Is this phrase region specific?

Stijn Hommes · Feb 8, 2008

Hi.

A few months ago, I posted a story for review that had a phrase in it a lot of people didn't understand. I said that "the situation went pear-shaped". Is this phrase specific to Canada or Britain (which would explain why several Americans misunderstood) or is it just uncommon?

dpaterso · Feb 8, 2008

I hear it as British.

-Derek

Shweta · Feb 8, 2008

I've heard it in the US
But possibly only for people who've read a lot of British books.

Mumut · Feb 8, 2008

it's used a lot in Australia - lots of things go pear-shaped here.

KTC · Feb 8, 2008

As a Canadian, I have never heard that phrase in my life until now.

Bufty · Feb 8, 2008

No matter what phrase one uses, someone somewhere is not going to have heard it before. As long as the context gives a good clue as to what the particular phrase means, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

KTC · Feb 8, 2008

Bufty said:
No matter what phrase one uses, someone somewhere is not going to have heard it before. As long as the context gives a good clue as to what the particular phrase means, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

Exactly. I read unknown phrases in novels all the time and I am usually able to decipher their meaning. Good point.

Ol' Fashioned Girl · Feb 8, 2008

I'm in Oklahoma... I've heard it.

Maryn · Feb 8, 2008

I've lived in Arizona, Texas, Massachusetts, and New York. I read little British fiction and don't watch British TV on PBS.

Never heard it, have no idea what it means. I'd need to have an explanation woven into the paragraph if it's not apparent.

Bufty · Feb 8, 2008

'pear-shaped'. Went awry - to pieces -fell apart ...

All was hunky-dory and working fine until Susan stuck her big nose in - then everything went pear-shaped.

Marlys · Feb 8, 2008

I lived in Britain for over a year, do watch British TV, and still had to look it up in the OED:

3. colloq. (chiefly Brit., orig. R.A.F. slang). to go (also turn) pear-shaped: to go (badly) wrong, to go awry. 1983 J. ETHELL & A. PRICE Air War South Atlantic 158 There were two bangs very close together. The whole aircraft shook and things went ‘pear-shaped’ very quickly after that. The controls ceased to work, the nose started to go down. 1989 Air Forces Monthly Feb. 53/2 When a disadvantaged fighter manages to manoeuvre back into a neutral position, it is a sign to the attacker that things are already going pear-shaped. 1995 FourFourTwo Sept. 108/1 The day itself was one of those prize-winningly crappy days when everything went pear shaped. 1999 J. CASSIDY Street Life 118 Next we travelled to Bournemouth and it was there that things began to turn rather pear-shaped.

But as long as it's clear in context, I downright enjoy picking up a new word or phrase.

slcboston · Feb 8, 2008

As long as we're discussing this: does anyone know how the phrase originated? I'm still trying to figure out what a pear has to do with anything.

Meerkat · Feb 8, 2008

It's as jack-common as any shellnut turn of heared come tell roun these parts, too.

cmyk · Feb 8, 2008

I have only heard it from those who speak the queen's English, or those who aspire to.

I once heard it was a WWII parachutists term: when a chute fails to engage properly, it goes kind of, pear shaped on the way down. A little gallows humor for the point when things suddenly go from bad to desperate.

But like so many wartime stories, that one may well be too good to be true.

slcboston · Feb 8, 2008

Meerkat said:
It's as jack-common as any shellnut turn of heared come tell roun these parts, too.

You do realize this is, for the most-part, an English-language forum, right?

Meerkat · Feb 8, 2008

"real eyes?"

"for 'em"

What slang is that you're saying?!?

Bufty · Feb 8, 2008

It's nothing to do with a 'pear' - it's the elongated shape of a pear, as opposed to the comfortable and perfectly round shape of a sphere.

slcboston said:
As long as we're discussing this: does anyone know how the phrase originated? I'm still trying to figure out what a pear has to do with anything.

slcboston · Feb 8, 2008

Bufty said:
It's nothing to do with a 'pear' - it's the elongated shape of a pear, as opposed to the comfortable and perfectly round shape of a sphere.

Really? It's not about the fruit?

Yes, I understood that completely about the shape bit - but what I didn't get was why THAT shape should represent disaster any more than any other shape. (Though I like the parachute explanation). ... Although, you can't argue it has "nothing" to do with a pear, really, when you're calling it "pear-shaped." Obviously it must have something to do with pears, even if it's just a resemblance, or else we'd be calling it something else. Like "pineapple shaped" or "guava shaped" or some such thing.

Personally, I don't find spheres all that comfortable myself, as they're hard to sit on and don't stack well at all.

benbradley · Feb 8, 2008

I'm in Georgia (the one in the Southeast USA), and I never heard it, but a moment's thought suggests that it means a situation going bad. The parachute thing sounds good, but before I read that I was thinking of someone becoming overweight, thus becoming "pear shaped."

A similar phrase I've often heard is things "going south." Being IN the South (where residents have a reputation of being stupid, and if you look at the average SAT scores in Georgia and surrounding states, it's a fairly well-earned reputation), I should resent that, but I don't know the origins of the phrase.

Ben, smarter than the average Georgian, but that's not saying a lot...

Bartholomew · Feb 8, 2008

I live in Kansas, and I've heard it.

Like, twice.

Mr Flibble · Feb 8, 2008

benbradley said:
A similar phrase I've often heard is things "going south." Being IN the South (where residents have a reputation of being stupid, and if you look at the average SAT scores in Georgia and surrounding states, it's a fairly well-earned reputation), I should resent that, but I don't know the origins of the phrase.

Just means going downwards, apparantly

South is associated with the downward direction, because that is how it is depicted on maps. North is up, south is down. Hence going south is going down. And down is pretty universally associated with poor performance (falling apart) as in airplanes, swimmers, bicycles, and revenue.

or possibly to do with the Civil War

During the early stages of the war Army officers (that had graduated from West Point) had to decide if they were to stay in the Union Army (north) or if they were going to join the Confederate Army (south). If they chose to join with the Confederate side they were referred to as "going south". It was used as a phrase of derision by the Federals that the defecting officer had made a poor choice or performed a poor action.

As for pearshaped, Wiki lists quite a few possibilties here
Apparantly Maggie Thatcher used it to confuse Reagan

IceCreamEmpress · Feb 8, 2008

benbradley said:
A similar phrase I've often heard is things "going south."

It's a euphemism for "going to Hell." Hell, being down, is as far South as you can get

"It all went pear-shaped" is a UK/AUS/NZism. For whatever reason, it never caught on in CAN.

Stijn Hommes · Feb 8, 2008

I'm asking because multiple people commented on it. Apparently you guys get the gist of things, so I'll just weave in a bit of an explanation and be done with it. Thanks for the comments.

Regarding spheres, they stack pretty well in a tube...

ResearchGuy · Feb 8, 2008

Stijn Hommes said:
. . . "the situation went pear-shaped".. . .

I love that! It gives an immediate image of sagging, with sardonic overtones. Never heard it before, but might have to use it, though I'd make it ". . . went all pear-shaped."

--Ken

paprikapink · Feb 8, 2008

benbradley said:
... I was thinking of someone becoming overweight, thus becoming "pear shaped."
...

I resemble that remark.

Is this phrase region specific?

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