🛠️ Rubbing Elbows: The Art of Close Associations 🤝
Description: Explore the nuanced world behind the idiom ‘rubbing elbows,’ its iterations across the pond, and how literature brings it to life.
❓ What does ‘rubbing elbows’ mean? To associate closely with someone, typically in a social or professional setting.
📚 Origin and History: This phrase originated in Britain as “rub shoulders with,” which remains the more prevalent usage there. The phrase’s first known mention can be traced back to Thackeray’s Book of Snobs (1848): “She had rubbed shoulders with the great.” However, in America, “elbows” has taken over, as depicted in Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle (1906): “Young white girls from the country rubbing elbows with big buck Negroes with daggers in their boots.”
🔀 Similar Terms and Expressions:
- 🌐 Rubbing shoulders with
- 🎉 Mingling with
- 👫 Rubbing up against
- ⭐ Brushing by
- 🤝 Shaking hands with
📌 Synonyms:
- Socializing
- Networking
- Associating
🚫 Antonyms:
- Avoiding
- Withdrawing
- Isolating
💡 Humor-Filled Quote: “I wouldn’t mind rubbing elbows with the elite, but I’d rather they take a bath first.” – Anonymous.
📜 Proverbs:
- “Keep good company, and you shall be of the number.”
- “Show me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are.”
📚 Suggested Reads:
- Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (for the variety of social classes)
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (for rubbing elbows at balls)
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (for high society mingling)
🎶 Songs:
- “Come Together” by The Beatles
- “With a Little Help from My Friends” by Joe Cocker
🎬 Movies:
- The Social Network (2010) – Networking in the digital age
- Almost Famous (2000) – Mingling in the world of rock ’n roll
- Gossip Girl (TV Series 2007-2012) – Rubbing elbows with Manhattan’s elite
✨ Fun with Quizzes:
Inspirational Farewell:
May you always find yourself rubbing elbows with greatness, learning from diverse experiences, and catching a twinkle of inspiration from every brush with eclectic souls. 🌟
Publishing Info: Authored by E. L. Elbonomics on the intriguing date of 2023-10-01.
