Everywhere in Dublin, we’re seeing huge ads for the McDonald’s quarter pounder with cheese. The ads (see photo) show a close-up of the burger, paired with a huge and puzzling tag line: “It’s no big girl’s blouse.”
It’s no big girl’s blouse?
I’m not shy, so I asked a local boy, “What does ‘big girl’s blouse’ mean, exactly?”
His pale Irish cheeks went red and he laughed and laughed.
“What?” I said. “What? Tell me what it means!”
He just kept laughing. “No. I don’t know. I really don’t.” And then he kept on laughing.
So I gave up talking with humans and hit the ‘net. One Google search later took me to a site for international English idioms, including — you guessed it — “big girl’s blouse.”
As it turns out, the quarter pounder with cheese … is no sissy.
This is hilarious! My mother and I visited Ireland in 2006 and saw the same ads, and we were also completely confused. I happened to be watching an episode of Doctor Who tonight and remembered this phrase, then a quick google search brought me to your post. Thanks for sharing and I hope your trip to Ireland was as fantastic as ours!