ring a bell

ring a bell
In a rural Wisconsin town, the local church erected a belfry and bell tower to the top of the church to add to the sevices for Sunday. Unfortunately, the job required somone to not only ring the bell at the appropriate times, but to act as a live in caretaker for the bell, keeping the belfry clear of bats, oiling the hinges, etc. To solve this problem, the pastor placed an ad for the available position. Along came a man who was very enthusiastic about the job, regardless of his handicap. You see, the man was missing both arms. The pastor wanted to hire the guy, but said,"You don't have any arms. How can you ring the bell?" The guy convinced the pastor to agree that if he could ring the bell, he could have the job. The guy then runs up the stairs to the belfry to set about ringing the bell. He takes a running start and slams his face into the bell. The bell makes a loug BONG to which the pastor and the rest of the town are happy to hear. In keeping with physics, however, the bell swings out, then swings back, knocking the guy off the belfry and dropping him to his death below. The spectators crowd around the body, with the pastor pushing his way to the center. One of the onlookers asks who the recent fatality was, to which the pastor says, "I don't know, but his face sure rang a bell." The next day another man came in looking for the same job. He also had no arms. The pastor asks this man why he wants the job. "Well, that was my brother who died yesterday, and now I have both his and my family to support." The pastor nods and lets him try ringing the bell too. However, the same fate befalls him. He plummets to his death below, and when the pastor reaches the body, someone asks who the dead man was, to which the pastor replies, "I don't know, but he's a dead ringer for his brother."

English expressions. 2014.

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  • ring a bell — {v. phr.} To make you remember something; sound familiar. * /Not even the cat s meowing seemed to ring a bell with Judy. She still forgot to feed him./ * /When Ann told Jim the name of the new teacher it rang a bell, and Jim said, I went to… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • ring a bell — If something rings a bell, it reminds you of something you have heard before, though you may not be able to remember it very well. A name may ring a bell, so you know you have heard the name before, but cannot place it properly …   The small dictionary of idiomes

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  • ring a bell — ► ring a bell informal sound vaguely familiar. Main Entry: ↑bell …   English terms dictionary

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  • ring a bell —    If something rings a bell, it reminds you of something you have heard before, though you may not be able to remember it very well. A name may ring a bell, so you know you have heard the name before, but cannot place it properly.   (Dorking… …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • ring a bell — if a phrase or a word, especially a name, rings a bell, you think you have heard it before. Does the name Fitzpatrick ring a bell? No, I m sorry, that description doesn t ring any bells with me. (often + with) …   New idioms dictionary

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