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Expected to partition to water.

Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

slap-yourself-on-the-forehead

English answer:

It's so obvious- or simple explanation

Added to glossary by Andrea Re
Apr 29, 2008 16:49
16 yrs ago
3 viewers *
English term

slap-yourself-on-the-forehead

English Art/Literary Tourism & Travel
"Amsterdam is one of those places with a slap-yourself-on-the-forehead name: “Amsteldamme” è nata da un villaggio dove hanno costruito una diga sul fiume Amstel nel tardo 13° secolo."

Suggestions are welcome...

Thanks
Responses
4 +5 It's so obvious- or simple explanation
3 +9 (stunningly) obvious / Aha!
4 Please see suggestion below
4 -3 stunningly boring

Discussion

Andrea Re (asker) Apr 29, 2008:
The article praises Amsterdam 100%. According to them there is absolutely nothing negative in this city , so I would imagine that the above passage should be seen in a positive way or at a most as something tounge and cheek.

A.
Andrea Re (asker) Apr 29, 2008:
Oops, sorry. The second sentence reads:
"Amsteldamme” was born from a village where the Amstel River was dammed in the late 13th-century.

Responses

+5
30 mins
Selected

It's so obvious- or simple explanation

When you know the history of Amsterdam (i.e. Amstel River was dammed), the origin of the name is so obvious that you slap yourself on your forehead as if to say, "But of course! It's so obvious. What a simple explanation"
Peer comment(s):
agree Nesrin
10 mins
agree Edith Kelly
10 mins
agree Buck
32 mins
agree Jack Dunwell : And then you yawn and find something that takes more than a millisecond of yr thought process
36 mins
agree V_Nedkov
1 hr
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks to all. I have chosen this ansewr because it is the one that ... well... has made me slap myself on the forehead:)"
+9
29 mins

(stunningly) obvious / Aha!

... once you know what it means

sample refs:

Amazon.com: Scipio's review of The Essays of Warren Buffett ...
... investments for over 20 years, when reading this book I had many "V-8 moments" - where you want to slap yourself on the forehead and say "of course!" ...
www.amazon.com/review/R13Y8TMP1PVDBF

Amazon.com: Robert Pratte's review of Joel on Software: And on ...
Instead, this is a book to enjoy, consider, and (all too often) then slap yourself on the forehead with an *AHA* moment. ...
www.amazon.com/review/R396ID4D6HYFA3

More results from www.amazon.com »
PUBLIC OCCURRENCES: Ideas That Make You Want to Slap Yourself on ...
*Ideas That Make You Want to Slap Yourself on the Forehead and Go "Wow!": LifeStraw LifeStraw is a product made by a company of the same name that filters ...
publicoccurrenc.blogspot.com/2006/05/ideas-that-make-you-want-to-slap.html

Salamat Pagi, Kuala Lumpur - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Travel Blog
Slap yourself on the forehead and repeat after me 'Duh'. :-) So there is a carriage of single men, and Marina walks in and has to sit next to one of them. ...
www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tonyandmarina/the_tou...
Peer comment(s):
agree Robert Kleemaier : bingo! nothin' like an Aha experience to enlighten your day...
7 mins
agree Nesrin
10 mins
neutral Jack Dunwell : Yes, Ken, but we've always known it and the revelation is...yes, Boring
35 mins
agree V_Nedkov
1 hr
agree Simon Mac
3 hrs
agree kmtext
14 hrs
agree Dana Rinaldi
14 hrs
agree veratek : with (st.) obvious, for "aha" it really depends on how you write the whole sentence and article
15 hrs
agree Phong Le
1 day 8 hrs
agree Cristina Santos
1 day 23 hrs
Something went wrong...
1 hr

Please see suggestion below

*Amsterdam is a place with an "Oh yes of COURSE, THAT's what it means" kind of name*

or as I originally wrote while not looking directly at the original - a spot more liberal - *Amsterdam ihas one of those "Oh yes of COURSE, THAT's what it means" kind of names*

How do those feel? Trouble is, all of our suggestions sounds fine and are quite clear when read out loud with right intonation, but more difficult to make the printed word leap up off the page with clarity - hence my capitals, which are not by preferred means of communication! Italics would be marginally better.
Something went wrong...
-3
8 mins

stunningly boring

Yawn zzz
"So they uh....
"Dammed the er, remind me...
yer that's it
The Amstel

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2008-04-29 17:52:59 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Andrea
You can't get past it, it's BORING.However.(TELL ME SOMETHING MORE BORING!!)
As a counterpoint to the eulogy that follows..there is the "HOW WRONG WE WERE" or "AH BUT" Dramatic tension.However, if your writer insists....Dear me!!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2008-04-29 18:04:21 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Humph Eulogy
Samantha's just popped out to see our Dutch neighbours. They're complaining of their leaking dykes again. Samantha doesn't know what they have to complain about.
Note from asker:
Indeed, but where is the pun? The whole text keeps praising Amsterdam, so I find it strange that the opening salvo would be "Gosh, what a boring name!"...
i should have given you the extra info before, shouldn't I? Sorry about that...
Peer comment(s):
disagree Robert Kleemaier : hate to say it, fourth, but not in this context / no Dutchman on this side of the Pond, but rather a Canuck
27 mins
Dear Robert. There is no Story without a counterpoint!Oh but you're Dutch, R; Sense of humour mit?
disagree BrettMN : I don't agree.
1 hr
Excellent. Why?
disagree Joshua Wolfe : Fourth, I *guess* you are trying to be funny, but I don't get the joke. There's nothing pejorative about "slap-yourself-on-the-forehead", it's simply a neutral hyperbole - what are we missing?
1 day 52 mins
Thank you Joshua. It's a neutral hyperbole then.
Something went wrong...
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