Although the expression probably began in the specific sense in which I used it -- offer up a sacrifical victim in your own stead --, it has been generalized to mean "wash your hands of so-and-so, usually for not a good enough reason."

How does throwing someone under a bus work as a scapegoat/distraction? In fact, I'd thought throwing someone to the wolves was a "so they won't eat me" gesture, opposite to Vortex's read.

Kat's pictures made me bounce. Lunch was fantastic as predicted and I even have some cobbler left over.

I've heard "throw [person] to the wolves," but never "throw [person] under the bus."

Me too.

Allyson's story about the fan is just as charming. And here I am, trapped in the UNCHARMING Midwest without a Serenity premier. Fooey, I say, FOOEY!

UGH! I told you I walked out of my first ever OB appointment when pregnant with Ben, right?

Cindy, it's even funnier because this is the first appointment Christopher was able to make with me and he has ZERO tolerance for overbooked doctors. Good thing our doc is so damned funny. He made us laugh and we forgot about the hideously long wait. It also helped that we got taco bell right afterwards since we were both starving.

Happy Birthday, Emmett!!! Many happy returns!!!

My husband is a grandfather-abbreviated-for-business-purposes-formerly-a-ski. My favorite teacher-name was the Armenian 4th grade teacher Mrs. Dermanuelian.

Nutty now spends too long reading sports blogs - she has picked up the lingo. Cult! Cult! Not our cult!

is "throw Person X under the bus" totally unknown outside of sports journalism?

I think I've heard it before, but it's not the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the phrase.

If I'd said, "attempted to throw Tejada to the wolves," would you all have thought there was really a pack of hungry wolves standing around in suburban Baltimore?

No. That one I've heard numerous times before.

Of course, I never realized where the phrase "throw in the towel" actually came from until I was at a kick-boxing match and this one guy was just getting completely demolished by his opponent from the instant the bell sounded. Next thing I knew there was a towel sailing into the ring and they called the fight. It was a distinct epiphany moment.

t mini-meara

I, too, was thinking literal bus, and for a second, baseball was interesting.

Hey look! Plei has my brain. But I don't want any hippy woowoo.

Happy birthday, Emmett!

The idea of fans cheering Allyson makes me happy, and I started giggling at the NF phone call.

Allyson's story about the fan is just as charming. And here I am, trapped in the UNCHARMING Midwest without a Serenity premier.

I'll probably have to wait until it goes to DVD to see it.

And prior to his positive test, I would have told you

So would we all, we logical creatures. Which is why it's so boggling.

How does throwing someone under a bus work as a scapegoat/distraction?

I don't know. And, why not "in front of" the bus, so he can get walloped? It's very hard to throw a 200-lb. man under a moving bus, and a bus that is not moving, the guy could just crawl out the other side. It's a conundrum.

I will say, "throwing X to the wolves" does evoke that story from My Antonia, where the two Russian dudes threw the bride off the sleigh so that it would be lighter and they would escape. So, that does have a certain sacrificial lamb aspect to it as well.

Dear Hec, while Emmett is undoubtedly the best 9 near old evah, aren't you worried about spoiling him? Signed, didn't get a shuffle and a bike for MY birthday, damn it.

The only bike he currently has is a hand-me-down, and it's gotten too small for him. Hence the bike getting. As for the shuffle, it's sort of a practical consideration based on: his discman burns through batteries, it's bigger and heavier and his backpack is already insanely heavy and he's using up a lot of my blank discs to make burns. So it'll just be more portable for him and since he has to do a lot of commuting I'm just throwing some entertainment into that gap.

I wonder if there are cool podcasts for kids. Like...Dr. Demento or something.