Proper English?

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A woman's mind is too elusive to figure out, just like looking for a needle deep on the sea floor.
(a woman's mind unpredictable, like undersea needle elusive)

So, can we say:

A woman's mind, a needle on the sea floor?

Or:
A woman's heart-a needle undersea

Is it proper English?

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It's rather a goofy locution. There is a prosaic locution--looking for a needle in a haystack, which refers to an almost hopeless search. This appeas to me to be a figure of speech made up by someone who is not a native speaker of English. When something is said to be elusive, the visual image evoked is of a chase, rather than a search. A fox which escapes the hounds and the hunters is being successfully elusive.

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@Setanta,

Thanks.

A woman's mind - a needle in a haystack。

Is it proper in English?

1 Reply

@oristarA,

Yes, it would be proper English, but it would make no more sense than the first sentence. How about:

A woman's mind is as elusive as a summer breeze.

Frankly, i think you're just buying trouble writing things like this about the womenfolk.

1 Reply

@Setanta,

Relax Set.

Just say this to Chinese women. Very Happy

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oristarA, sometimes you appear to have some primitive ideas about women!

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@oristarA,

oristarA wrote:

A woman's mind is too elusive to figure out,
just like looking for a needle deep on the sea floor. That is good English.

(a woman's mind unpredictable, like undersea needle elusive)

So, can we say:

A woman's mind, a needle on the sea floor?

Or:
A woman's heart-a needle undersea

Is it proper English?

Neither of those 2 is a complete sentence.
Each is a sentence fragment.

1 Reply

@contrex,

Quote:

contrex wrote:
oristarA, sometimes you appear to have some primitive ideas about women!

Whoa, I just translated an old Chinese saying into English. Drunk

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@OmSigDAVID,

Thank you.

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@oristarA,

oristarA wrote:

Quote:
contrex wrote:
oristarA, sometimes you appear to have some primitive ideas about women!

Whoa, I just translated an old Chinese saying into English.

OK, but it is common to add a disclaimer unless you share the sentiment.

For example, supposing I tell the following joke:

Did you hear about the Chinese look-alike competition? Everybody won!

Just the joke alone would offend many people. People might think I had stupid ideas about Chinese people. If I wrote "This is an example of Western racism towards Asian people" then perhaps they might not.

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Proper English?

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