Recherche parmi différents professeurs en Anglais…
dolco
"Can't *** your way out of a paper bag" -> A paper bag?
Isn't it "Not good at all", right?
But, why does it have to be a paper bag?
A paper bag for supermarkets?
What kind of connotation is alluded in a simple paper bag?
PS: I didn't mean any swear word by ***, I just wanted to make it blank for any verbs but I didn't know how to. Well, after I made my title and saw it clearly it felt like a cursing title. I'm embarrassed.
29 janv. 2019 02:36
Réponses · 2
3
Hello,
the common English expression is "Can't find your way out of a paper bag".
A common example would be if I was frustrated with a particular person, by their inability to perform some simple task...in my frustration I might say "he can't find his way out of a paper bag!" or "he couldn't find his way out of a paper bag!"
A boss might say "he did nothing on this project, he can't find his way out of a paper bag!"
Because it would be a SIMPLE task to "get out of a bag", so to speak, this expression is an hyperbole---not to be taken literally, but to express my disbelief, my frustration, my exacerbation, with some person's lack of effort, lack of action!
I suppose the expression uses "paper" in particular, because it is an old expression, in the days when most bags were paper and not plastic.
I hope that this helps, feel free to ask for any clarification. Best of luck with your language studies!
29 janvier 2019
Vous n'avez pas encore trouvé vos réponses ?
Écrivez vos questions et profitez de l'aide des locuteurs natifs !
dolco
Compétences linguistiques
Anglais, Coréen
Langue étudiée
Anglais
Articles qui pourraient te plaire

Same Word, Different Meaning: American, British, and South African English
22 j'aime · 17 Commentaires

How to Sound Confident in English (Even When You’re Nervous)
17 j'aime · 12 Commentaires

Marketing Vocabulary and Phrases for Business English Learners
14 j'aime · 6 Commentaires
Plus d'articles
