The expressions below

[motico]

The following passage is from "The Jerusalem Post". I would like to know the meanings of the expressions in bold. Thanks!

"Going on the attack might make us look overly aggressive – like ___ detractors, who turn off the average American. When you drill down in focus groups, it becomes apparent that Americans and especially college students are turned off to what they perceive as the heated rhetoric coming from both sides. Their reflexive response is to say “a pox on both of your houses.”

 

[SoothingDave]

Dictionaries help.Turn off | Define Turn off at Dictionary.com

Turn off = definition 105 g

Drill down | Define Drill down at Dictionary.com

 

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello, Motico:


I think that the best example of "A pox on both of your houses" was a famous statement made by an important American

official (no name, of course!) about a horrific war between two countries with brutal dictatorships in the 1980's (no

names, of course!): "It's a pity they both can't lose."

 

[riquecohen]

The following passage is from "The Jerusalem Post". I would like to know the meanings of the expressions in bold. Thanks!

"Going on the attack might make us look overly aggressive – like ___ detractors, who turn off the average American. When you drill down in focus groups, it becomes apparent that Americans and especially college students are turned off to what they perceive as the heated rhetoric coming from both sides. Their reflexive response is to say “a pox on both of your houses.”

"A pox on both your houses" is a corruption of a line from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, which was "A plague o' both your houses." It is now used to damn both sides in a feud where others are also being harmed.

 

[TheParser]

Their reflexive response is to say “a pox on both of your houses.”

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello, Motico:

I read something this morning that immediately reminded me of your thread.

This April, an election is scheduled in a "certain" country. The article includes these two sentences:

"Recent opinion polls show that more than 60 per cent [sic] of the electorate wish a plague on both their

houses [boldface is my addition]. The choice could hardly be less appealing: vote for the same crew, or don't vote at all --

an incitement to violence if ever there was one."

*****

Complete credit to:

Mr. John Markakis./ London Review of Books, 22 March 2012/ page 36.