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A nod is as good as a wink

Posted by Stella Remington on May 21, 2000

In Reply to: A nod is as good as a wink posted by Bob on May 21, 2000

: : Since first hearing this expression on the PBS serial I,Claudius (Herod: "A nod is as good as a wink from that direction.") I've wondered what it meant. In this archive I found what must be the original expression: "A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse." But there was no listing for this in the glossary, so I still don't have the slightest idea what it means. Can anyone help?

: One futile gesture is equal to another futile gesture if the audience is unable (or, more interestingly, unwilling) to pay attention. The National Rifle Association (to choose an American example) has reached an all-time record membership, thanks in part to the recent Million Mom March in favor of gun control. You could march, or you could write a letter to the editor ... each would be equally ineffective in swaying these drooling moron paranoids (with all due respect) because their minds are not only closed, they're welded shut.

The last contribution was not made by a member of the NRA but it does conveys a complete understanding of the 'nod' & 'wink' phrase.

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