'Stand on ceremony'

Ferrus
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'Stand on ceremony'

Postby Ferrus » Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:18 pm

Has anyone encountered this idiom? How exactly do you avail yourself of it?

Bailey
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Postby Bailey » Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:35 pm

to "stand on ceremony" is to be formal and to observe all the rules of any situation. It's hard to be formal when you are a chimp.

mark standing-at-ease Bailey

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gailr
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Postby gailr » Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:58 pm

In these here parts, what you stand for is what you will tolerate from others. What you stand on is what you expect from others.

Someone who stands on ceremony is only comfortable when all present observe the letter of all the applicable social laws. Ostensibly to maintain dignified interaction within and between the social classes and to preserve the decorum of momentous occasions, standing on ceremony may lead the high strung to moral rectaltude. [ahem, sic]

Someone who doesn't stand on ceremony might wear jeans with a tuxedo jacket to the Oscars (perhaps even replace it with a "tux" screen-printed t-shirt). A more mundane example is the neighbor who cheerfully serves beer without glasses or coasters and calls everyone by first name.

-gailr
who has re-purposed a few ceremonies as ottomans...

[edit]Bailey types faster than I do![/edit]

Stargzer
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Postby Stargzer » Sun Feb 25, 2007 3:03 am

You'll note that we don't often stand on ceremony here at the AlphaAgora ...
Regards//Larry

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Bailey
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Postby Bailey » Sun Feb 25, 2007 6:40 pm

In these here parts, what you stand for is what you will tolerate from others. What you stand on is what you expect from others.
Good analysis, although I think it's reversed. Moral high-ground being what it is.
Someone who stands on ceremony is only comfortable when all present observe the letter of all the applicable social laws. Ostensibly to maintain dignified interaction within and between the social classes and to preserve the decorum of momentous occasions, standing on ceremony may lead the high strung to moral rectaltude. [ahem, sic]
ye olde stick up the rump syndrome!



-gailr
who has re-purposed a few ceremonies as ottomans...

[edit]Bailey types faster than I do![/edit]
just quick on the typing finger [sic]

mark I've re-purposed my ceremonial gear into work clothes [we called them play clothes, oh, about 100 years ago] Bailey

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Perry
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Postby Perry » Sun Feb 25, 2007 8:43 pm

You'll note that we don't often stand on ceremony here at the AlphaAgora ...
We don't often stand for it either. 8)
"Time is nature's way of keeping everything from happening all at once. Lately it hasn't been working."
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Bailey
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Postby Bailey » Sun Feb 25, 2007 10:07 pm

You'll note that we don't often stand on ceremony here at the AlphaAgora ...
We don't often stand for it either. 8)
This is true, when they tell us to clean up our act, we just say Ugh! ugh! ugh!...
well I do anyway.

mark king-o-de-chimps-or-is-dat-chumps? Bailey

Today is the first day of the rest of your life, Make the most of it...
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sluggo
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Postby sluggo » Wed Feb 28, 2007 3:44 am

In these here parts, what you stand for is what you will tolerate from others. What you stand on is what you expect from others.
Hmm... unless you're a short politician, in which case they mean your platform and your platform shoes respectively.

Siriusly, while "to stand on ceremony" is well known, I'm not familiar with Gailr's 2nd usage.
Stop! Murder us not, tonsured rumpots! Knife no one, fink!


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