Re: National Limerick Day (12 May) -- (can't be arsed repeating it)

> On 5/12/2024 6:53 PM, Ross Clark wrote:
>> Birthday of Edward Lear (1812-1888).
>> A Book of Nonsense (1846) has 112 of them.
>> But he didn't invent it, says Crystal, and cites:
>>
>> And let me the canakin clink, clink;
>> And let me the canakin clink;
>> A soldier's a man
>> O, man's life's but a span;
>> Why, then, let a soldier drink.                               
>>                                 -- (Shakespeare, Othello)
>>
>> Yah, OK, he didn't invent the metrical pattern or the rhyme scheme.
>> But still -- The Limerick As We Know It?
>>
>> He also didn't name it. Name first attested 1896, several years after 
>> Lear's death.
>> Origin of name -- Crystal has a story, can't be arsed repeating it. 
>> May check with OED.
>>




   what's the story?



                       i don't know that expression. ...
                     [can't be arsed repeating it] -- is that NZ English?



Yes, "can't be arsed repeating it" is a common expression in New Zealand 
English. It's a vulgar slang way of saying "I can't be bothered 
repeating it" or "I'm too lazy to repeat it."

Here's a breakdown:

"Can't be arsed": This is a vulgar slang way of saying "can't be 
bothered." "Arsed" is a vulgar term for "having to do with the buttocks."

Context: This expression is used informally among friends or 
acquaintances. It wouldn't be appropriate in formal settings.



Here are some ニュージーランド英語 (New Zealand English) alternatives with a 
similar meaning, but less vulgar:

           -- "Can't be bothered repeating it"

           -- "I already said that"

           -- "Look it up yourself" (informal)

While "can't be arsed" is understood in New Zealand, it's important to 
be aware of the informal and potentially offensive nature of the term.