Oct 13th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Measuring the Drapes
New McCain stump speech:
Senator Obama is measuring the drapes and planning with Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid to raise taxes, increase spending — take away your right to vote by secret ballot and labor elections, and concede defeat in Iraq
I was non-metaphorically laying the groundwork to hang some curtains earlier today and it occurred to me that I don’t quite get this metaphor. I’m measuring my window and hoping to get appropriately sized curtains. What are you going to accomplish by measuring the drapes? You can’t make your window smaller.
66 Responses to “Measuring the Drapes”
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October 13th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
The little people have always done that for McCain, so he can’t be expected to get the metaphor right.
October 13th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
The term “measuring the drapes” is like the same saying from SNL in the 60s, said in a high pitched voice, “Oh no, Mr. Bill.” Obviously, Mr. Bill never said the complete sentence but just saying, “Oh No.” makes no sense as saying, “measuring the windows.” One of those strange communications quirks.
October 13th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Obviously, you measure the drapes currently hanging in the windows so that you can get replacements of the same size.
October 13th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
But you can cut the drapes if they’re too wide or large.
Or get new ones if they are too small.
Some people moving into a new house may carry the old drapes with them, but very few bring the old windows along.
October 13th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
The original saying was “measuring for drapes”. Either McCain garbled it, or the transcript is incorrect.
October 13th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
The term “measuring the drapes” is like the same saying from SNL in the 60s, said in a high pitched voice, “Oh no, Mr. Bill.”
Or like comparing something to a TV show “in the 60s” when said show didn’t exist until 1975.
October 13th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
did Mccain really say Obama would take away the right to a secret ballot???
October 13th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
If I were replacing well fitting drapes, I would most certainly measure them and not the window.
October 13th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
As long as we are being nit-picky, I never understood the phrase “laundry list”. Do people actually write down a list of clothes they need to wash?
October 13th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
patriot games, he’s talking about the Employee Free Choice Act. What he really meant to say is that Obama wants to take away the right of your boss to lie to you, attack you for wanting a union, barrage you with anti-worker propaganda, and delay elections for months while they fire key members of the organizing committee to intimidate everyone and erode support for organizing.
He musta misread the teleprompter.
October 13th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
They can’t keep hitting the reset button, can they? This is the new McCain, forget everything I said before, and we’re supposed to rush in to congratulate him on his supposed redemption? We can’t possibly be that stupid, right?
Then again, if Joe is not being sarcastic here, maybe we actualy are that stupid:
http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/10/the_next_new_mccain.html
I dread the solemn proclamation of McCain’s redemption and tales of his harrowing journey back to the land of decency and honor that we are likely to see in the media for the next three weeks.
Wanna bet who is going to be the first columnist/journalist (in the MSM, National Review or Weekly Standard does not qualify) writing the “McCain Redemption Tale”?
My money is on Fred Hiatt. His column today is just dripping with unresolved love and affection for McCain. My favorite part:
“And honor is at the core of McCain’s self-image. He’s been running for president, more on than off, for almost a decade, but his determination hasn’t had much to do with a highly defined ideology, program or set of policies. What underlies his ambition are values: service, patriotism, duty, honor.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/12/AR2008101201632.html
I think I’m going to throw up. Wake me up when this farce is over.
October 13th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
“If I were replacing well fitting drapes, I would most certainly measure them and not the window.”
If you were going for an identical window treatment, it just might work. But people usually measure the windows and apply those measurements to whatever they plan to hang, whether it is dowdy old pinch pleat curtains or stylish roman shades.
I also have a feeling that neither Obama or McCain has this sort of access to the White House right now, so it’s probably best not to over-analyze a garbled metaphor.
October 13th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
I think “laundry list” may refer to a real list that you’d give or receive from a paid laundry service. But I am unsure of the exact origin. I agree that most people probably don’t think about it too hard when they use the expression.
October 13th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
“Measuring the drapes” is, of course, the phrase employed when choosing a lady of the night in Rio, circa 1958.
October 13th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Isn’t homeowner Matt adorable?
October 13th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
(1) I will not be worn down into complacency: Matt, your HTML-fu is slipping.
(2) I really hope the petit-bourgeois posts doesn’t mean a slip into the land of McArdle. It’s bad enough that Matt’s broken up the flophouse, which always seemed like a bit of Sitcom in the real world.
October 13th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Adorable!
October 13th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
To be fair, Obama did, in the debate, use the phrase “green behind the ears” and I’m still trying to decide whether it is prudent that we should, as he advocated today, “dig” ourselves out of the deep hole Bush has left us in rather than, say, climb out of it . . .
October 13th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Isn’t homeowner Matt adorable?
Is that the latest version of the Matt Yglesias Action Figure (TM)? It’s not a doll!
October 13th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Using a hackneyed phrase like “measuring the drapes” is at least as bad as not properly closing a blockquote.
October 13th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
To the extent that “measuring the drapes” is how the phrase is commonly used, and to the extent that it makes no sense, this Seinfeldian digression is thorougly amusing.
MS: “As long as we are being nit-picky, I never understood the phrase ‘laundry list.’”
Heh. That’s one of my favorites, too.
persnickety… yeah, Obama mixed his metaphors. As for digging your way out of a hole, that was Homer Simpson’s idea, augmented by Chief Wiggum’s advice: “Dig up, stupid.”
October 13th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
To be fair, the President of the United States can change the size of any damn window he (or she) wants.
October 13th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
By repeating GHWBush’s line in 1992, McCain is secretly telegraphing to Obama that he concedes.
He is a honorable man to the end, etc.
October 13th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
I really hope the petit-bourgeois posts doesn’t mean a slip into the land of McArdle. It’s bad enough that Matt’s broken up the flophouse, which always seemed like a bit of Sitcom in the real world.
I, for one, am looking forward to additional posts under the tag ‘Housework’ Now that he has some coin, I wonder if he’ll get those maids that they had on Entourage.
October 13th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
OK, scoffers, here is an
imagone of an actual laundry list, so labeled, from Hotel Astor.
I agree it’s a dead metaphor to the point where the expression is more widely known than what it refers to. But there really is such a thing as a “laundry list” and it is a long enumeration of articles of clothing, as the figure of speech suggests.
October 13th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
I wonder what’s going to happen if the evil liberal axis of Obama, Reid and Pelosi follow through on the plan Obama is laying out and actually cut taxes for 95% of us. It think some conservatives are going to have their poor little minds broken when they find themselves (gasp) paying less in taxes under those damned big government tax and spend Defeatocrats.
But..liberals…raise…cannot…must…fight…reality…liberals…cut…taxes…hate…liberals…taxes…lower…liberals…cut…taxes?…null program…I…love…liberals?…does not comput…error…error
October 13th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
McCain’s measuring the straitjacket for the missus after he puts the blame on her for losing. If they wet-pack her – the straps don’t have to be so precise.
October 13th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
I’m pretty sure the White House interior decorator doesn’t buy window treatments off the rack at Target.
October 13th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
THIS IS EXCELLENT NEWS!! FOR MCCAIN!!!
October 13th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
I was non-metaphorically laying the groundwork to hang some curtains earlier today and it occurred to me that I don’t quite get this metaphor.
Measuring the drapes? Starts with “F”, ends with “g”. We’ve seen this before.
October 13th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Unsolicited curtain advice:
I just bought curtains myself. It’s surprisingly difficult to find modern looking stuff – simple, clean lines, etc. Curtains and drapes have a way of looking very 1970s. Not in a good way. See the “it came from the 1971 sears catalog” website for examples of how bad it can get.
I had the best luck at West Elm and Ikea. West Elm has some great hardware. Umbra makes some good hardware too. I ended up getting the thin rods from west elm for my bedrooms and pottery barn’s “modern drape rod” for the living room for hardware. Ikea and homemade (bought fabric, sewed simple rod pocket and hems) for curtains.
Congrats on your new place from a fellow new homeowner.
October 13th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
“I think “laundry list” may refer to a real list that you’d give or receive from a paid laundry service. But I am unsure of the exact origin. I agree that most people probably don’t think about it too hard when they use the expression.”
I’ve only had my laundry done a couple of times (while travelling), and those laundry lists are very complete. I didn’t know that many different types of shirts existed.
October 13th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
You don’t measure drapes: you measure for drapes. Given that McCain is older than the invention of venetian blinds, he should know this.
October 13th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Actually, from a linguistics standpoint you WERE metaphorically laying the groundwork. Unless hanging the curtains involved pouring concrete in front of the window.
(Which just points out how easy it is to overlook commonly-used metaphors.)
October 13th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Laundry list:
http://www.denverpost.com/quillen/ci_9494769?source=bb
October 13th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
The real question with Obama is whether the carpet matches the drapes. How much do we really know about this man?
October 13th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
the VP makes about 200K per year…..do you think Palin will be happy when McCain takes back the $.23 to every dollar?
October 13th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
I’m pretty sure the WH comes with drapery.
October 13th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Quick, Matt: Let’s say you do measure your windows. And they are, say, 40 inches.
What size drapes are appropriate for that size window? Are they supposed to hang over? By how much?
Wait… You don’t know? Me neither.
One thing a smart person might do, assuming that someone in the history of White House interior design probably did know, is…
Wait for it…
Measure the drapes.
Unless you know more about such things than I do. Maybe a little too much HGTV.
October 13th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
lulz
W used the same phrase in 2006. W is McCain…McCain is W…FINKLE IS EINHORN! *pukes*
October 13th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Obama may be green behind the ears, but McCain is a little too long in the truth.
October 13th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
I remember the Republicans using the exact same phrase about Nancy Pelosi before the 2006 elections. As we all know, the electorate turned on those over confident Democrats.
October 13th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
If I were moving into the White House, I’d probably have someone who knows what they’re doing hang the drapes.
October 13th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
Black people don’t hang drapes. They are probably busy figuring out where they are going to install the hot tub.
October 14th, 2008 at 12:08 am
“take away your right to vote by secret ballot and labor elections”
Probably meant “take away your right to vote by secret ballot in labor elections.” Whether the mistake was McCain’s or a writer’s, either way it’s a Republican canard, because the kind of labor elections that are conducted with a secret ballot take place after management subjects workers to massive campaigns of intimidation and union busting while keeping workers from speaking with each other. The Employee Free Choice Act would spare workers such bullying.
October 14th, 2008 at 12:11 am
How are you going to know if there is enough material for one dress or two, if you don’t measure the drapes before proceeding?
October 14th, 2008 at 1:06 am
I’m making new drapes, as the old drapes are quite sun damaged. I measure the old drapes, measure the fabric for the new drapes, then cut, press, and sew. I never measured the windows.
Congrats on the new place!
October 14th, 2008 at 1:08 am
Actually, if you own 11 houses, you can afford to make your window smaller to match the drapes. Which is actually an interesting question, does the White House have some sort of historical protection to keep it’s occupants from changing window sizes, adding on, or otherwise changing the exterior? Speaking of remodeling, there was this interesting design competition for a new White House just a few months ago.
October 14th, 2008 at 3:44 am
When I turn in laundry to the cleaners, I get back a list of what I turned in. I can then use that list when I retrieve my laundry to check that I’m getting back what I turned in. I assume that is what “laundry list” means. Most people don’t need such a list when doing their own laundry.
October 14th, 2008 at 8:15 am
New White House occupants usually install new drapes and curtains. Before moving in, staff measures same so that replacements will fit.
McCain might well have accused Obama of measuring McCain’s metaphorical coffin prior to his political demise.
October 14th, 2008 at 8:29 am
more mavericky windowdressing
October 14th, 2008 at 8:30 am
To throw another useless metaphor into the mix, I only hope that it’s curtains for McCain/Palin.
October 14th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Warren Terra, I agree with your sentiment but I believe posts on home decoration still fall into the regular bourgeois category. He won’t qualify as petit- until he starts renting out his poolhouse to migrant workers.
October 14th, 2008 at 11:21 am
According to Wikipedia, Lachesis, one of the three Fates, “was the apportioner, deciding how much time for life was to be allowed for each person or being. She measured the thread of life with her rod.” So I think this is the same kind of measuring: not simply determining the preexisting length of something, but apportioning it. So “measuring the drapes” means figuring out what length to make the drapes that you already bought but now can shorten.
October 14th, 2008 at 11:28 am
“CURTAINS “Correct” term for what hangs on windows.
DRAPES A vulgarism for curtains. According to the designer Mark Hampton, Nancy Mitford wrote that a drapery is something used in a photographer’s studio; in upper-class language (”U” rather than “non-U,” as Miss Mitford put it), the word “drape” is never used.”
For Nancy Mitford, U, & non-U, see here:
October 14th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Oops.
Curtains vs. drapes quotation comes from here:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE7DC173FF937A15753C1A967958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
Re Mitford, etc., see here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_and_non-U_English
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