“...and it annoys the pig”

[ewx]

So Barack Obama may or may not have allusively compared her to a

Comments

[keirf]

When book reviewers write something like "Stephen Donaldson is comparable to Tolkein at his best" do you think they mean "Stephen Donaldson at his best is comparable to Tolkien" or not?

[simont]

And even then, "comparable to" leaves a lot of wiggle-room to say that the comparison in question would have been "isn't anything like as good as".

[ewx]

Surely it's perfectly clear that that's not what "comparable" means in that context.

[simont]

Only in cases where it's perfectly clear that the person saying it isn't a smartarse.

[k425]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/11/uselections2008.barackobama

gives the actual quote and http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7608653.stm is a recording of it.

[stephdairy]

And http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR8IhMMhe8w has McCain saying the same thing...

(S)

[beckyc]

Depends on the context, really. In terms of fighting skills or spoiling for a fight*, the more dangerous animal is probably the more flattering, even if there might be "fighting dirty" implications.

*Arguably, they are fighting, even if it isn't fisticuffs.

[cartesiandaemon]

Yes, I think in context, the associations for "pit-bull" would be more "tenacious" than vicious?

[burkesworks]

Pit bulls don't write unreadable hobbity nonsense.

[baljemmett]

See, problem with being a pig is that you're probably going to get et at some point. At least a pit bull gets to do some savagin' before being introduced to Happy Mr. Shotgun; after the morning I've had, I'm in the mood to savage something!