Re: Sat In Your Lap

[nessus (Doug Alan)]

> From: Tavares@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA

> I'm not convinced that you didn't get the idiom backward.
> "Knowledge is something sat in your lap" implies that you can have
> it given to you, or magically acquire it, or the like (i.e., a
> windfall), but you can't get it by working at it no matter how hard
> you try.  For example, winning the lottery is sat in your lap.  Sum
> God's chillun gots it, others nebba will.

I don't think so.  I'm not sure how the idiom is usually used, but it
is clear here that Kate is playing with opposites.  "Some say that
heaven is hell.  Some say that hell is heaven."  So when she says,
"Some say that knowledge is something sat in your lap", she means,
"Some say that knowledge is something that you get lots of without
even trying".  She then follows this with the opposite, "Some say that
knowledge is something that you never have."

			>oug

"Give me the Karma, Mama"