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Arkadiusz Dymek
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 9:34 pm
Post subject: Totally cornfield associations |
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Hello,
What could it mean if some woman is said to have 'totally cornfield
associations'? I guess that's some US idiom, but I cannot trace any
usage of it besides the text I'm working on.
cheers,
Arkadesh |
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John O'Flaherty
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 10:52 pm
Post subject: Re: Totally cornfield associations |
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Arkadiusz Dymek wrote:
| Quote: | Hello,
What could it mean if some woman is said to have 'totally cornfield
associations'? I guess that's some US idiom, but I cannot trace any
usage of it besides the text I'm working on.
|
It might mean that the woman has had a rural upbringing, or it might
mean that she is ridiculous in some sense. The sentence containing the
phrase, plus one or two before and after might help to understand it.
--
john |
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Pat Durkin
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 1:11 am
Post subject: Re: Totally cornfield associations |
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"Arkadiusz Dymek" <arkadesh@go2.removethispart.pl> wrote in message
news:dk2lnv$ir9$1@nemesis.news.tpi.pl...
| Quote: | Hello,
What could it mean if some woman is said to have 'totally cornfield
associations'? I guess that's some US idiom, but I cannot trace any
usage of it besides the text I'm working on.
|
I don't recall ever having heard this reference to rural, and thus
simple associations (if indeed that is what is meant).
There are such words and references such as "hayseed", applied to ideas
and individuals (picture the Mortimer Snerd character created by Edgar
Bergen).
A bit more crude is "shit-kicker".
And, of course, the "redneck" monicker. |
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ray o'hara
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 1:19 am
Post subject: Re: Totally cornfield associations |
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"Arkadiusz Dymek" <arkadesh@go2.removethispart.pl> wrote in message
news:dk2lnv$ir9$1@nemesis.news.tpi.pl...
| Quote: | Hello,
What could it mean if some woman is said to have 'totally cornfield
associations'? I guess that's some US idiom, but I cannot trace any
usage of it besides the text I'm working on.
cheers,
Arkadesh
|
It sounds like ssomething the author made up or that maybe it could be you
are reading a book that was translated into English and it is a bad
translation.
I have never com across such a phrase or saying before. |
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Rick Wotnaz
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 2:16 am
Post subject: Re: Totally cornfield associations |
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"Pat Durkin" <durk183@sbcglobal.com> wrote in
news:x189f.6986$BZ5.5047@newssvr13.news.prodigy.com:
| Quote: |
"Arkadiusz Dymek" <arkadesh@go2.removethispart.pl> wrote in
message news:dk2lnv$ir9$1@nemesis.news.tpi.pl...
Hello,
What could it mean if some woman is said to have 'totally
cornfield associations'? I guess that's some US idiom, but I
cannot trace any usage of it besides the text I'm working on.
I don't recall ever having heard this reference to rural, and
thus simple associations (if indeed that is what is meant).
There are such words and references such as "hayseed", applied
to ideas and individuals (picture the Mortimer Snerd character
created by Edgar Bergen).
A bit more crude is "shit-kicker".
And, of course, the "redneck" monicker.
|
The associations don't have to be entirely negative. Think of silky
golden hair, freshness, unspoiled naivete, natural appearance,
sunshine, clean living, and so on.
Or maybe more complex associations: think of one of the greatest
song-lyric openings ever -- a character sketch and short story in
four lines:
She walks through the corn leading down to the river,
Her hair shone like gold in the hot morning sun.
She took all the love that a poor boy could give her,
And left me to die like a fox on the run.
(from "Fox On The Run", by -- I think -- Dale Watson)
--
rzed |
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Pat Durkin
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 3:30 am
Post subject: Re: Totally cornfield associations |
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"Rick Wotnaz" <desparn@wtf.com> wrote in message
news:Xns96FF91B526ACBreederz@63.223.7.253...
| Quote: | "Pat Durkin" <durk183@sbcglobal.com> wrote in
news:x189f.6986$BZ5.5047@newssvr13.news.prodigy.com:
"Arkadiusz Dymek" <arkadesh@go2.removethispart.pl> wrote in
message news:dk2lnv$ir9$1@nemesis.news.tpi.pl...
Hello,
What could it mean if some woman is said to have 'totally
cornfield associations'? I guess that's some US idiom, but I
cannot trace any usage of it besides the text I'm working on.
I don't recall ever having heard this reference to rural, and
thus simple associations (if indeed that is what is meant).
There are such words and references such as "hayseed", applied
to ideas and individuals (picture the Mortimer Snerd character
created by Edgar Bergen).
A bit more crude is "shit-kicker".
And, of course, the "redneck" monicker.
The associations don't have to be entirely negative. Think of silky
golden hair, freshness, unspoiled naivete, natural appearance,
sunshine, clean living, and so on.
|
Ah, yes. Do you suppose the OP actually had read it as "cornfed", as
your description implies? But, no. Cornfed is usually applied to young
girls, if not to milkmaids. But silky golden hair (as well as kinky
brown hair) can both bring up the corn-on-the-cob image. Simple and
rural associations are not necessarily negative, though, are they?
| Quote: | Or maybe more complex associations: think of one of the greatest
song-lyric openings ever -- a character sketch and short story in
four lines:
She walks through the corn leading down to the river,
Her hair shone like gold in the hot morning sun.
She took all the love that a poor boy could give her,
And left me to die like a fox on the run.
|
We had an old sentimental "joke" song, which I can only partially
recall.
"They wandered the lane together."
Hmph. It went on to end up describing the ambling progress of a boy and
a Jersey cow.
Well, durn. It's an STS for me, and only a one-liner. I feel cheated,
somehow.
But that first line didn't call up any hits on Google. |
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Donna Richoux
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 5:29 am
Post subject: Re: Totally cornfield associations |
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Scotius <wolvzbro@mnsi.net> wrote:
| Quote: | On Sun, 30 Oct 2005 15:34:58 +0100, Arkadiusz Dymek
arkadesh@go2.removethispart.pl> wrote:
Hello,
What could it mean if some woman is said to have 'totally cornfield
associations'? I guess that's some US idiom, but I cannot trace any
usage of it besides the text I'm working on.
cheers,
Arkadesh
That means she associates things said, or seen, etc, with
things that most people would find odd. For instance, if a friend says
"The oil for food scandal has opened a Pandora's box of misdeeds at
the UN", and anther says "I knew a girl named Pandora in high school,
but I never did get to see her box", that's kind of a "cornfield
association".
|
Out of left cornfield, that sounds like. |
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Arkadiusz Dymek
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 6:42 am
Post subject: Re: Totally cornfield associations |
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Arkadiusz Dymek wrote:
| Quote: | Hello,
What could it mean if some woman is said to have 'totally cornfield
associations'? I guess that's some US idiom, but I cannot trace any
usage of it besides the text I'm working on.
|
OK, as it seems the answer isn't too clear let me add some context. The
text I'm talking about is about blonde hollywood stars of early age of
cinema. Blonde femme fatal that is as fair as I understand it. The
sentence in question sounds:
'When, in films, men have blondes for wives they are either endowed with
the siren temperament which makes them unfaithful, or else they are of
Scandinavian origin (probably Minnesota) and hence have totally
cornfield associations'.
Association of Scandinavian origin and cornfield puzzles me even more...
Maybe it can be of some importance to you that women in question have
strong personality: 'there was no domesticity in it, blondes were for
there for men's ruination'.
best regards,
Arkadesh |
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Pat Durkin
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 7:22 am
Post subject: Re: Totally cornfield associations |
|
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"Arkadiusz Dymek" <arkadesh@go2.removethispart.pl> wrote in message
news:dk3lrg$clf$1@nemesis.news.tpi.pl...
| Quote: | Arkadiusz Dymek wrote:
Hello,
What could it mean if some woman is said to have 'totally cornfield
associations'? I guess that's some US idiom, but I cannot trace any
usage of it besides the text I'm working on.
OK, as it seems the answer isn't too clear let me add some context.
The
text I'm talking about is about blonde hollywood stars of early age of
cinema. Blonde femme fatal that is as fair as I understand it. The
sentence in question sounds:
'When, in films, men have blondes for wives they are either endowed
with
the siren temperament which makes them unfaithful, or else they are of
Scandinavian origin (probably Minnesota) and hence have totally
cornfield associations'.
Association of Scandinavian origin and cornfield puzzles me even
more...
Maybe it can be of some importance to you that women in question have
strong personality: 'there was no domesticity in it, blondes were for
there for men's ruination'.
|
The writer is capitalizing on stereotypes. His/Her language is still
very unclear in the use of the term "cornfield associations".
Nevertheless, for the "The Farmer's Daughter" stereotypes think: Grace
Kelly, Loretta
Young, Irene Dunne. Some of the time the woman may speak her part with
a Scandinavian accent, and whether the spouse or the housekeeper, has an
iron will and panties to match.
From the 1947 movie review:
Loretta Young with blonde hairdo and Swedish
accent is a
congressman's housekeeper with lots of common sense ideas herself of how
things ought to be. Soon she herself is running for office--but not
before romantic developments occur between Young and Joseph Cotten (as
Congressman Morley). This is the sort of fresh comedy with warm appeal
that made the most of Young's abilities--as did her roles in other such
warmhearted comedies as "The Bishop's Wife" and "Come to the Stable".
She surprised everyone (including herself) by winning an Oscar against
stiff competition--Rosalind Russell, Susan Hayward, Joan Crawford among
the nominees. It was quite a year for Loretta. Her other film, "The
Bishop's Wife", was nominated in the Best Picture category. |
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Scotius
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 7:49 am
Post subject: Re: Totally cornfield associations |
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On Sun, 30 Oct 2005 15:34:58 +0100, Arkadiusz Dymek
<arkadesh@go2.removethispart.pl> wrote:
| Quote: | Hello,
What could it mean if some woman is said to have 'totally cornfield
associations'? I guess that's some US idiom, but I cannot trace any
usage of it besides the text I'm working on.
cheers,
Arkadesh
|
That means she associates things said, or seen, etc, with
things that most people would find odd. For instance, if a friend says
"The oil for food scandal has opened a Pandora's box of misdeeds at
the UN", and anther says "I knew a girl named Pandora in high school,
but I never did get to see her box", that's kind of a "cornfield
association". |
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Donna Richoux
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 5:08 pm
Post subject: Re: Totally cornfield associations |
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|
Arkadiusz Dymek <arkadesh@go2.removethispart.pl> wrote:
| Quote: | Arkadiusz Dymek wrote:
Hello,
What could it mean if some woman is said to have 'totally cornfield
associations'? I guess that's some US idiom, but I cannot trace any
usage of it besides the text I'm working on.
OK, as it seems the answer isn't too clear let me add some context.
|
Thank you, that made it much clearer.
| Quote: | The
text I'm talking about is about blonde hollywood stars of early age of
cinema. Blonde femme fatal that is as fair as I understand it. The
sentence in question sounds:
'When, in films, men have blondes for wives they are either endowed with
the siren temperament which makes them unfaithful, or else they are of
Scandinavian origin (probably Minnesota) and hence have totally
cornfield associations'.
Association of Scandinavian origin
|
Many Norwegians and Swedes settled in Minnesota.
| Quote: | and cornfield puzzles me even more...
|
Large rural Midwestern state, many farms, and corn (maize) is a
principal crop.
| Quote: | Maybe it can be of some importance to you that women in question have
strong personality: 'there was no domesticity in it, blondes were for
there for men's ruination'.
|
That last part really doesn't fit. I can see that the "sirens" were
there for temptation and ruination, but I would expect the blonde
cornfield wives to be domestic, supporting, hard-working -- Donna Reed
and June Cleaver. Although you are speaking of an earlier era. Are there
examples?
The "totally" sounds like the modern intensifier, like "He was totally
into it."
--
Best -- Donna Richoux
an American living in the Netherlands |
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CDB
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 8:07 pm
Post subject: Re: Totally cornfield associations |
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|
"Arkadiusz Dymek" <arkadesh@go2.removethispart.pl> wrote in message
news:dk3lrg$clf$1@nemesis.news.tpi.pl...
| Quote: | Arkadiusz Dymek wrote:
Hello,
What could it mean if some woman is said to have 'totally cornfield
associations'? I guess that's some US idiom, but I cannot trace any
usage of it besides the text I'm working on.
OK, as it seems the answer isn't too clear let me add some context.
The text I'm talking about is about blonde hollywood stars of early
age of cinema. Blonde femme fatal that is as fair as I understand
it. The sentence in question sounds:
'When, in films, men have blondes for wives they are either endowed
with the siren temperament which makes them unfaithful, or else they
are of Scandinavian origin (probably Minnesota) and hence have
totally cornfield associations'.
Association of Scandinavian origin and cornfield puzzles me even
more...
Maybe it can be of some importance to you that women in question
have strong personality: 'there was no domesticity in it, blondes
were for there for men's ruination'.
|
I think the cornfield stands here for the old-fashioned family farm.
The "associations" are the ideas that it brings to mind: hard work,
simple faith, honesty, and a commitment to the family. An obvious
contrast to that unfaithful siren, the tramp.
Do you know the television series, _The Waltons_? Olivia (Mama)
Walton, played by Ms Michael Learned, is a good example of the type.
Scandinavians may get a mention because they are stereotypically
blonde and typically Protestant. |
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Arkadiusz Dymek
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 11:22 pm
Post subject: Re: Totally cornfield associations |
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CDB wrote:
| Quote: | I think the cornfield stands here for the old-fashioned family farm.
The "associations" are the ideas that it brings to mind: hard work,
simple faith, honesty, and a commitment to the family. An obvious
contrast to that unfaithful siren, the tramp.
|
Yes. Now I think the 'cornfield' blondes are mentioned there as being in
contrast with typical blonde siren, and hence they're not the topic of
the rest of the article.
cheers,
Arkadesh |
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Tony Cooper
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 12:40 am
Post subject: Re: Totally cornfield associations |
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On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 17:22:34 +0100, Arkadiusz Dymek
<arkadesh@go2.removethispart.pl> wrote:
| Quote: | CDB wrote:
I think the cornfield stands here for the old-fashioned family farm.
The "associations" are the ideas that it brings to mind: hard work,
simple faith, honesty, and a commitment to the family. An obvious
contrast to that unfaithful siren, the tramp.
Yes. Now I think the 'cornfield' blondes are mentioned there as being in
contrast with typical blonde siren, and hence they're not the topic of
the rest of the article.
I wouldn't add "cornfield blondes" to your AmE vocabulary. It's not a |
term that is likely to be understood in the US. We are used to
"cornfed blondes", but not "cornfield blondes". It's the same general
meaning, but one phrase is widely used and the other is not.
--
Tony Cooper
Orlando, FL |
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Donna Richoux
Guest
|
| Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 2:06 am
Post subject: Re: Totally cornfield associations |
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|
Tony Cooper <tony_cooper213@earthlink.net> wrote:
| Quote: | On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 17:22:34 +0100, Arkadiusz Dymek
arkadesh@go2.removethispart.pl> wrote:
CDB wrote:
I think the cornfield stands here for the old-fashioned family farm.
The "associations" are the ideas that it brings to mind: hard work,
simple faith, honesty, and a commitment to the family. An obvious
contrast to that unfaithful siren, the tramp.
Yes. Now I think the 'cornfield' blondes are mentioned there as being in
contrast with typical blonde siren, and hence they're not the topic of
the rest of the article.
I wouldn't add "cornfield blondes" to your AmE vocabulary. It's not a
term that is likely to be understood in the US. We are used to
"cornfed blondes", but not "cornfield blondes". It's the same general
meaning, but one phrase is widely used and the other is not.
|
"Corn-fed" is not much a compliment, either. M-W:
1 : fed or fattened on grain (as corn) <corn-fed
hogs>
2 : looking well-fed : PLUMP
3 : rustically wholesome or corny <corn-fed humor>
--
Best -- Donna Richoux |
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