i was watching tv, i encountered a few english i don't understand, what "pull my (or someone's) finger" means? what "pull a mcguyiver(?)" means? thanks. =)
2006-08-21 21:06:12 · 13 answers · asked by Emma 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
most of the answers you have had so far are correct, but perhaps don't go quite far enough.
'to pull a [famous person's name]' is a standard english idiom. it means to behave like whoever the person named is (or at least to do what they are most famous for).
so:
'to pull a janet jackson' would mean 'to (accidentally) expose your breast at an inappropriate moment' (since this is what janet jackson is most remembered for).
'to pull a sylvia plath' would be 'to commit suicide as an attention-seeking exercise' (this is what sylvia plath is remembered for)
'macgiver' was a fictional character in a 1980s american tv series who was always spectacularly resourceful. 'to pull a macgiver' would usually mean 'to rescue a seemingly hopeless situation in some surprising way'.
....
'pull my finger' has the meaning that you have already been given. it is almost unknown as an expression outside north america.
2006-08-21 21:30:13 · answer #1 · answered by synopsis 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The "pull my finger" comment is an old joke. If someone needs to pass gas or fart they will tell someone to pull their finger. This makes it seem like that because the person pulled their finger it made them fart. It's a really old joke and it's not very funny and usually told by grandpas.
The "pull a McGuyver" term is a reference to a TV show back in the 1980's. The show was called McGuyver and the guy on the show was very smart. He could get out of any situation with a bunch of different objects. So "pulling a McGuyver" just essentially refers to getting out of a bad situation using some tricks.
2006-08-22 04:17:01 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well I didn't know about the finger thing, and I'm not going to perpetuate it.
McGuiver (I'm not spelling it right either) was a tv show in the 80s about this guy who could get out of any situation, like he'd be caught in a milk jug and use two chopsticks and some chewing gum to create an explosion to save himself. (Except somehow it managed to seem realistic!) So "pulling a McGuiver" would be to get out of a seemingly hopeless situation using your own resources. ("Pulling a" anybody means to do something like that anybody does.)
2006-08-22 04:20:41 · answer #3 · answered by Goddess of Grammar 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
pull the finger and the person farts! Pulling a McGiver means to be able to fix something with what you have with you or to get out of a bad situation using your head. He was on a tv show years ago and he was great!
2006-08-22 04:13:05 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pull My Finger is a joke or prank regarding flatulence in which a mark is asked to pull the finger of the illusionist (or person playing the joke), who simultaneously flatulates so as to suggest a causal relationship between the pulling of the finger and the resulting expulsion of gas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pull_my_finger
2006-08-22 04:20:57 · answer #5 · answered by pinkcloud2015 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
pull my finger is where someone needs to fart. I don't know where this joke originated.
pull a mcguyver, I understand, but could not explain, being that I never watched the show. I think it means to "ghetto rig" something.
2006-08-22 04:11:40 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
MacGyver was a TV character in the mid 80's. It is said that he could build you a shopping mall out of a pocket knife and a toothpick. He could do a lot of things with practicly nothing. so pulling a MacGyver means that you can do almost anything and everthing with almost nothing at all.
2006-08-22 04:17:31 · answer #7 · answered by Aaron the Great. 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ok Emma I was the verbose reply to another query hence I shall try to keep this short. Pull my fingr is a creepy 9 year old or redneck joke for 'pull my finger and i shall pass gas...i.e. fart.
secondlyMcguyver NEVER used a gn..he si absoloutely ingenious wuith an umbrellla to escape with.....a pen for myriad things.....various parts of it diassemble bombs and he signs on another season....it was perhaps the brainchild of right wingers who didnt want real live violence...kind of like a love boat meets I Spy......and they threw in that cutiewhat'sis name...."DUH" file for me.....it means in essence tha you're terrifically sound at pulling yourself out of sticky situations.
*I was never fond of the finger and they do it over and over and over...i have 3brothers. Eldest of 9 , go figure.
2006-08-23 07:43:48 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
pulling of the finger (means someones going to fart) "tha persons finger being pulled...an tha mcgyver thing is like pulling of some stunt or whatever...noone else could do...so yeah
2006-08-22 04:11:58 · answer #9 · answered by mista_toka 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
pull my finger = fart
pull a mcguyver = smart
2006-08-22 04:34:09 · answer #10 · answered by ♥Cutie Emily♥ 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋