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meaning of "drink the soup du jour"

 
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hello

i found that english is funny in that they always introduce the drinking as idiom,as you can see from my prevoius post,that is "drink the kool-aid",now,there is a new one come into my eye-sight. i have found another expression "drink the soup du jour",who can gove me its plain meaning?
 
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soup du jour - it's supposed to change every day -- it means the daily special soup or soup of the day.

so drink the soup of the day (today's special)
 
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Have you ever drank the "hair of the dog that bit you"?
 
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A cynical reference to soup de jour may mean policies or standards change too often. Maybe there is a leader who follows the fashion of the day and fails to show a consistent vision.
 
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I think this is one of the reasons English is apparently so difficult to learn if it is not oyur first language (actually even if it IS your first language).
We incorporate a lot of non-english phrases into our everyday speech, so effectively, anyone learning English can become very confused when non-English phrases are used.

For example:
Soup du jour (French for "Soup of the Day")
C'est la vie (French again for "That's life")
[ May 12, 2005: Message edited by: Angela Poynton ]
 
zb cong
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yes,i also learn that english usually introduce the fashion words from french maybe because the historical reason.

otherwise,according to my dictionary,"hair of the dog that bit you" means the drink used to make the drunk man clear.but i don't know why you give such a drink so strange name??
 
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Originally posted by zb cong:

otherwise,according to my dictionary,"hair of the dog that bit you" means the drink used to make the drunk man clear.but i don't know why you give such a drink so strange name??



"Hair of the dog..." is a hangover cure... exactly where the phrase came from I'm not sure, but it refers to the fact that when you're suffering from a hangover the *last* thing you want to drink is more alcohol.. If a dog hurts you, you wouldnt expect another encounter with the same dog to improve your situation!

The myth suggests that a small measure of alcohol (i.e. not enough to get you drunk, or cause you harm [bite you]) but enough to re-awaken the body will make you feel better.

There are a number of facts that give this some (but not much) validity. Hangovers are casued by a number of things:
1) Dehydration
2) Build up of toxins
3) Over-stimulation of brain - Previously brain function was depressed by alcohol so it had to work extra hard to send messages - in a hungover state it is still working hard [too hard] because it hasnt yet adjusted to the fact that your brain is no longer influenced by the depressant effect of alcohol.

Obviously extra alcohol does little for dehydration or toxin overload - but if the "hair of the dog" can depress the brain a little, the indivual may gain some relief from the overstimulation aspects of the hangover.

Hope this offers some explanation to the non-Anglophonic amongst us!
 
Alan Wanwierd
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Originally posted by Angela Poynton:
We incorporate a lot of non-english phrases into our everyday speech, so effectively, anyone learning English can become very confused when non-English phrases are used.

For example:
Soup du jour (French for "Soup of the Day")
C'est la vie (French again for "That's life")



I dont think I've ever heard anyone use the phrase "Soup du jour" outside of a French restaurant setting - and therefore dispute any claim that its becoming encorporated into English language!
 
Don't get me started about those stupid light bulbs.
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