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Phrase: Dig in the ribs
We can dig in the sand at the beach and have a nice rib dinner at a restaurant afterwards, but that has nothing to do with digging someone in the ribs.
If you dig someone in the ribs, you are trying to get their attention, often because you want them to look at something.
Sure, you can tap their shoulder, but others could easily see that gesture.
If you want to get someone’s attention secretly or without another person noticing, you can dig them in the ribs with your elbow.
Naturally, to do this, you must be standing or sitting directly next to them.
People often do this when they want to share a private joke or get one of their friends to look at something funny.
Imagine you are in a movie theatre.
Your friend is sitting to your right, but to the left and slightly in front of you, a person is sleeping with their head in a very funny position.
Sure, you could point and say, look at that, but that would attract attention to both of you.
With pointing and speaking out loud, not options, you can dig your friend in the ribs and then nod your head in the direction of the amusing sleeper.
By doing this, you can share your private joke, both get a chuckle out of it, and no one else will be the wiser.
OK, that’s all we have for today.
The next time you want to attract your friend’s attention, share a private joke or get them to look at something, give them a dig in the ribs and nod your head.
Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test
This post is understandable by someone with at least a 7th-grade education (age 12).
On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 77.
The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100.
