Shot of rum vs cup of tea

[Johnyxxx]

Hello,

I have a question that is bizzare a little bit ...

How would it sound to a native English speaker if I used (just for kicks) my shot of rum instead of the notorious my cup of tea in describing something I am not fond of or I do not like too much?

"Well, chopping onions is not my shot of rum because I always cry in doing so."


Thanks a lot.

 

[teechar]

Unless there was a particular context to warrant this variation, I don't think it would work.
Idioms are set phrases, and only a few have some accepted variations.

For example, consider changing just "tea" to "coffee" in that idiom. "It's not really my cup of coffee." That doesn't really work for me.
;-)

 

[Peedeebee]

On the other hand I can see it working in a comedy context. some of our best jokes, especially puns, work well because they take you by surprise. You think one meaning is coming up, momentarily, with a word and then suddenly realise that another meaning is there.
I think the same can happen with idioms. The listener thinks a well known phrase is beginning and then it takes an unexpected turn. the result can be quite funny.
The downside is that you could be so obscure that the listener doesn't understand your joke or just thinks you're weird, so perhaps you have to be careful!

 

[Barb_D]

Additionally, I wouldn't use "cup of tea" there either.
You'd use that for something that many people DO enjoy. Like "Horror movies really aren't my cup of tea" because obviously many people like horror movies.
I don't know anyone who regards chopping onions as a recreational activity.

You could say "I like to cook, but baking isn't really my cup of tea -- you have to be so precise in your measurements and I like to just wing it."

I would have no idea what you meant if you changed your figure of speech there.

 

[Johnyxxx]

On the other hand I can see it working in a comedy context.

Exactly. Definitely I am not going to use it in a formal conversation with people I do not know but my friends know me to be a funny character so I would use it as a comic paraphrase of the original idiom at a party, for example.

 

[Peedeebee]

,or sticks out like a healed thumb.