Pear-shaped

As a pear-shaped or pear-shaped is referred to objects that shaped like a pear, ie tapering towards the top and are rounded down. This metaphor has won more recently, more abstract meanings.

Development

Already in ancient times was known for pear shaped the Greek term απιο - ειδης ( apio - statutory ). The English word pear-shaped fruit of the cashew and avocado are described in a horticultural lexicon of 1731.

The oral pear was a medieval torture instrument.

In Zedler's Universal - Lexicon is called pear-shaped 1739 Fußwurzelmuskel musculus plantaris.

In people with wide hips is called a pear-shaped physique. This meaning of pear-shaped is found in 1845 Nathaniel Parker Willis: Dashes at Life with Free Pencil, IV

Also since the mid-19th century certain goods and products of industrial technology are referred to as pear, so the container to steel production with the Bessemer process, and later with the Thomas process, as well as light bulbs.

As a pear-shaped a very rich, soft and sonorous sound of music and speech has been designated since 1925, particularly in the context of theater and film scenes.

Colloquial language

The word pear is considered colloquially as a synonym for head. In the drawings and transferred representation of a clever or " bright " head, the light bulb, the popular name is used for an incandescent lamp preferred. With a mud bulb state is rather characterized by a brawl or carousing.

In France, however poire ( pear) is generally a reduced evaluative term for a phlegmatic, Drögen and obese people. In the case of Renault 14 therefore failed an advertising campaign that addressed the similarity of the vehicle with a pear. First, potential customers felt repelled rather, was also due to quality defects and rust sensitivity of the model designation pear similar to the German lemon used. The similarly shaped VW Golf benefited, however, from a marketing abroad as Rabbit.

From the vernacular in the Royal Air Force is coming since 1983, the term " things go pear-shaped ", " the thing goes pear-shaped " demonstrated with the meaning that a plan or company fails catastrophically.

Cartoon

In the 19th century the French " citizen king " Louis Philippe was referred to as pear and caricatured. In the 1980s, Hans Traxler had cartoons in the satirical magazine Titanic, which showed the German Chancellor Helmut Kohl as a pear, lasting effect. The nickname " pear" for carbon was already established in Germany a few months after his inauguration. It appeared in 1983 even a book entitled Bulb: The book of the Chancellor; a primer for the young vegetables and fruits clean in this our country; with many colorful stories and funny images, written jointly by Peter Knorr and Hans Traxler.