i notice that i wrote suck it *in* rather than suck it *up*---neither seems fully right or wrong to my ear. the key is :what in fact does this sucking represent? i look forward to some answers.
Really, if you don't know, what hope is there for the rest of us? You are the person the rest of us would ask if we had this very question!
I, too, believe that one would suck it up, not suck it in. But as I sit at this desk, envisioning how I would prepare for a dreaded task, I'm inhaling and straightening out my posture. This could be the root of the "up" re: sucking.
Oh -- and to answer your actual question: it's the very act of inhaling, which one does in preparation of the dreaded task, that is the sucking in question.
Thus, part (a) of my response, published above (Rovner, 2005, 5 pm) should suffice as to a plausible theory of "up," whereas this post (Rovner, 2005, 4 seconds later) is my theory of "suck."
I plan to publish these findings as a sequel to On Bullshit and similarly charge $9.95 for it, since Harper's would probably reject it.
"Suck it up" means to tolerate, to endure. (As in a sponge forced to suck up liquid.) Example: "You might not like doing this, but you just have to suck it up and carry on."
4 comments:
Really, if you don't know, what hope is there for the rest of us? You are the person the rest of us would ask if we had this very question!
I, too, believe that one would suck it up, not suck it in. But as I sit at this desk, envisioning how I would prepare for a dreaded task, I'm inhaling and straightening out my posture. This could be the root of the "up" re: sucking.
Oh -- and to answer your actual question: it's the very act of inhaling, which one does in preparation of the dreaded task, that is the sucking in question.
Thus, part (a) of my response, published above (Rovner, 2005, 5 pm) should suffice as to a plausible theory of "up," whereas this post (Rovner, 2005, 4 seconds later) is my theory of "suck."
I plan to publish these findings as a sequel to On Bullshit and similarly charge $9.95 for it, since Harper's would probably reject it.
Just reading Josh's response has drained me of my enthusiasm for participating in this dialogue.
But, take heart. If there's an authority out there on sucking, it's probably Josh.
"Suck it up" means to tolerate, to endure. (As in a sponge forced to suck up liquid.) Example: "You might not like doing this, but you just have to suck it up and carry on."
Post a Comment