Smarter Than the Average Bear

I came across a fun idiom today that I had to share with you ... Smarter Than the Average Bear. All it really means is that the person being talked about is smarter than average. But, you may be asking where the "bear" came from. That would be Yogi Bear, a vintage cartoon character from the 20th Century.
This bear lived in Jellystone Park (a reference to Yellowstone Park in the United States), and he would trick the tourists out of their picnic lunches because ... he was "smarter than the average bear."

It can also be used to reference someone who is better than average at anything. Just today, I was telling a friend that her progress with her New Year's resolutions were far better than the average bear.

Enjoy your new idiom of the day!

17 comments:

  1. nice post thanks for sharing...

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  2. nice post thanks for sharing...i found your blog thrue other follower im looking for to visit more...blessings

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  3. Did you see my Bear Hug post on my Agent 54 blog. My sister and I thought it was funny.

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  4. Wait, wait, wait....!! Yogi was a "vintage bear from the 20th century"??!? :-/ You make it sound like it was a long time ago! {what?}

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    1. A cartoon based on a character from The Honeymooners (and baseball player Yogi Berra) and that hasn't had consistent first run episodes since the 1970s? Yes, I would classify that as a while ago. Especially since the post is designed for people who may be less familiar with 20th Century American culture.

      Don't get me wrong. I was a kid in the 70s, and I loved Yogi Bear. Just think of it this way. "Vintage" is far better than "old." lol ;)

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogi_Bear

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  5. Your blog is better than the average bear.

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  6. I've never heard a man use it in that context before. I've actually only heard it in a complimentary way. However, I suppose anything can be twisted to be turned into at best a backhanded compliment or at worst an insult.

    P.S. I think an entry for "backhanded compliment" might be on the horizon. lol

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  7. I think that you're all smarter than the average chicken

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  8. Do you think when woman lumps all men together in a general statement as women haters, its condescending and, perhaps sexist?

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  9. Most scientists believe that bears are one of the most intelligent land animals in North America. Not sure if Yogi fits that bill, but Smokey just might. We definitely need more bear cartoons.

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  10. I'm willing to bet that I am smarter even than the average Bruin, a select group to begin with.

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