Your rant about busting out proved so inspirational to me that I suddenly felt moved to rant as I stood in my kitchen cleaning up my brother's spilled Peanut Butter M & M's... don't you just love those things? It was as though a large magnetic force pulled me to the computer... or perhaps it was pushing me...

See, during our intellectual discussion of the merits of busting it out, we mentioned that each person must find his or her own appropriate adaptation of this phrase in life. I realized that I already have a similar phrase with a somewhat related meaning. If we were to organize these phrases in the same manner that scientists organize the animal kindgom, the phrases would be in the same (Kingdom Phlyum Class Order Family....) Genus. I can only remember one if I say all the names before it.

I tend to use the phrase "bust out", which at first glance does indeed bear resemblance to "bust IT out." "Bust out" means to use in a showy fashion, especially after a long period of un-use, or for something particularly impressive. As with all expressions I use, it can be employed to make fun of something or someone. For example, the other day Jeff Montez and I were conversating via IM and he used a Spanish, actualmente, which native speakers seldom use and is mainly used by high school Spanish students and Americans like myself who travel to Spanish-speaking nations and are told there that no one says that. (Even though he is my Mexican-American Jew he does not speak Spanish fluently.... but that's another story). So I said, "Oooooh, look who's busting out the espaņol."

You can bust out a lot of things. Cooler Ranch Doritos, a halter top, or a Kris Kros Da Bomb CD are all possible items that could be busted out in some situation or another. But busting out things like the expression "You're all up in my Kool-Aid and you don't even know the flavor" or an Alf pin is not the same as busting IT out.

Busting IT out is quite different. On some levels, busting IT out is a variation of busting out... I mean after all, busting out involves things that are infrequently used, and busting out involves some surprise element. And we all know that IT aka the TRUTH is definitely infrequent and often surprising.

But yet, busting IT out is a level above the simple bust out. Busting IT out is much more serious,
especially if it is preceded by "Boag." Whereas a bust out does provide you with a slight sense of
empowerment, it is used more to make you proud. You know, "Yeah, no one was expecting me to bust out the past subjunctive. I'm so good." However, busting IT out seems to serve a higher purpose of making you feel not only empowered, but also liberated. You can bust IT out and it's okay. Because you BUSTED IT OUT.

Anyways, now that I have ranted I am going to go bust out the Peanut Butter M & M's.

 

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