the ins and outs of a duck's bum
Posted by TheFallen on December 11, 2002
In Reply to: the ins and outs of a ducks bum posted by Bruce Kahl on December 11, 2002
: : Does anyone know the origin of the phrase "the ins and outs of a duck's bum" and its exact meaning.
: "Bum" is a chiefly British, sometimes vulgar word for "buttocks".
: So someone who knows "the ins and outs of a ducks bum" is someone who knows all the minute details of something or of a process.
: This board is known to be frequented sometimes by people from that part of the world so, hopefully, one of them will step up and give us some more detail.
I'm not sure if I've heard this one used in the UK - and yes I'm a Brit. However I'll bet that Bruce is right. It just "feels" like someone who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of a subject, including all the tiny little details that a more balanced individual might not bother with - to me it's definitely got undertones of the obsessional.