can’t tell
his arse from his elbow = no tiene ni puta idea
kɑːnt tɛl ɪz ɑːs frəm ɪz ˈɛlbəʊ
El significado de
can’t tell
his arse from his elbow(literalmente, "no sabe distinguir su culo de
su codo") es llamar a alguien tonto o decirle que
no sabe nada.
II'm not
surprised to hear that she got lost two blocks away from
her house—she can't tell her arse from her elbow.
Esta vulgar
expresión se originó en los cuarteles en la segunda
guerra mundial, y no es la única de este estilo. Otras
similares serían: "doesn't know his arse from a hole
in the ground", "doesn't know enough to pee
downwind", "doesn't know whether to scratch his
watch or wind his ass", "doesn't know his brass
from his woodwind" y "doesn't know shit from
Shinola" (Shinola es una marca americana de crema de
zapatos).
