... where Frasier makes an unholy mess talking before the clergy.

[thru]

"To smooth things over, Roz convinces him to seek redemption as the keynote speaker at the annual benefit for St. Bart's Hospital, where Frasier makes an "unholy" mess talking before the clergy."

What does the expression in bold mean?

Thank you very much

 

[emsr2d2]

"To smooth things over, Roz convinces him to seek redemption as the keynote speaker at the annual benefit for St. Bart's Hospital, where Frasier makes an "unholy" mess talking before the clergy."

What does the expression in bold mean?

Thank you very much. Remember to put a full stop at the end of every sentence. Also, in future, remember that there's no need to thank us in advance. Thank us after we help you, by adding the "Thanks" icon to any response you find helpful.

Did you try looking "unholy mess" up in online dictionaries? I found THIS very easily.

 

[Tarheel]

"To smooth things over, Roz convinces him to seek redemption as the keynote speaker at the annual benefit for St. Bart's Hospital, where Frasier makes an "unholy" mess talking before the clergy."

What does the expression in bold mean?

[.....]

I'm pretty sure "unholy" wasn't in quotes in the original. Also, the expression (as you now know) is "unholy mess", and it's common enough that you should learn it.

 

[kttlt]

I'm pretty sure "unholy" wasn't in quotes in the original.

It seems to be (I googled the text and it's a summary of a TV show episode), I guess it could be an attempt to emphasize a pun, considering he was speaking before the clergy.

 

[Tarheel]

It seems to be (I googled the text and it's a summary of a TV show episode), I guess it could be an attempt to emphasize a pun, considering he was speaking before the clergy.

OK. That makes sense.

 

[Rover_KE]

@thru, we need context in post #1. Don't assume that everyone in the world has heard of Frasier.

Our thanks go to @kttlt, (post #4) who helpfully googled the text to save lots of other people the trouble of having to do so.

 

[jutfrank]

Yes, as kttlt suggests, it's a pun.

 

[thru]

Here is a full context below for my original post:

"Frasier faces a flood of negative feedback from almost all of Seattle when he prescribes a sunnier climate for a depressed listener, Enda (the voice of Oscar-nominee Alfre Woodard of "Cross Creek"). To smooth things over, Roz convinces him to seek redemption as the keynote speaker at the annual benefit for St. Bart's Hospital, where Frasier makes an "unholy" mess talking before the clergy."

I can find the definition of 'unholy': used to describe a combination of things when it is very bad, harmful, ...
And the definition of 'mess':
a situation that is full of problems

But I can't find the definition of 'unholy mess' from online dictionaries except for examples. And I can't understand the meanings of 'holy mess' in those examples.

I guess the expression probably means something very unpleasant that Frasier says before the clergy.

What does 'mess' actually mean in that context? It has several meanings according to dictionaries.

What do you mean by 'pun'?

 

[Tarheel]

@thru The phrase is "unholy mess," which was in the OP (post #1). Also, in post #2 there is a link to a definition of "unholy mess"

A pun is a play on words.

 

[Tarheel]

Puns

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

To the guy who invented zero, thanks for nothing.

I had a crazy dream last night. I was swimmming in an ocean of orange soda. It turns out it was just a Fanta sea..

A crazy wife said moose were falling from the sky. Her husband said, "it's rain, dear."

Did you hear about the restaurant on the moon? The food is good but there is no atmosphere.

Geology rocks, but geography is where it's at.

My grandpa has the heart of a lion and a lifetime ban from the zoo.

Yesterday I accidentally swallowed some food coloring. The doctor says I'm fine, but I feel like I've dyed a little inside.

So what if I don't know what "apocalypse" means? It's not the end of the world.

My friend drove his expensive car into a tree and found out how his Mercedes bends.

 

[emsr2d2]

As you can see from Tarheel's examples above, some puns work better in speech than in writing.

 

[kttlt]

What does 'mess' actually mean in that context? It has several meanings according to dictionaries.

What do you mean by 'pun'?

"Unholy mess" in that context (and as far as I know in most contexts) means "a complete mess". Apparently, Frasier said something wildly inappropriate or embarrassed himself in some way.

The reason "unholy" is in quotation marks there is because usually that word isn't used literally in the expression "unholy mess" (as I've said above it simply means "total" or "complete"). However, since he was speaking before the clergy, the definition of which is "religious leaders, especially Christian priests, ministers, etc.", there's a play on words implying the incident might have actually been unholy as in "sinful".

 

[thru]

Frasier makes an "unholy" mess talking before the clergy.

Can I use 'in front of' instead of 'before' here?

Could you please explain the difference between the two expressions by giving some examples?

 

[emsr2d2]

Yes. In this context, they mean much the same.

I sang a solo before 200 people.
I sang a solo in front of 200 people.

 

[thru]

Can I use 'before' instead of 'in front of' in the following examples (all the examples are from internet)?

"I'll meet you in front of the station at ten."
"You can park your car in front of the store."
"A tall guy was standing in front of me."
"There were hundreds of people in front of me in the queue/line."
"The professor stood in front of the desk."

Can I use 'in front of' instead of 'before' in the following examples?

"I was accused of dangerous driving but rather than pay the fine, I elected to appear before the local magistrates."
"Students who misbehave in the class are often brought before the head master / mistress."
"The letter C comes before D and after B."
"Julie's name is just before mine in the list."

 

[Tarheel]

Can I use 'before' instead of 'in front of' in the following examples (all the examples are from internet)?

"I'll meet you in front of the station at ten."

"You can park your car in front of the store."

"A tall guy was standing in front of me."

"There were hundreds of people in front of me in the queue/line."

"The professor stood in front of the desk."

1. No.
2. No.
3. Maybe in the right context. Maybe.
4. No.
5. No.

 

[Tarheel]

Can I use 'in front of' instead of 'before' in the following
examples?

"I was accused of dangerous driving but rather than pay the fine, I elected to appear before the local magistrates."

"Students who misbehave in the class are often brought before the head master / mistress."

"The letter C comes before D and after B."

"Julie's name is just before mine in the list."

1. No.
2. No.
3. No.
4. No

 

[thru]

Maybe in the right context. Maybe.

Hi Tarheel,

Could you please give some examples to me when we can use 'before' instead in "A tall guy was standing in front of me."?

Is there any rules when to use either 'before' or 'in front of'?

 

[Tarheel]

@thru I can't imagine a context in which that would work. The closest I could get was "Maybe". I apologize if I misled you.

 

[emsr2d2]

Hi Tarheel, Please don't direct your questions to just one user.

Could you please give me some examples to me of when we can use 'before' instead in of "in front of" in something like "A tall guy was standing in front of me no full stop here"?

Is Are there any rules that tell us when whether to use either 'before' or 'in front of'?

You need to bear in mind that "before" can frequently be used as an old-fashioned version of "in front of". There's nothing grammatically wrong with "A tall guy was standing before me". It's just that the majority of native speakers these days wouldn't use it that way.

If I were you, for now, I'd stick with "in front of" for position and "before" for time.