English term
Legal, business, literature specialized
Native in: Spanish
Works in: English to Spanish, French to Spanish, Latin to English, and 4 more.
one drumstick short of a bargain bucket
Thinking that looking like a phoenix might draw too much unwanted attention, XXX transformed himself into a chicken as he was flying down from the mountains. The trouble is that his stubby chicken wings weren't too good at flying – and he landed on his head, losing all memory of who he is. Now he’s one ***drumstick short of a bargain bucket***!
Sometimes he almost remembers who he really is, but it never lasts long.
I would really appreciate the help of native speakers, as I understand this is a very idiomatic expression. Thanks for any help!
| 4 +5 | some components of his brain are missing |
Arabic & More
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| 3 +12 | a sandwich short of a picnic etc. |
Cilian O'Tuama
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| 5 | not quite the full shilling |
trsk2000 (X)
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| bargain bucket ref. |
Rachel Fell
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Feb 3, 2011 14:19: Tony M changed "Term asked" from "drumstick short of a bargain bucket" to "one drumstick short of a bargain bucket" , "Field (specific)" from "Cinema, Film, TV, Drama" to "Idioms / Maxims / Sayings"
Non-PRO (1): Tony M
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Responses
Jordan
Professional Writer and Translator
Native in: English (Variant: US) 
Works in: Arabic to English, English to Arabic, English
some components of his brain are missing
The drumstick thing is a reference to the bargain buckets of chicken pieces that you can get at a fastfood restaurant like KFC. The bucket is typically filled with enough pieces of chicken to feed an entire family. "One drumstick short" means that the bucket is missing a piece of chicken (the drumstick/leg).
So now that the person has fallen on his head and lost his memory, he is "one drumstick short."
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Joyce A
14 mins
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Thank you, Joyce!
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JapanLegal
: Yes, he's missing something that would have allowed him to function normally.
3 hrs
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Thank you, Shannon!
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JaneTranslates
4 hrs
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Thank you, Jane!
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Tina Vonhof (X)
: Good explanations. He is not crazy or mad, just lost his memory.
6 hrs
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Thank you, Tina!
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Mark Nathan
8 hrs
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Thank you, Mark!
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Germany
Quality Translations since 1986
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, English, German, and 6 more.
a sandwich short of a picnic etc.
a few beers short of a six-pack
one brick short of a load
a few fish short of a hatstand
not playing with a full deck [of cards]
to have bats in the belfrey
to have kangeroo loose in the top paddock
as crazy as a sack full of ferrets
out to lunch
as nutty as a fruit cake
as mad as a hatter
the lift doesn't go to the top floor
the lights are on, but nobody's home
to have a screw loose
not the sharpest knife in the drawer
not hitting on all six cylinders
and "drumstick" because it's part of a bird's leg, often a chicken's (deep-fried)
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kmtext
: Not quite all there, and the drumstick analogy is pretty clever. Ah, KFC...
5 mins
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Tony M
: "one prawn short of a barbie" — and the least imaged of all, "not quite all there"
8 mins
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About as sharp as a marble. / Driveway doesn't quite reach the road. / If you stand close enough to them you can hear the sea.
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Demi Ebrite
22 mins
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Joyce A
: I have chickens as pets so this idiom isn't politically correct. This fried drumstick stuff would hurt my chickens' feelings. :-P
39 mins
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so you keep chickens as pets - that's another one! :-)
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Thayenga
42 mins
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Rob Grayson
: A few grapes short of a bunch / the lift doesn't quite reach the top floor / the light's are on but there's no one in
43 mins
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jccantrell
: not the sharpest tool in the shed, a few bricks short of a full load, 10 cents short of a nickel .... Wasn't a similar question posted, oh, 2 weeks ago?
1 hr
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yes, German-English: http://www.proz.com/kudoz/german_to_english/idioms_maxims_sa...
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Sarah Bessioud
: I'm still a few planks short of a fence;-)
1 hr
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a few syllables short of a...
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Jack Doughty
2 hrs
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JapanLegal
3 hrs
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seems like your surname resembles mine - i don't come across that very often :-)
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Rachel Fell
17 hrs
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Jack Dunwell
: Poor old Bungalow Bill
21 hrs
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not quite the full shilling
Reference comments
United Kingdom
Thorough, knowledgeable and resourceful
Native in: English (Variant: UK) 
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, Italian to English, and 4 more.
bargain bucket ref.
http://www.kfc.co.uk/our-menu/buckets/bargain-bucket/
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Arabic & More
: Good reference!
7 hrs
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Thank you Amel:-)
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Discussion