[Marxism] re To Tariq Ali and "Full of beans"

[Ilyenkova at aol.com]

Einde O'Callaghan Writes:

>Louis, I'd just like to point out that in British English "full of 
beans" means "energetic" - As I understand it from the context you 
you think that Tariq is wrong (and I agree with you there) - the only 
phrase that I can think of with this meaning used in British English is 
"full of shit", but I suspect that is a bit stronger than what you want 
to say. Once again "divided by a common language"!<

In American  English "Full of beans" has pretty much the same meaning as 
Einde cites for Brit English. But given the context-- Tariq's careless eructation, 
and Louis' American English background, "full of beans" may taken to mean, 
"Tariq, I think on this point you're being a bit of a gasbag." (Gasbag: 
Occupational hazard of the journalistic caste. Otherwise expressed as, "Journalists as 
a group tend to be full of beans, at least part of the time." (Even former 
"street fightin" radicals like Tariq Ali).
Ilyenkova