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"eating shrimp"

Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 7:10 pm
by dsteve54
If I feel I have talked too much about something, or if I feel suddenly that I need to mind my own business, or if I suddenly find I am blabbing about a topic that is out of my league, I will find myself saying the following.

"Hmmmm, it looks like I'd better shut up and eat my shrimp".

I know I am not the first one to say it and it ususally comes in an imperative form:

"Shut up and eat your shrimp".

But I don't offer up condescending commands very much, so I mainly use it with reference to myself as an emphatic device.

I believe I heard it in a movie somewhere so I am not sure if it is antiquated or not. Also, I could construe, maybe somewhat humorously, that the origins might be off-color, but I am not sure. It is not my objective to talk about off-color language here, but it would be good to know if it was. I just presumed it was an "emphatic phrase" of some kind or had a back story, perhaps in the setting of some movie, that brought it into usage.

I am not the only one I have heard say something to this effect.

Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 2:14 am
by bnjtokyo
Generally, "shut up and eat my/your xxxx" seems to mean "stop complaining."

On Google there are far more hits for "shut up and eat your xxxx" In place of xxxx, beans had 764 hits, dinner had 480, grits had 133 and shrimp had 3

On the other hand, the replacement for xxxx in "shut up and eat my xxxx" were much more varied. The more frequent ones were x-rated and not reproducible on this web site.

There were no hits for "shut up and eat my shrimp"

Cheers,

Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 7:09 am
by dsteve54
Generally, "shut up and eat my/your xxxx" seems to mean "stop complaining."

On Google there are far more hits for "shut up and eat your xxxx" In place of xxxx, beans had 764 hits, dinner had 480, grits had 133 and shrimp had 3

On the other hand, the replacement for xxxx in "shut up and eat my xxxx" were much more varied. The more frequent ones were x-rated and not reproducible on this web site.

There were no hits for "shut up and eat my shrimp"

Cheers,
Thanks for the insight. I did try a Google search myself, but I must have used a poor search strategy. I did not uncover all these variations.

As you found, I would expect some variations on imperative commands, but not necessarily reflexive sentences, as the constructs I tend to use in a self-deprecating way.

I am still not sure of the origin. Perhaps the ones using legitimate food (beans, etc) are simply parroting what one's parents might say to them as a child. However, "shrimp" seems like sort of an odd food to select. It was a rare hit in your search, but it did occur and I have heard it before.

I have wondered if it might have occurred as a line in a popular film somewhere along the way and simply got picked up by the culture.

As you mentioned, I would expect that there are obscene constructs, but I did not expect to hear about all the hits on various different kinds of food.

Thanks.

Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 12:56 am
by sluggo
Have never heard this one at all.

Closest match in my memory is Frank Zappa's album titles "Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar" and their siblings "Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar Some More" and "Return of the Son of Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar". Different meaning, I suspect.

Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 3:19 am
by gailr
Closest match in my memory is Frank Zappa's album titles "Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar" ...
Ahh, a kinder, gentler time. Now it's shut up and sing. :twisted:

Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 1:55 am
by sluggo
Mayhaps some Big Giant Head would know more on this phrase 8) ...

ah, never mind, pass the shrimp

Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:53 am
by gailr
ah, never mind, pass the shrimp
That's involuntarily detained, size-impaired crustaceans to you, buddy... :wink:

Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 11:46 pm
by sluggo
ah, never mind, pass the shrimp
That's involuntarily detained, size-impaired crustaceans to you, buddy... :wink:
:lol: But isn't there a War on Crustaceness? :shock:

Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 5:48 pm
by gailr
But isn't there a War on Crustaceness? :shock:
Only on the crabs who flounder while musseling in on and sponging off the shrimps. And the cowries who clam up but have their tentacles into everything...

Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 10:51 pm
by sluggo
Only on the crabs who flounder while musseling in on and sponging off the shrimps. And the cowries who clam up but have their tentacles into everything...
Shucks. Eel tell ya wet, such bigmouth poachers are all gillty of shellfishness, the sole trout they have in common, and they shell roe the day they are called to atuna for their fins!

Anchor very much
at least we haven't drifted offtopic; arrr

Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:52 am
by Bailey
Shark all you want I manta no herring, All of a Sturgeon, I felt I must tell you, just for the halibut, but certainly on porpoise, but I won't go into that minnow. Hake of a thing, I need a Tuna but I may make do with a guppy. Mako your wishes, and no floundering. It's all crappie anyway

mark something-fishy-this-way-comes Bailey

Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 11:44 am
by Perry
Bailey, we have trained you well!

Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:54 pm
by sluggo
That was the punniest post to come down the pike. :roll:

Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 3:17 pm
by Perry
Yes. I sea that he didn't miss any angle. In fact there are no flies on him. I reeled as he cast his net of puns and lured me into his world.

Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 5:15 pm
by Bailey
"trained me", as if lunacy were an Olympic event.

mark lost-my-village Bailey