he interpret it as being) in No, but...
on a person? Kevin? YES - it's ON KEVIN
His mom? His teacher? No to these |
Ixoye724 (Ixoye724)
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 15, 2005 - 7:44 pm: | |
RECAP:
The puzzle states: Kevin's mother told him it was there, he couldn't find it, and when he tried to get help he was punished. What was 'it'?
'It' is something that is on Kevin, and he has personified it into something that he feels is undesirable. Kevin, at the time this occurs, is a young child. When his mother told him about this 'thing' being on Kevin, she probably didn't think he would personify it and become afraid of it. Kevin most likely personified it because the word his mom used is not one that most people would consider an ordinary word.
We're so close now that if anyone can get even close we'll call it solved. |
Barbara Johannessen Bailey (Rabrab)
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 15, 2005 - 8:13 pm: | |
She told him something was "on his back"? "on his shoulders"? "on his head"? "on his hands"?
The not an ordinary word -- Predicament? dilemma? anything along those lines? |
Ixoye724 (Ixoye724)
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 15, 2005 - 8:28 pm: | |
She told him something was "on his back"? "on his shoulders"? Not these...
"on his head"? Yes, and more specfically?
"on his hands"? No
The not an ordinary word -- Predicament? dilemma? anything along those lines? No, not like that - once you get the exact place where she said 'it' was, the word will not be hard to guess. |
Barbara Johannessen Bailey (Rabrab)
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 15, 2005 - 9:31 pm: | |
in his hair? in his ear? I'm pretty much coming up blank on head-based idioms... |
Ixoye724 (Ixoye724)
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 15, 2005 - 9:41 pm: | |
in his hair? in his ear? Not quite this specific, a larger portion of the head would be...?
I'm pretty much coming up blank on head-based idioms... That's ok - figure out where his mom said "it" was and you may begin to see some helpful hints leading to the solution ;) |
Barbara Johannessen Bailey (Rabrab)
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 15, 2005 - 9:53 pm: | |
In front of his face? |
Tim A. Dowd (Bodo)
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 15, 2005 - 9:58 pm: | |
Not "Right under your nose!" then. |
Ixoye724 (Ixoye724)
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2005 - 2:49 am: | |
In front of his face? Too close not to count - wasn't in front of his face, but on his face...now let's get it over with |
Ixoye724 (Ixoye724)
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2005 - 3:12 pm: | |
At this point, it may be advisable for anyone well versed in idioms to assist. I'm not sure how well known the expression is across the world, and I realize we have participants to the forum from many countries. I'll only keep the puzzle going for another day or so, unless someone feels like they want to go after the exact phrase, as this is all that remains. |
Barbara Johannessen Bailey (Rabrab)
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2005 - 5:54 pm: | |
Does the idiom contain the word "face"?
Egg on his face?
Face like thunder?
On the face of it?
Plain as the nose on his face?
Cutting off his nose to spite his face? |
Ixoye724 (Ixoye724)
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2005 - 7:52 pm: | |
Does the idiom contain the word "face"? YES
Egg No
"on his face"? This is part of the idiom
Face like thunder?
On the face of it?
Plain as the nose on his face?
Cutting off his nose to spite his face? No to these |
Barbara Johannessen Bailey (Rabrab)
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2005 - 9:07 pm: | |
She could see his guilt for something "written on his face?"
USian english idiom? British-english idiom? Aussie-english idiom?
I fear that I'm going to be forced to Google the idiom dictionaries; I'm truly tapped out on "on his face" idioms. Of course, I'm probably forgetting one that's plain as the nose on my face.  |
Ixoye724 (Ixoye724)
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2005 - 9:35 pm: | |
She could see his guilt for something "written on his face?" No, it was a more direct type of "on his face" than an abstract idea like guilt - Kevin literally thought that there was something there since he didn't understand the word his mom used
USian english idiom? British-english idiom? Aussie-english idiom? I don't know the origin or range of usage for this word. I don't know if it is still commonly used, as when Kevin heard this word it probably would have been in the 1950's. If it doesn't appear that anyone knows, I'll bring this to a close |
Ixoye724 (Ixoye724)
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2005 - 9:37 pm: | |
This may help - not only was Kevin told that "it" was on his face, he was also told that he couldn't go to school with "it" on, so he'd better get "it" off (this, as you could guess, likely only increased his fear) |
John Morahan (Wunderland)
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2005 - 9:42 pm: | |
Is it an expression like a frown or grimace? |
Barbara Johannessen Bailey (Rabrab)
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2005 - 10:22 pm: | |
Ok, then, something like "that look on your face"? only she used another word than look? and that's the word that he personified? |
Ixoye724 (Ixoye724)
| | Posted on Thursday, March 17, 2005 - 2:21 am: | |
Is it an expression like a frown or grimace?
Yes - frown, scowl, sour look
Ok, then, something like "that look on your face"? only she used another word than look? and that's the word that he personified? All this is dead on track |
John Morahan (Wunderland)
| | Posted on Thursday, March 17, 2005 - 11:31 am: | |
Are we looking for one word? two? three? more?
Is it simply a synonym for frown or scowl? is it a simile? metaphor? |
Ixoye724 (Ixoye724)
| | Posted on Thursday, March 17, 2005 - 3:57 pm: | |
Are we looking for one word? One word is important
two? three? more? See below
Is it simply a synonym for frown or scowl? Yes, exactly
is it a simile? metaphor? It's a metaphor
The phrase is "Get that ____ off your face!" - any idea now? |
Fred Z (Dref)
| | Posted on Friday, March 18, 2005 - 4:12 am: | |
Sour puss? dirty look? |
Barbara Johannessen Bailey (Rabrab)
| | Posted on Friday, March 18, 2005 - 5:50 am: | |
Glower?
A metaphor, hmm? Thundercloud? |
Ixoye724 (Ixoye724)
| | Posted on Friday, March 18, 2005 - 2:55 pm: | |
Sour puss? YES - just "puss" actually! |
Ixoye724 (Ixoye724)
| | Posted on Friday, March 18, 2005 - 3:06 pm: | |
|||||||SPOILER|||||||
When Kevin was a small boy (probably around 5-6 years old), he had a habit of keeping a rather sour look on his face. His mother would say "Get that puss off your face! You aren't going to school with that puss on!" This led to the following conversation between Kevin and Sister Damien, his Catholic School teacher:
Kevin: Sister Damien, do I have a puss on my face?
Sister Damien: Get to the principal's office!
Kevin: (frantic) But my mommy said I had a puss on my face! (now crying) Where's the puss? Where's the puss?
I got this from comedian Kevin Meany's act from several years ago - this was one of the funniest segments of the show. Applause to Rabrab for the hard work and Dref for the icing on the cake! |
Fred Z (Dref)
| | Posted on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 5:42 am: | |
Good one! |
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