Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[missdaredevil]

Iran, a nation that often feels exotic, caught someplace between an *anything goes* attitude...

What does that mean?

Thanks

[bud]

Anything goes = no rules are being followed.

[LucentShade]

"Anything goes" usually refers to moral rules and social customs, so an "anything goes" society is one where behavior doesn't follow strict or religious rules. However, normal laws are still followed--"anything goes" doesn't mean that murder, assault, and robbery are suddenly acceptable.

Just for fun, here's a song that uses that expression--the song is from the 1930s, so some of the words will be strange:

ANYTHING GOES (by Cole Porter)
Times have changed,
And we've often rewound the clock,
Since the Puritans got a shock,
When they landed on Plymouth Rock.
If today,
Any shock they should try to stem,
'Stead of landing on Plymouth Rock,
Plymouth Rock would land on them.
In olden days a glimpse of stocking
Was looked on as something shocking,
But now, God knows,
Anything Goes.
Good authors too who once knew better words,
Now only use four letter words
Writing prose, Anything Goes.
The world has gone mad today
And good's bad today,
And black's white today,
And day's night today,
When most guys today
That women prize today
Are just silly gigolos
And though I'm not a great romancer
I know that I'm bound to answer
When you propose,
Anything goes
When grandmama whose age is eighty
In night clubs is getting matey with gigolo's,
Anything Goes.
When mothers pack and leave poor father
Because they decide they'd rather be tennis pros,
Anything Goes.
If driving fast cars you like,
If low bars you like,
If old hymns you like,
If bare limbs you like,
If Mae West you like
Or me undressed you like,
Why, nobody will oppose!
When every night,
The set that's smart
Is intruding in nudist parties in studios,
Anything Goes.

The world has gone mad today
And good's bad today,
And black's white today,
And day's night today,
When most guys today
That women prize today
Are just silly gigolos
And though I'm not a great romancer
I know that I'm bound to answer
When you propose,
Anything goes

If saying your prayers you like,
If green pears you like
If old chairs you like,
If back stairs you like,
If love affairs you like
With young bears you like,
Why nobody will oppose!

And though I'm not a great romancer
And though I'm not a great romancer
I know that I'm bound to answer
When you propose,
Anything goes...
Anything goes!

[missdaredevil]

Can that be used to describe a person? A carefree one?

Thanks

[bud]

It'd be more plausible to descibe that carefree person's attitude as "anything goes" (in casual speech).

"Wait till you meet Karen. You'll get a kick out of her. She's got an anything-goes kind of attitude/personality." (The hyphen is needed when using it as an adjective.)

[Brian Boyd]

I think that's the song that Willie sings in the opening scene of 'Indianna Jones and the Temple of Doom'.

Brian
_________________
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Comics for students ...

http://www.grammarmancomic.com

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