phrases, sayings, idioms and expressions at

"off-color"?

Posted by GPP on August 24, 2003

In Reply to: Learning recipes? posted by EAH on August 24, 2003

: Read up on mid nineteenth century filibusters in the USA national senate.
: To prevent a vote on an issue, senators would engage in long rambling debates, which were reputed to go on for days. Apparently, the speaker could talk about anything, not just the merits/demerits of an issue. Reputedly, women Women galleries, notebooks in hand, as senators read aloud the recipe books of mothers and wives.
: (for derivation of the word filibuster see www.c-span.org)

: The husband's sense of humor is decidely off-color. It's not humorous. Especially his final comment, ignoring of the past 150 years of American history.

I've always taken the term "off-color" to mean with sexual content, a "dirty" joke. H is certainly being "sexist" here, but that's very different from "sexual" with an "off-color" or "dirty" flavor.

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