If you know what I mean
June 14, 2019 6:00 PM   Subscribe

Does post a letter mean "poop"? My wife just asked me, and I had never heard this expression before. I tried Google and no luck. However it is the first definition in Naver Dictionary. I assume that they are just wrong, but am curious because it sounds like a plausible euphemism.
posted by Literaryhero to Writing & Language (17 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: It does now.
posted by bondcliff at 6:05 PM on June 14, 2019 [76 favorites]


I don't see why it wouldn't be used, even not widely documented. It fits the pattern of 'taking a thing a getting rid of it'.

Around these parts we occasionally use 'sending a fax to Werribee'
posted by Trivia Newton John at 6:13 PM on June 14, 2019 [5 favorites]


This is exactly what belongs in the brainstorm we had a couple of years ago when I asked this question.
posted by oxisos at 6:14 PM on June 14, 2019 [3 favorites]


If “dropping the kids off at the pool” counts, I don’t see why this wouldn’t...
posted by sallybrown at 7:07 PM on June 14, 2019 [7 favorites]


Best answer: I have heard it used, I believe. In the same family as "I'm off to do some paperwork".
posted by deadwax at 7:18 PM on June 14, 2019 [6 favorites]


In our house, it's "I'll be in the G-7 Summit Room. Gotta hammer out an agreement."
posted by BostonTerrier at 8:07 PM on June 14, 2019 [4 favorites]


I can't say I've ever heard that one, though I have of course heard "betting on the Browns for the Super Bowl".
posted by DavidfromBA at 8:52 PM on June 14, 2019 [4 favorites]


That room is 'the office' for us - as in "I'll be in the office" or "where's freethefeet?" "Oh, they're in the office."

So I can see posting a letter being a reasonable euphemism!
posted by freethefeet at 8:56 PM on June 14, 2019 [2 favorites]


I once sub-let a room to a street musician who was homeless. Every morning he would tell me that he had just "cut a loaf'.
posted by Agave at 9:12 PM on June 14, 2019


Best answer: I have heard and personally used this, ahem, usage.

Well, “mail a letter” but same dif.
posted by sm1tten at 9:56 PM on June 14, 2019 [1 favorite]


Today my boyfriend informed me that 'pinching off a loaf' is a euphemism for shitting where he is from, so really, anything can be and probably is to someone.
posted by BeeJiddy at 2:18 AM on June 15, 2019 [1 favorite]


I like to say “update my blog.”
posted by Metroid Baby at 6:51 AM on June 15, 2019 [5 favorites]


Best answer: It seems at least plausible. The first pay toilets (which cost a penny to use) were installed in London in the 1850s at a time when postage throughout the UK was likewise also 1d. It is the source of the “spend a penny” euphemism for urination.

I am speculating here, but it was an era when public toilets for women were sort of an afterthought (seriously, even as late as the 1920s, two full generations later, it was a talking point when public buildings would include women’s restrooms as well). As well, as anyone owning a penis knows, one of the two acts of elimination can (in dire need) be accomplished quickly and in an alley or behind a shrub and free of charge. The other takes a little longer and there is a stronger need for privacy, so I can see how the two ideas (posting a letter, excretion) might get connected.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:41 AM on June 15, 2019 [2 favorites]


Best answer: I have heard this, but I think it's non English origin. Maybe French?
posted by basalganglia at 12:46 PM on June 15, 2019 [1 favorite]


In Spain they send a fax to the king.
posted by procrastinator_general at 3:49 PM on June 15, 2019


My brother says he goes to his office to hold a board meeting.
posted by kathrynm at 6:58 AM on June 16, 2019


Going into circulation here.

Other options:
+ My grandpa: "visit Aunt Sally" (#1/#2)
+ A previous boss: "pay the water bill" (#1)
posted by Caxton1476 at 1:08 PM on June 17, 2019


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