I was hoping somebody could help me out with understanding two phrases from the book An American Marriage by Tayari Jones.?
the two phrases are "clean pretty" and "Jasmine in Bernadette's clothing". As I'm doing research on this book I would appreciate it if you could help clarify their meaning or what they refer to.
Here is some context: They both had that clean pretty, like Thelma from Good Times, my first TV crush. But no, as far as my mama was concerned, Celestial looked right, but she was from a different world—Jasmine in Bernadette’s clothing. I was hoping somebody could help explain two phrases from the book An American Marriage by Tayari Jones.?
Answers
bluebellbkk
I'm not familiar with the book or the author, but to me the phrase 'They both had that clean pretty' reads like black slang, meaning 'a clean kind of prettiness'. I can't help with the other expression, except that I suppose it could be a distant reference to 'a sheep in wolf's clothing', meaning 'somebody dressed to look better than they really are'.
Marli
The book refers to an old [1980's] television situation comedy, named "Good Times". Ask at the "Entertainment - Television" category for the reference. Since the characters were black and working class, the phrase might be a "black phrase" or a "New York" phrase.
Sir Caustic
I don't know, but it sounds incredibly saucy and, well, filthy, mo, if y' know what I mean!
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