Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
Be bigger than a bread box
English answer:
of some substance / meaningful / to be reckoned with
Added to glossary by
Mark Xiang
Oct 13, 2004 09:19
19 yrs ago
5 viewers *
English term
20 YRS AS MECHANICAL/TECHNICAL ENGINEER!
Native in: Chinese 
Works in: English to Chinese, Chinese to English
Be bigger than a bread box
English
Tech/Engineering
IT (Information Technology)
Web services
What does it mean?
¡°You begin with the idea that [SOA] is bigger than a bread box. In other words, it¡¯s just a framework,¡± Underwood says. Although SOA ¡°has taken on a life of its own because of Web services¡± standards, Underwood believes a significant gap remains between Web services¡¯ potential and its current capabilities.
SOA: Service-Oriented Architecture
¡°You begin with the idea that [SOA] is bigger than a bread box. In other words, it¡¯s just a framework,¡± Underwood says. Although SOA ¡°has taken on a life of its own because of Web services¡± standards, Underwood believes a significant gap remains between Web services¡¯ potential and its current capabilities.
SOA: Service-Oriented Architecture
Responses
| 4 +2 | of some substance / meaningful / to be reckoned with |
Roddy Stegemann
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| 3 +2 | origin of the term |
nlingua
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Responses
+2
2 hrs
Roddy Stegemann
United States
United States
Native in English
&
English
United States
Search HKLNA!
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, Japanese to English, French to English, and 3 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Selected
of some substance / meaningful / to be reckoned with
Although I like and thank nlingua for explaining the origin of the expression, I would like to amend his interpretation somewhat.
Saying that something is bigger than a bread box tells the listener that the speaker does not have a clear idea about the size of a thing, but that he is certain that it, whatever the thing is, is substantial enough to be reckoned with.
Bread is to the West, what rice is to the East; it is a basic staple. Bread is also another name for money in local US vernacular. This conceptual imagery is contained in the idea of a bread box. Hence, the likely popularity of the expression.
It seems like such an antiquated expression, but then I have been away from the West for a very long time.
Disclaimer: My full use of this and other forums has been restricted for reasons unknown, so please forgive my lack of direct support for answers offered by other contributors and critical assessment of non-contributors who are misleading and/or abusive.
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Note added at 8 hrs 11 mins (2004-10-13 17:31:48 GMT)
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Note to Alexandra: What is a bread box a standard size for? Other boxes? Other containers of bread? Things that people store things in. Things that people carry? Things you find in a kitchen? Household items? Bread boxes may be standard household items, but without a clear standard for size, your standard is at best arbitrary, don\'t you think?
Saying that something is bigger than a bread box tells the listener that the speaker does not have a clear idea about the size of a thing, but that he is certain that it, whatever the thing is, is substantial enough to be reckoned with.
Bread is to the West, what rice is to the East; it is a basic staple. Bread is also another name for money in local US vernacular. This conceptual imagery is contained in the idea of a bread box. Hence, the likely popularity of the expression.
It seems like such an antiquated expression, but then I have been away from the West for a very long time.
Disclaimer: My full use of this and other forums has been restricted for reasons unknown, so please forgive my lack of direct support for answers offered by other contributors and critical assessment of non-contributors who are misleading and/or abusive.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 hrs 11 mins (2004-10-13 17:31:48 GMT)
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Note to Alexandra: What is a bread box a standard size for? Other boxes? Other containers of bread? Things that people store things in. Things that people carry? Things you find in a kitchen? Household items? Bread boxes may be standard household items, but without a clear standard for size, your standard is at best arbitrary, don\'t you think?
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Deborah Workman
: The term isn't really used appropriately here, but your suggestions of how to write around it are good. The point is that it's bigger (i.e., more complex) than whatever the writer/reader consider average.
2 hrs
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Yes, more than what the listener may have had in mind. Thanks!
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| neutral |
nlingua
: I think I made Deborah's point (about complexity) in my note.
2 hrs
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The key word in Deborah's comments are bigger and more. The bread box is an unknown minimum condition that suggests importance. Complexity can mean hopelessness and confusion in addition to importance. Our interpretations of the expression are different.
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| agree |
Mario Marcolin
8 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks to all of you for sparing time to enlighten me!"
+2
7 mins
origin of the term
From http://www.steveallen.com/author/book_pages/Breadbox.htm
I quote:
On the TV show "What's My Line?", the panelists, tried to determine the guest's occupation. This often involved guessing the nature of a product with which the guests might be identified and ... finding out the size of the product. Allen's commonest question along this interrogative route, heard so often that it became a running gag, was "Is it bigger than a breadbox?"
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Note added at 8 mins (2004-10-13 09:28:25 GMT)
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Not that this even *begins* to answer your question.....
uh ... what *was* your question, exactly? :-D
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Note added at 11 mins (2004-10-13 09:30:50 GMT)
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I think they are referring to the complexity of the SOA
see this: http://www.richlanza.com/aboutrich/articles/softwareest.htm
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Asghar Bhatti
1 hr
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thanks
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| agree |
Alexandra Tussing
: It's originally from a children's game. When someone thinks about an object and you have to guess what it is. So for size, you would often ask that, 'cause breadbox is a common thing of a rather standard size.
6 hrs
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thanks
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Discussion