I don’t want to be held up in a glass jar
Posted: August 6, 2012 | Author: davemalaphor | Filed under: ACTION, PLACES, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, cookie jar, expressions, glass ceiling, glass houses, glass jaw, malaphors, mixed idioms |4 CommentsFor those who are following, we know by now that “the master” works in mysterious ways. This utterance seems to be a confluence of many idioms and metaphors. Perhaps he was trying to say “people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones” (don’t criticize someone’s fault when you also have it) yet it appears he is talking about himself. With the introduction of the word “jar”, he may have been thinking “hands caught in the cookie jar” (caught doing something wrong) or maybe thinking “glass jaw” (weak jaw). He also could have been thinking about the “glass ceiling” (barrier that keeps women and minorities from reaching the top rungs of the corporate ladder) as that expression was born around the time he made this comment. Who knows? All I know is that it is a great malaphor, mixing a variety of idioms to produce an utterly incoherent statement.
My “ol pal” theorizes that “the master” was probably thinking specimen jars as they contain a host of things – insects, fetuses, etc. He was trying to say that he did not want to be scrutinized essentially. I think my “ol pal” is right on this one.
4 Comments on “I don’t want to be held up in a glass jar”
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Dave, I really enjoy reading your postings! Thank you for your explanations. Xavier
Fireflies are often caught in glass jars. So are tadpoles & other small creatures. Maybe they are held up for inspection &/or admiration, and the Master doesn’t want that kind of attention.
…or living in a fishbowl (visible to all).
Excellent point – probably part of the mix as this was the essence of the malaphor.