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up vote 4 down vote favorite

I heard an expression today but I did not know how it is written or what it is. And I could not find it with Google.

It's something like:

it tastes like horspy

Any pointers?

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3  
Apologies on behalf of the OP. Best of my knowledge horse piss is not a common beverage in France and nobody really knows how it tastes over there. On the other hand an insipid coffee is called "jus de chaussettes" (socks juice). I've never had that either actually. – Alain Pannetier Φ Jul 3 '11 at 17:30
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Another possibility? Hornsby's. – Callithumpian Jul 3 '11 at 18:13
It's usually "It tastes like water-downed horse-piss" especially when describing lousy drinks. – Thursagen Jul 3 '11 at 21:04
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@Ham: I imagine that's Strine? Most of us effete northerners think watered down horse p*** would be not as bad as the original. – TimLymington Jul 3 '11 at 21:13
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"Horse piss" doesn't refer to tasteless beverages but to disgusting beverages. "Watered down horse piss" refers to something that is saved from utter tastelessness by a slight hint of disgustingness. – hippietrail Jul 4 '11 at 9:20
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3 Answers

up vote 8 down vote

It tastes like horse pee.

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Dang! You beat me to it while I was faffing about trying to find a decent reference! – FumbleFingers Jul 3 '11 at 17:25
@Fumble: Heh. For all its faults, UD's not bad for faffing prevention. – Callithumpian Jul 3 '11 at 17:31
up vote 7 down vote

I imagine it's a mistranscription of It tastes like horse-pee.

Anthony claimed to have drunk the stale [urine] of horses in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, in case anyone thinks this is a totally off-the-wall image.

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+1. Well if the Romans started it... – Alain Pannetier Φ Jul 3 '11 at 17:40
@Alain Pannetier: I'm hoping you wrote your comment against the question before you read my answer. It was exactly the kind of thing I hoped someone would be thinking. Justifies being beaten to the punch by @Callithumpian while I found a link! :) – FumbleFingers Jul 3 '11 at 19:10
Yes the sequence on my side was 1/ read OP's question, 2/ wrote a comment to the OP's question , 3/ read your answer 4/ wrote my comment to your answer. Apparently some Romans thought drinking horse urine on a daily basis was a recipe for longevity. – Alain Pannetier Φ Jul 3 '11 at 19:26
@Alain Pannetier: haha that's a new one on me (but I did know about drinking your own wee). Always summat to learn! – FumbleFingers Jul 3 '11 at 19:37
up vote 2 down vote

I only said it tasted like horse piss. I never said I didn't like it!

Igor, Monstrous Regiment, Terry Pratchett.

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'Monstrous', referring to John Knox's 'First Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstrous Regiment of Women'. – TimLymington Jul 3 '11 at 21:19
@TimLymington. Thanks. Corrected. – TRiG Jul 4 '11 at 9:09

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