ChemSiddiqui Posted December 6, 2007 Posted December 6, 2007 Hi, I have read this idom and surprisingly no one has managed to give one precise answer when asked what it meant . Why not you try and explain it: "Stupid is as stupid does" taken from Oliver Goldsmith quotes which actually was "Handsome is as handsome does".
ChemSiddiqui Posted December 6, 2007 Author Posted December 6, 2007 it may have been but its quite common now isn't it? People have used it for the same meaning as the "handsome is as handsome does" sentence but 4 differnt situations. Can u explain it though!
Fred56 Posted December 6, 2007 Posted December 6, 2007 It's one of those "self-referential" types of definition. "A is what A does", type of thing.
Glider Posted December 7, 2007 Posted December 7, 2007 Yes, I think it's saying a person is defined by what they do, rather than what they look like: A stupid person does stupid things (more often than non-stupid people). In the original then, it would mean that a handsom person is defined by their deeds, not their looks. Hmmm...still not making much sense. Perhaps they are as green as they're cabbage looking?
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now