Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective slang, idiomatic a descriptive analogy of
closeness . Seelike white on rice .
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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skipvia commented on the word white on rice
So completely covered as to be inseparable, as in "She was all over him like white on rice."
October 28, 2007
jennarenn commented on the word white on rice
White on rice! One of my coworkers uses this expression, and I love it.
October 28, 2007
seanahan commented on the word white on rice
What's the etymology of this? I've never quite understood it.
October 28, 2007
skipvia commented on the word white on rice
I suspect it's just a colloquialism. Southern speech can be very metaphorical. I've also heard "like white on a picket fence," but not nearly as commonly.
October 28, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word white on rice
I'm not sure it needs an etymology, skipvia! It's pretty clear what it means, and it probably came from someone trying to avoid saying another common phrase with a very similar meaning, but much less politeness: "like flies on shit." Given the God-fearing character of many southerners, I can see why "white on rice" became more popular!
Plus, it's just less gross and more creative. I like this phrase a lot.
October 28, 2007
seanahan commented on the word white on rice
But "like flies on shit" makes complete sense, since flies are often found there. However, rice is white, nothing is added or changed to make it white. This expression has always bugged me.
October 28, 2007
skipvia commented on the word white on rice
Well, if you want to go all Kantian on it, you could say that white is merely our outward perception of the phenomenon of rice, a construct that we can't apprehend phenomenologically so we are limited to describing our experiences. White isn't rice, but it's inseparable from it.
But I think it's a beautiful and fun metaphor that means "really really close." I wish I had made it up.
October 29, 2007
palooka commented on the word white on rice
Skipvia is on the right track - rice is an illusion. What one perceives as rice may not be "the rice", but an illusionary construct of the rice-seeking mind. If we did not seek rice, would rice exist?
I believe only pasta has an actual existence.
October 29, 2007
skipvia commented on the word white on rice
Har! And chocolate, too. And maybe iced tea.
October 29, 2007
reesetee commented on the word white on rice
Oh, yes. I agree. You just need a little imagination for "white on rice," that's all.
"Brown on chocolate" just doesn't have the same ring.
October 29, 2007
jennarenn commented on the word white on rice
I love coming back to a word only to see that I've already commented on it. I will vouch for the existence of rice. :)
December 12, 2009
bilby commented on the word white on rice
Never heard the expression. Even after reading the comments below, it still makes little sense to me.
December 13, 2009
dontcry commented on the word white on rice
Like palooka on pasta.
December 13, 2009