tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post1941947527955252158..comments2023-11-29T07:39:34.401+00:00Comments on Carla Nayland Historical Fiction: The Albatross of Mixed Metaphor......Carlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-4958007850981668432006-12-15T11:05:00.000+00:002006-12-15T11:05:00.000+00:00Elizabeth - is Blogger sulking at you too? I hope...Elizabeth - is Blogger sulking at you too? I hope it isn't locking everyone out! Many thanks to you and Bernita for taking the trouble to log in as Anonymous to comment.<br /><br />You're quite right about the albatross in Coleridge's poem, though I hold up my hand and confess that I haven't read the whole thing and what I know of it is chiefly from parody :-) What made the politician's comment so funny was that it was in the context when he clearly meant "a millstone round his neck", but said albatross instead of millstone. Maybe he did Coleridge for O-level too! Then Steve Bell (I think) picked it up in some of his political cartoons and drew the Albatross of Mixed Metaphor hanging around the Dustbin of History, and I've never got the image out of my head :-)Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-49749026750748675942006-12-13T21:50:00.000+00:002006-12-13T21:50:00.000+00:00Wasn't the albatross around the neck something to ...Wasn't the albatross around the neck something to do with Coleridge's Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner? (thinks back to dark days of 'O' levels when we had to do that never ending poem for English lit. One of the crew shoots an albatross which is mortal bad luck, and the others all hang it around his neck as a punishment?<br /><br />Elizabeth - logging in as anoymous because blogger's not recognising me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-51077225821700562282006-12-12T16:00:00.000+00:002006-12-12T16:00:00.000+00:00Bernita - Blogger does that now and then. Whateve...Bernita - Blogger does that now and then. Whatever one thinks of politicians, one has to appreciate them for the entertainment value :-) The Albatross of Mixed Metaphor has a similar origin, from a British politician (can't remember who) whoe described a problem dogging a colleague as "It's an albatross around his neck!"<br />Which mental image has stuck with me ever since :-)Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-27576292937430978572006-12-12T15:33:00.000+00:002006-12-12T15:33:00.000+00:00Toronto once has a mayor given to mixing, mostly b...Toronto once has a mayor given to mixing, mostly because his mind outran his mouth.<br />My favourite was "We're standing on a precipice and we have to take a giant leap forward!"<br /><br />-Bernita.<br />Blogger suddenly says my password doesn't match.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-44823813695699609712006-12-12T09:36:00.000+00:002006-12-12T09:36:00.000+00:00Bernita - if you mix a metaphor, you mix it so it ...Bernita - if you mix a metaphor, you mix it so it stays mixed, as Raymond Chandler didn't say, yes? Don't worry, the intentional kind is usually obvious (like the song) - the absurd thing about the R4 trailer was that it clearly wasn't intentional.<br /><br />Robyn - that's a great one, thanks!Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-46372862552333390922006-12-11T16:15:00.000+00:002006-12-11T16:15:00.000+00:00Thank you for the laugh. It reminds me of the comm...Thank you for the laugh. It reminds me of the commercial where a CEO is berating his staff.<br /><br />"Come on, people. It's not rocket surgery!"Robynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13857307804942257484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-21015233063096973622006-12-11T12:10:00.000+00:002006-12-11T12:10:00.000+00:00I love mixing metaphors.
It's usually intentional ...I love mixing metaphors.<br />It's usually intentional and with malice aforethought though - I hope...Bernitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05264585685253812090noreply@blogger.com