Luckily not in the OED sense. We don't our operators to do that behind the console.
Kees. -----Original Message----- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Klan, Rob (RET-DAY) Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 13:47 To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Pissing contest(s) MXG in ACHAP07 line 440 states, in part, 'pissing off'. :) -----Original Message----- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Barry Merrill Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 7:20 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Pissing contest(s) The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) defines a pissing contest as "a competition to see who can urinate the farthest or highest" and (in extended use) as "any contest which is futile or purposeless especially ones pursued in a conspicuously aggressive manner." The first cited use of the phrase comes from a 1943 Study and Investigation of Federal Communications Committee hearing before the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate F.C.C. where a politician was quoted as saying: "You boys have to understand .. that I have to deal with a combination like that of Hartley-David; it is like having a pissing contest with a skunk." The OED's first citation of pissing match is from a December 1971 Washington Post story that says "One Western diplomat ... discounting the significance of the Sino-Soviet arguments ... described it as 'a pissing match, and I'm glad not to be caught in the crossfire'". -----Original Message----- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of David L. Craig Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 5:52 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Pissing contest(s) On 13Sep23:2156-0400, John Gilmore wrote: > The first time I encountered something like this phrase, circa 1950, > it took the form of > > Don't get into a pissing match with a skunk! > > I suspect that the phrase and its variants have multiple etymologies, > with much semantic cross contamination among them. > > John Gilmore, Ashland, MA 01721 - USA I would expect you to prefer the "micturition competition" variant. :-) -- <not cent from sell> May the LORD God bless you exceedingly abundantly! Dave_Craig______________________________________________ "So the universe is not quite as you thought it was. You'd better rearrange your beliefs, then. Because you certainly can't rearrange the universe." __--from_Nightfall_by_Asimov/Silverberg_________________ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN ******************************************************** For information, services and offers, please visit our web site: http://www.klm.com. This e-mail and any attachment may contain confidential and privileged material intended for the addressee only. If you are not the addressee, you are notified that no part of the e-mail or any attachment may be disclosed, copied or distributed, and that any other action related to this e-mail or attachment is strictly prohibited, and may be unlawful. If you have received this e-mail by error, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, and delete this message. Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij NV (KLM), its subsidiaries and/or its employees shall not be liable for the incorrect or incomplete transmission of this e-mail or any attachments, nor responsible for any delay in receipt. Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. (also known as KLM Royal Dutch Airlines) is registered in Amstelveen, The Netherlands, with registered number 33014286 ******************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
