swapped it for a mouth organ

English translation: he didn't cultivate his mind or give it much importance

20:41 Jan 24, 2004

English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary

English term or phrase: swapped it for a mouth organ

"My Hero"

George: Got to find a loophole in the marriage contract. I'll go see Arnie. I remember at school he had a brilliant legal mind... although I think he might have swapped it for a mouth organ.

lim0nka KudoZ activity Questions: 1591 (5 open) (1 without valid answers) (13 closed without grading) Answers: 3319 United Kingdom
Local time: 10:18

Selected answer:he didn't cultivate his mind or give it much importance

Explanation:
he might have swapped it for a toy harmonica or any other childhood fancy

Selected response from:

Refugio
Local time: 02:18

Grading comment

Thank you very much.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

4 +6

he didn't cultivate his mind or give it much importance

Refugio

3 +4

joke based around school kids swapping things

jerrie

4 +1

gave it up for music

IanW (X)

3 +2

possibility

Jean-Luc Dumont

Arnold hasn't amounted to much in life.

nyamuk

sexual innuendo / pun on word "organ"

Michele Johnson

exchanged it for a harmonica

NGK

Discussion entries: 2

Answers

3 mins confidence:

exchanged it for a harmonica

Explanation:
Now he has a harmonica instead of a brilliant legal mind. (Not sure what that means though.)

NGK
United States
Local time: 04:18
Native speaker of:

English,

German
PRO pts in pair: 379

4 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

gave it up for music

Explanation:
It could mean that he gave up legal studies to play music. And the use of the word "mouth organ" - as opposed to "harmonica" which musicians would usually use, suggests to me that the music wasn't very professional or demanding.

IanW (X)
Local time: 11:18
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in pair: 235

14 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +6

he didn't cultivate his mind or give it much importance

Explanation:
he might have swapped it for a toy harmonica or any other childhood fancy

Refugio
Local time: 02:18
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in pair: 485

Grading comment

Thank you very much.

36 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

possibility

Explanation:
not only or not even ? Harmonica ?

could mean that before he was and idealist, for justice - he wanted to become a judge or a lawyer - legal mind
now all he does is talk...he is lawyer - talks a lot about / around the law but no longer cares much for justice :-)

Jean-Luc Dumont
France
Local time: 11:18
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in pair: 24

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

joke based around school kids swapping things

Explanation:
I've never watched this sitcom, but from some of your other questions, some of the comedy seems to be quite random.

It might be that there is no particular significance to mouth organ (ie it would not be referred to again in the series as something Arnie does).

At school kids swap things all the time.
I'll swap my sandwiches for your Mars Bar..
I'll swap you my Georgie Best football card for your winning conker..
etc.

So the joke is in the swapping. He could've said 'he swapped his legal mind for a pair of roller skates'...(which never be referred to again).

Isn't this connected to Dr's? Maybe that's why they used 'organ'? And a mouth organ being something school kids have?

Just an idea.

jerrie
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:18
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in pair: 773

1 hr confidence:

sexual innuendo / pun on word "organ"

Explanation:
OK, I may be the only one with a "dirty" mind here. But to me the use of the word "organ" here has a clear sexual connotation, especially considering the context (Bush & Schwarzenegger, marriage) and Arnie's reputation of (mis)treating women (a.k.a. the "Gropinator"). Kids do trade stuff at school- a matchbox car for a harmonica for instance. So it seems to be a joke that Bush and Arnold went to school, and then includes a veiled reference to Arnold's "organ."

He had a brilliant mind and traded it for... oral sex? Not 100% clear to me, it might help to see the next few sentences. For more on Arnie's sexual escapades, see:
http://www.anecdotage.com/index.php?aid=5619
http://www.suntimes.co.za/2003/08/31/arts/ane05.asp

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Note added at 1 hr 29 mins (2004-01-24 22:11:10 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I just read some of your other questions, and now am not sure: is this even about George Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger? I made that assumption but it may not be correct. I do still think it is a sexual reference though.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr 46 mins (2004-01-24 22:28:01 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

limOnka, thanks for your note. OK, I\'ll just leave my suggestion, although the references to Bush/Schwarzenegger are clearly WRONG, duh. Sorry. You might still see if the sexual thing works into your text at all.

Michele Johnson
Germany
Local time: 11:18
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in pair: 32

3 hrs confidence:

Arnold hasn't amounted to much in life.

Explanation:
Considering the former Arnold, with the brilliant legal mind,

Arnold had a brilliant legal mind, when he was young or in school perhaps. Now he has swapped that mind for a mouth organ. There are a couple of things we can say about Arnold.

1. Going from brilliant legal mind to mouth organ means he has not met expectations, or the common term, he hasn't amounted to much in his life.

2. If Arnold is still a lawyer we might be able to say that being a mouth organ, an inexpensive, easy to learn, and noisy musical instrument, is inferring that he is the cheap and noisy kind of lawyer. Perhaps is now one of those obnoxious ambulance chasing trial lawyers that advertises on TV.

nyamuk
United States
Local time: 03:18
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in pair: 58

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swapped it for a mouth organ

English translation: he didn't cultivate his mind or give it much importance

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