October 02, 2008

Curious George is in the tank. The phrase "in the tank" popped up a few months ago, and while I understand it to mean that one is an emphatic supporter of whatever, I still can't find a clear definition anywhere, at least one that's current and makes sense in the context of positive support. Knowing the etymology would be a big help in getting a better grasp on what "in the tank" precisely means. Any monkeys know where it's from?
posted by Capt. Renault 15 years ago
  • I always thought it meant "plastered."
  • Someone go summon languagehat.
  • Possibly regional, because I always use it with a negative connotation. As in: "It's only October and the Leafs' season is already in the tank".
  • I usually understand as in rocket's example.
  • Blame it on India. To go back to the origin, you have to go to India, where the Moguls used water from the irrigation pipes from the Himalaya to build reserviors of water that were not just for meeting religious requirements of sanitation, but were very refreshing in the insane hot summers of northern central India. They were called "tankhs" in the Gujarat language. Seems to be many references to boxing as well.
  • I third Abiezer's seconding of rocket88's first of quidnunc's zeroth of Koko smells.
  • Who asked you.
  • Looks like this thread will soon tank.
  • Being in the tank certainly didn't do much to enhance Mike Dukasis's prospects.
  • Yeah, this is a new one on me, too. I guess if it's political in origin, it might mean that you're a member of somebody's think tank, or so devoted a supporter that you might as well be. Now I'm going to have the "Tink-a-tank" chorus from Trial by Jury going through my head all night. Where shall I submit the written complaints from my friends, family, and neighbors?
  • I'm guessing that the new use (I'm familiar with things "tanking", thus the surprise at this being a positive term) is related to army-sorta-tanks, so that one can support someone by giving them backup or cover by being "in the tank". Which, I suppose, makes it likely that it's part of gaming lexicon. But I don't know. That's why I asked.
  • I thought it meant the same as "gone down the drain" (like wasted) or "in the shitter" (like disastrous) so it might be from "in the septic tank". It is particularly poingnant for my family because Grandfather Twice died while he was working in a brewery by falling into a large tank of beer. Sadly it took him a couple of hours to finally drown (keeps straight face)... well... he had to get out a few times to pee.
  • Wait, so people used to go swimming in tanks in India and they were Mongols and they... sorry, I don't get what that has to do with the current phrase at all.
  • I just saw "India" and "sanitation" and kept right on going...
  • To me, "in the tank" comes from in the drunk tank", i.e., too pissed to give a shit.
  • I don't know about 'in the tank', but yesterday I did learn that the French for "I'm touching cloth" is "J'ai une taupe au guichet" which literally translates as "I have a mole at the checkout".
  • Wait, so people used to go swimming in tanks in India and they were Mongols and they... sorry, I don't get what that has to do with the current phrase at all. For those of you lazy clickers and scrollers, here's a summary of what I came upon: Reservoirs of water, tankhs, in India that were found to provide great relief during the hot ass summers (note: Moguls not Mongols) Colonial Brits fancied the "cooling tankhs", and made use of them in other hot ass places they colonialized. They probably feared baring their pale white asses to the locals, and developed the "tankh suit". tankh just looked damn funny to the pioneering Westerners, so they shortened it to tank America came up with swimming pool for their large-ass reservoirs of water, but for smaller ones they used tank Enter the "cheap thrills era" of horses and humans diving into tanks of water Boxing comes into play - - a contender pretending to hurt would "dive" to the mat - - But radio and sportswriters added the suspense of speculation - will a fighter take a dive?? - into speculation that the person was not a possible diver, but already IN the diving tank, figuratively on and on... makes fairly good sense if you think about it.
  • Christ, it's like an episode of 3,2,1.
  • *pafs kit with a butty* ...Contact! Is the answer, is the reason, that everything happens...
  • OMG I TOTALLY FORGOT THAT
  • We're thinking of different 3,2,1s. The Brit one was a truly terrible gameshow that involved such tortuous and intricate clues gleaned from 'skits' performed for the contestants' benefit, that it was a wonder anyone ever won anything.
  • The American version was one of my all-time favorite shows as a kid. For the life of me, if I hear anything along the lines of 3, 2, 1..., my mind instantly sings out "Contact!"
  • *checks teh wiki* It was on until 1988? I thought it'd died out much earlier than that. Could also be that I'd moved on to the Edison Twins.
  • The earlier episodes (i.e., early 80's) were the better ones as I recall. I wasn't lucky enough to have the Edison Twins in the US... Oh, looks like it was on Disney Channel in the US - - which would explain why I never caught that series.
  • You missed out. It had all the attraction of Science! in the form of little mystery dramas. Tom was OK, but Annie was like this proto-Scully, all red hair and brains and freckles. The youngest kid was a twerp.
  • You've just won Dusty Bin!