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03-Jun-2008, 23:29
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| |  make the bells go off in your head=?
Quote:
Calling Purdum a "scumbag," Clinton said "he's one of the guys that propagated all those lies about Whitewater for Kenneth Starr. He's just a dishonest guy -- can't help it."
Purdum "didn't use a single name, he didn't cite a single source in all those things he said," said the former president, who added that the article was "part of the national media's attempt to nail Hillary for [Barack] Obama."
He said readers should be wary of news accounts that rely on unnamed sources.
"Anytime you read a story that slimes a public figure with anonymous quotes, it ought to make the bells go off in your head," he said
| Hi! make the bells go off in your head= take it with a salt?
Is "make the bells go off in your head" slang or an idiom?
Thank you!  |
03-Jun-2008, 23:39
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| | Re: make the bells go off in your head=?
Should remind you / should warn you.
The second meaning is intended here since the bells referred to are alarm bells.
It is an idiom. | | The Following User Says Thank You to Anglika For This Useful Post: | |
03-Jun-2008, 23:42
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| | Re: make the bells go off in your head=?
Quote:
Originally Posted by thedaffodils  Hi! make the bells go off in your head= take it with a salt?
Is "make the bells go off in your head" slang or an idiom?
Thank you! | Hi, The daffodils,
how are you?
It is when you realize that something is wrong. A kind of warning that makes you take it with a pinch of salt. 
Last edited by banderas; 03-Jun-2008 at 23:45.
Reason: typo
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03-Jun-2008, 23:44
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| | Re: make the bells go off in your head=?
No pinch of salt required. You are being alerted to something that is not right. | | The Following User Says Thank You to Anglika For This Useful Post: | |
03-Jun-2008, 23:47
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| | Re: make the bells go off in your head=?
Quote:
Originally Posted by thedaffodils Hi! make the bells go off in your head= take it with a grain of salt?
Is "make the bells go off in your head" slang or an idiom?
Thank you! | Howdy thedaffodils.
It's a much stronger sentiment than "take sth with a grain of salt". It's suggesting that something that's been stated is much more egregiously wrong.
It means that any thinking person should realize that something is terribly amiss.
This website's main purpose is to discuss Russian and French.
Last edited by riverkid; 04-Jun-2008 at 00:03.
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03-Jun-2008, 23:48
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| | Re: make the bells go off in your head=?
 Thank you! You're Johnny, no, should be Anglika on the spot. |
03-Jun-2008, 23:50
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| |  Re: make the bells go off in your head=?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anglika No pinch of salt required. You are being alerted to something that is not right. | What I meant is we never know how reliable anonymous source is. It is not always wrong. | | The Following User Says Thank You to banderas For This Useful Post: | |
03-Jun-2008, 23:55
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| | Re: make the bells go off in your head=?
I take your point, though perhaps do not quite agree with it.
In this piece, the use of "slimes" is directing the reader that the content of such a piece is ethically wrong. It is not really a question of trusting the author. | | The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Anglika For This Useful Post: | |
03-Jun-2008, 23:56
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| | Re: make the bells go off in your head=?
Hi All,
Thank you very much for your answers. I didn't expect you were so quick.
Banderas, I am fine. Thank you!
Riverkid, thank you for your correct of my words, especially. Well noticed. I will remember the idiom well. 
Have a good one!
Cheers. 
Last edited by thedaffodils; 04-Jun-2008 at 00:08.
Reason: especially
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