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Slow boat

Posted by James Briggs on September 22, 2005

In Reply to: Slow boat posted by ESC on September 22, 2005

: : What does the idiom a slow boat to China mean?

: If someone has gone to the store, for example, and takes a long time returning, it might be said: "He must of taken a slow boat to China." When the West first started trading with China, it was before modern transportation. It was a long trip even on a fast boat, longer if one was on a slow boat.

If you go to www.straightdope.com/ mailbag/mslowboatchina.html you'll see that the phrase was part of a popular song

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