[Marxism] re To Tariq Ali and "Full of beans"

[Ilyenkova@xxxxxxx]

Einde O'Callaghan Writes:

>Louis, I'd just like to point out that in British English "full of
beans" means "energetic" - As I understand it from the context you
you think that Tariq is wrong (and I agree with you there) - the only
phrase that I can think of with this meaning used in British English is
"full of shit", but I suspect that is a bit stronger than what you want
to say. Once again "divided by a common language"!<

In American  English "Full of beans" has pretty much the same meaning as
Einde cites for Brit English. But given the context-- Tariq's careless 
eructation,
and Louis' American English background, "full of beans" may taken to mean,
"Tariq, I think on this point you're being a bit of a gasbag." (Gasbag:
Occupational hazard of the journalistic caste. Otherwise expressed as, 
"Journalists as
a group tend to be full of beans, at least part of the time." (Even former
"street fightin" radicals like Tariq Ali).
Ilyenkova


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