Paul Starick: Peter Malinauskas’s sloppy seconds definition seemed fair enough to me
Perhaps I’ve got food on the brain but Peter Malinauskas’s sloppy seconds definition seemed fair enough to me, writes Paul Starick.
SA News
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Perhaps I’ve got food, rather than sex, on the brain. But I always thought the primary meaning of sloppy seconds was related to poor cuisine offerings, rather than sexual slang.
So it came as no great surprise to hear Premier Peter Malinauskas this morning explain his use last week of the term “in reference to leftover seconds on a plate, in respect of food”.
His rival, Opposition Leader David Speirs, begs to differ and argues it “seems to be just another example of the Premier’s very loose locker room language”.
Perhaps I’ve spent too much time in the cloistered surrounds of the newsroom and not enough in the locker room but sloppy seconds didn’t immediately strike me as a crude double entendre.
What is certain, though, is that it’s another example of when seemingly trivial language choices can become a hotly contested topic at the forefront of debate, particularly on the serious and important subject of sexism.
Clearly, Mr Speirs, Liberal Michelle Lensink (shadow minister for women) and Greens co-leader Tammy Franks believe the coarser version is the primary meaning.
An Opposition media alert on Tuesday morning said Ms Lensink and Ms Franks would “join forces with gender equality advocate Georgia Heath to call out Peter Malinauskas’ unacceptable sexist comment from last week – the latest in a series of insulting remarks relating to women”.
My 1992 Macquarie Dictionary has no reference for sloppy seconds, nor does the Oxford Dictionary online. Grammarly, the hot app of the moment, is silent on the matter. Dictionary.com has a slang section, which says it “refers to dating someone after they’ve just broken up with someone in your immediate social group”.
“Sometimes, it refers to having sex with someone who’s just finished a sexual act with someone else,” Dictionary.com says.
There are, though, numerous references to the food-related version online.
There’s a Sloppy 2nds BBQ food stand catering in California’s Sacramento area, plus a Sloppy Seconds food truck in El Paso, Texas. Virginia Beach, in Virginia, boasts a Sloppy Seconds Bar & Grill, with a motto: “You only live once. Go for seconds.”
Whatever the correct definition, the Premier won’t be going for seconds.
Asked on ABC Radio if he would use the term again now the sexual meaning had been pointed out, Mr Malinauskas said: “No, I think that’s a term best avoided, particularly in a press conference.”
More Coverage
Originally published as Paul Starick: Peter Malinauskas’s sloppy seconds definition seemed fair enough to me
$50m in the chamber as funding for steelworks unspent since 2017
Millions of dollars in promised Whyalla steelworks support has been holstered and left languishing as locals struggle under the weight of unpaid bills.
Detective shines light on what went wrong investigating Lasonya’s death
A police officer who investigated the death of a mother discovered being eaten by dogs has told an inquest on reflection she would have done several things differently.