" Louise Bremner" <dame_zumari@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:1fyp5td.fzds2aqkakg2N%dame_zumari@yahoo.com...
> Kevin Gowen <kgowenNOSPAM@myfastmail.com> wrote:
> 
> > > Most of the time, I can figure out the meanings of various Seppongo
> > > idioms from the context (although I recently discovered I'd gone
> > > wildly wrong with "take a rain check"), but there's one idiom that's
> > > confusing me. Is there a website somewhere that gives detailed
> > > explanations? Googling on the phrase in question just brings up pages
> > > that use it, not a description of what it means.
> > 
> > What's the confusing idiom?
> 
> I daren't post it here, since it's so public and I don't want to trigger
> another flame fest if that person gets to see it later.

    Now that you've got my curiosity up, you can mail
it to me.


> > Others have given you great references but have ignored the real issue: What
> > was your "rain check" howler?
> 
> Not so much of a "howler". I'd guessed at its meaning from films, and so
> took it as a polite brush-off: "Thanks but no thanks". So I got somewhat
> miffed when someone used it at me, until he later came back and said he
> now had time--the movies never show that bit.

    Also used in supermarkets and the like when they've run
out of something on sale.  You get a "rain check" and can come
back after the sale is over and still get the item for the
sale price.

--Collin