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Re: I beg your pardon!

Posted by TheFallen on December 03, 2002

In Reply to: Re: I beg your pardon! posted by Barney on December 03, 2002

: : : : : What does the phrase:
: : : : : "A camel is a horse designed by a committee"
: : : : : mean?

: : : :
: : : : It's an ironic expression, used to show that deciding anything by committee, and therefore by taking too many opinions and wish-lists into account, will result in something that's probably vaguely similar to what was originally planned, but which won't be anywhere near as effective as was wanted. A camel and a horse are both ungulates, but the point is that the camel's both ugly and slow in comparison.

: : : ahem...

: : : Camels are fast and graceful. We can keep running long after horses have given out. Beauty is a beauty does.

: : There, there. Don't get your back up.

: There was a minority opinion on the committee and they made a second model with two humps - proof, if proof were needed.

Let me qualify any statements I've made during this particular thread with the belated rider "present company of course excluded". I really don't want to give Ms. Camel the hump.