pissing vinegar

English translation: full of energy

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:piss-and-vinegar
Selected answer:full of energy
Entered by: Hacene

21:30 Apr 27, 2004
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Slang
English term or phrase: pissing vinegar
She's a pissing vinegar kind of lady, and she's really good.

From a documentary about a female singer, here depicted as a lady with a somewhat aggressive nature.

Can you please explain the meaning behind the phrase? I have come across at least 4 meanings, but I need to keep the 'vinegar' bit, so how would you rephrase it?
TIA
Agnieszka Hayward (X)
Poland
Local time: 23:30
a very angry character always saying mean things
Explanation:
simply

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Note added at 31 mins (2004-04-27 22:02:17 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

a very angry lady saying things as acrid as vinegar to people
Selected response from:

Hacene
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:30
Grading comment
Thanks to everyone. Yet again, you have enlightened me. Thanks!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +9a very angry character always saying mean things
Hacene
4as sour as vinegar
Charlie Bavington
3acetic and down-to-earth
Christine Andersen


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +9
a very angry character always saying mean things


Explanation:
simply

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 31 mins (2004-04-27 22:02:17 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

a very angry lady saying things as acrid as vinegar to people

Hacene
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:30
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thanks to everyone. Yet again, you have enlightened me. Thanks!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Kim Metzger: Not to be confused with "full of piss and vinegar" which means full of energy. The vinegar here means "acrimonious"
10 mins
  -> cheers Kim

agree  Vicky Papaprodromou
33 mins
  -> cheers Vicky

agree  Tahir
54 mins
  -> cheers Tahir

agree  sktrans
3 hrs
  -> cheers Sktrans

agree  Alfa Trans (X)
7 hrs
  -> cheers Marju

agree  IrinaGM: and agree with Kim also
12 hrs
  -> cheers Irina, but Kim was right.;-)

agree  Rajan Chopra
1 day 14 hrs
  -> cheers Langclinic

agree  Dino Lovric
2 days 9 hrs
  -> cheers Dino

agree  hookmv: Yup. Think Kim's note refers to "pith and vinegar" though. "Piss and vinegar" is similar to "pissing vinegar" i think .
2 days 12 hrs
  -> cheers Veronica, but they are 2 distinct expressions and as the asker realised, it was the second one that should have been written down in the document.
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
as sour as vinegar


Explanation:
If you're sure that this is the right phrase (see my note) then I would guess that Hacene's suggestion is on the right lines.

If you really need to keep "vinegar" in, then "she's as sour as vinegar" would probably do.
If you just need something a little descriptive, and keeping with a liquids theme, then perhaps "she's not exactly full of the milk of human kindness" would do?

Charlie Bavington
Local time: 22:30
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
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9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
acetic and down-to-earth


Explanation:
I'm not sure this is entirely negative. It's hard to analyse an expression that is so complex and instantaneously colloquial, but I understand it as someone who in 'presentable' language is 'no respecter of persons', not afraid of the authorities, and tells everyone directly what she thinks. Someone people secretly admire.

A bit like the vinegar and garlic in a salad - a little goes a long way, but it is what gives the whole dish its distinctive flavour.

acetic keeps your vinegar...

Other 'synonyms' are:
astringent, acid, pungent,
biting
Caustic (in the figurative sense; chemically it is the opposite!)
'Vinegary' is also used of comments.

That gives you a few things you can look up in a dictionary... and find one with the right flavour. (Pun definitely intended!)
Best of luck!


    Collins Thesaurus - the ultimate wordfinder
Christine Andersen
Denmark
Local time: 23:30
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
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