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SEMANTIC ENIGMAS

What is the origin of the phrase "pear shaped"?

Ivor, London

It was my mate Joe who said it first!! I'd never heard it

before he said it in 1995.

Categories Nick , London UK

Nooks and crannies
Apparently, it was derived from potters when they were
Yesteryear
trying to make items like vases, urns, etc. If the clay
Semantic enigmas
object started to lose its form it went 'pear shaped' and
The body beautiful had to be scrapped.
Red tape, white lies
Speculative science
M J Brown, Amsterdam Netherlands
This sceptred isle I remember reading somewhere that it was a naval
Root of all evil phrase relating to someone who didn't shoulder their
Ethical conundrums responsibilities, as a person with no shoulders would
This sporting life have a pear-shaped body. Presumably any plans relying
on such responsibilty would go awry.
Stage and screen
Birds and the bees Mike Craig, Basel, Switzerland

Alternatively, it was the derogatory term used by

aerobatic flight instructors from the early 20th century to
describe their students' earliest attempts to perform a
perfectly circular "loop the loop" - due to the effects of
gravity and lack of power, this was (and, presumably, still
is) very difficult to do, with the result that it "goes pear-
shaped"!

Tony Crook, St Albans England

The OED would seem to indicate that it was not Nick's

mate Joe who coined it, since it is attested since 1983. It
does support Mr Crook's explanation, however, as it was
originally RAF slang.
It's definitely one of the those
phrases that's on the rise at the moment. Perhaps its
popularity is connected to 'pear-shaped' meaning 'wide-
hipped', since this condition is considered so unfortunate
these days.

Louise, Sheffield UK

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