Could you please help me with these phrases in capital letters?

YOU HAVE CAUGHT THE BUG

Have a body like a SQUARE OLD LADY

You are cooking putting into something some lemon juice waiting for it to PLUMB UP.

THEY GOT IT CRACKED

THAT´S A BIT OF A THING WITH YOU.

Thanks a lot.

dag said:

Could you please help me with these phrases in capital letters?

YOU HAVE CAUGHT THE BUG Means you've developed an enthusiasm for something.

Have a body like a SQUARE OLD LADY Never heard that

You are cooking putting into something some lemon juice waiting for it to PLUMB UP. I guess what that should be is "plump" up - but I've never heard of that, either.

THEY GOT IT CRACKED Means they've figured "it" out

THAT´S A BIT OF A THING WITH YOU. A habit

Thanks a lot.

dag said:

Have a body like a SQUARE OLD LADY

I'm very intrigued by this one. I can't wait to hear what it's supposed to be.

Thanks a lot.

Here´s another one.

Does UNSPOKEN FOR mean "uncertain"?

Efan said:

dag said:

Have a body like a SQUARE OLD LADY

I'm very intrigued by this one. I can't wait to hear what it's supposed to be.

The original sentence goes like this:

"She had one of those square old lady´s bodies."

dag said:

Thanks a lot.

Here´s another one.

Does UNSPOKEN FOR mean "uncertain"?

"Not spoken for" means no one has claimed it as his or her own.

Genesia said:

dag said:

Could you please help me with these phrases in capital letters?

YOU HAVE CAUGHT THE BUG Means you've developed an enthusiasm for something.

I'm guessing this this probably comes from catching a bug, meaning to get sick from someone else

NDRU said:

Genesia said:

I'm guessing this this probably comes from catching a bug, meaning to get sick from someone else

Could be, but that "enthusiasm" explanation fits perfectly my text. But thank you anyway.

dag said:

Efan said:

I'm very intrigued by this one. I can't wait to hear what it's supposed to be.

The original sentence goes like this:

"She had one of those square old lady´s bodies."

You might want to stay away from that one - or some "old lady" might clop you in the chops.

I'll let someone else explain what the last part of that means.

dag said:

NDRU said:

I'm guessing this this probably comes from catching a bug, meaning to get sick from someone else

Could be, but that "enthusiasm" explanation fits perfectly my text. But thank you anyway.

Yeah I agree, I'm just guessing that that is where it comes from--it's an expression based in another expression

dag said:

Efan said:

I'm very intrigued by this one. I can't wait to hear what it's supposed to be.

The original sentence goes like this:

"She had one of those square old lady´s bodies."

does not sound like any expression I've ever heard, but young women have curves, so maybe old women are square?

My grandma says old women are shaped like spiders

Efan said:

dag said:

Thanks a lot.

Here´s another one.

Does UNSPOKEN FOR mean "uncertain"?

"Not spoken for" means no one has claimed it as his or her own.

I am not sure this makes sense in the context. The full text goes:

"I was pleased when Guyon emerged from rehab looking chipper and ready to get back to work. It did leave me in a tricky position, though, unemployed, living in a flat I couldn´t possibly afford and with endless unspoken-for time stretching ahead of me."

dag said:

Efan said:

"Not spoken for" means no one has claimed it as his or her own.

I am not sure this makes sense in the context. The full text goes:

"I was pleased when Guyon emerged from rehab looking chipper and ready to get back to work. It did leave me in a tricky position, though, unemployed, living in a flat I couldn´t possibly afford and with endless unspoken-for time stretching ahead of me."

"unspoken for time" means he has nothing to do

NDRU said:

dag said:

The original sentence goes like this:

"She had one of those square old lady´s bodies."

does not sound like any expression I've ever heard, but young women have curves, so maybe old women are square?

My grandma says old women are shaped like spiders

This is used to describe an old lady.

Genesia said:

dag said:

I am not sure this makes sense in the context. The full text goes:

"I was pleased when Guyon emerged from rehab looking chipper and ready to get back to work. It did leave me in a tricky position, though, unemployed, living in a flat I couldn´t possibly afford and with endless unspoken-for time stretching ahead of me."

"unspoken for time" means he has nothing to do

Yeah, that could be it. Thanks a lot.

dag said:

Genesia said:

"unspoken for time" means he has nothing to do

Yeah, that could be it. Thanks a lot.

yes the time is unspoken-for, meaning the time is unclaimed by any other obligation

[Edited 11/24/10 10:50am]

Another one:

"Her sisters had always told her she should never have married a man from Calabria - their blood was heated by too much chilli and there was a SKEIN OF BLACKNESS TWISTING THROUGH THEM."

Okay, honey - you need to do your own homework now.

Ran it through the bat-computer, sorry no luck

YOU HAVE CAUGHT THE BUG

Have a body like a SQUARE OLD LADY

You are cooking putting into something some lemon juice waiting for it to PLUMB UP.

THEY GOT IT CRACKED

THAT´S A BIT OF A THING WITH YOU.

NDRU said:

SKEIN OF BLACKNESS TWISTING THROUGH THEM

I can remember, back in the old days, that's how you bought wool, for knitting, in skeins.

Here, I would read it as a 'men streak' .

HoneyB said:

SKEIN OF BLACKNESS TWISTING THROUGH THEM

I can remember, back in the old days, that's how you bought wool, for knitting, in skeins.

Here, I would read it as a 'men streak' .

You meant 'mean streak', right.

dag said:

Could you please help me with these phrases in capital letters?

YOU HAVE CAUGHT THE BUG

To me, the meaning is more than you have become enthusiastic about something, but it's an activity other people are commonly becoming enthusiastic about as well. For example, other people are becoming very interested in the property market at the same time and you start to as well, so someone says "You have caught the (property) bug" like it's a new infection that is suddenly being passed around, like a cold.

Have a body like a SQUARE OLD LADY

I think the meaning of 'square' is from a more common expression from the 1960s and 1970s maybe, where 'square' has the meaning of 'uncool' or 'conservative'.

I could be completely wrong though because I think it's quite an unusual way to express someones body. I mean would anyone say "She has a body like a COOL OLD LADY" ? Odd.

You are cooking putting into something some lemon juice waiting for it to PLUMB UP.

I think it should be 'plump' as mentioned above meaning 'to fatten up'

THEY GOT IT CRACKED

They figured it out.

THAT´S A BIT OF A THING WITH YOU.

That's like a personal behaviour that you are very particular about.

Thanks a lot.

You are welcome.

[Edited 11/27/10 0:18am]

Efan said:

dag said:

Have a body like a SQUARE OLD LADY

I'm very intrigued by this one. I can't wait to hear what it's supposed to be.

after menopause women's bodies start to masculinize because of the lack of estrogens and start to look manly in body shape. also some women, Madonna being a prime example, normally have a more square body shape.

i think the problem is it should be She has a bodly like a square, old lady.

meaning she looks like an old lady because of her body type.

SKEIN OF BLACKNESS TWISTING THROUGH THEM

I can remember, back in the old days, that's how you bought wool, for knitting, in skeins.

Here, I would read it as a 'men streak' .

Yes, I did - don't know what I could have been thinking.

ehuffnsd said:

Efan said:

I'm very intrigued by this one. I can't wait to hear what it's supposed to be.

after menopause women's bodies start to masculinize because of the lack of estrogens and start to look manly in body shape. also some women, Madonna being a prime example, normally have a more square body shape.

i think the problem is it should be She has a bodly like a square, old lady.

meaning she looks like an old lady because of her body type.

That could be it, but it´s an old lady they are talking about not a young one who looks like an old lady because of her body type.

But thanks a lot.

And thank you so much to everybody for your help. I appreaciate it very much.