[Vocabulary] He was snowing hell out of her

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nyota

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Then I watched the phonies for a while. Some guy next to me was snowing hell out of the babe he was with. He kept telling her she had aristocractic hands. That killed me. (The Catcher in the Rye)

I'm guessing 'to snow somebody' means more or less 'to sweet talk' them?
 

emsr2d2

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For info, I have never heard this in BrE.
 

SoothingDave

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If anything, it should be "snowing the hell out of her." Not "snowing hell."
 

nyota

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BobSmith

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Holden says, "Some guy next to me was snowing hell out of the babe he was with. He kept telling her she had aristocratic hands. That killed me." Holden, pardon my French, cuts the crap. - source
.
 

Tdol

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AHD defines it as To overwhelm with insincere talk, especially with flattery.
Dictionary - Yahoo! Education

I am not sure that it is the same as a snow job, as that term is said to come from 2006- a reference to the White House spokesman of the time, Tony Snow, who supposedly gave inaccurate and evasive answers.
 

5jj

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I am not sure that it is the same as a snow job, as that term is said to come from 2006- a reference to the White House spokesman of the time, Tony Snow, who supposedly gave inaccurate and evasive answers.
I heard that expression for the first time in 1971.
 

Tdol

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Can you remember the context? Did it have the same meaning as today? Did Mr Snow merely breathe new life into the phrase. :up:
 

5jj

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Can you remember the context? Did it have the same meaning as today? Did Mr Snow merely breathe new life into the phrase. :up:
For some strange reason, I remember it exactly. I was one of a group of expat teachers working at a college in Turkey. We frequently had cause to complain to the Director about our working conditions, and she was a dab hand at coming up with excuses and justifications that kept us happy - until after we had left her office. After such an experience, teachers would come back to their colleagues with some words such as "Another snow job".
 

Tdol

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Thanks for that. ;-)
 

Nersi

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Read the text below :

I kept laying there in the dark anyway, though, trying not to think about old Jane and Stradlater in that goddam Ed Banky's car. But it was almost impossible. The trouble was, I knew that guy Stradlater's technique. That made it even worse. We once double-dated, in Ed Banky's car, and Stradlater was in the back, with his date, and I was in the front with mine. What a technique that guy had. What he'd do was, he'd start snowing his date in this very quiet, sincere voice – like as if he wasn't only a very handsome guy but a nice, sincere guy, too. I damn near puked, listening to him. His date kept saying, "No – please. Please, don't. Please." But old Stradlater kept snowing her in this Abraham Lincoln, sincere voice, and finally there'd be this terrific silence in the back of the car. It was really embarrassing. I don't think he gave that girl the time that night – but damn near. Damn near. (7.40)

It seems to be sexually over demanding or making advances in a way that leaves your victim speechless or unable to protest by behaving courteously or flatteringly.

Snow the Hell out of seems to intensify the act.
 
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