# matchstick men



## an0405

Can anybody explain what it means in Polish or English (where it comes from)?
thank you.


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## robin74

Matchstick man to jest taka schematyczna postać ludzka, wyglądająca jakby była zrobiona z zapałek. A jakiś kontekst?
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/2842/msman.jpg


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## WordOrder

robin74 said:
			
		

> A jakiś kontekst?



Probably that. The title of the movie stay a riddle for me.


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## Szkot

My immediate reaction was to think of the human figures in the industrial landscapes of the Engish painter L.S. Lowry.  His work was immortalised  in a naff pop song of the 1970s - 'Matchstick men and matchstick cats and dogs'.


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## an0405

it is a title of a film. szkot, how would you explain what matchstick mean?


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## Szkot

To me it sounds like people who are deficient in human emotions, personality and so on.  Not fully-rounded human beings.


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## Cynthia F

According to the following website: 

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/eric-garcia/matchstick-men.htm

Matchstick men seems to be American slang for con-artists.

I immediately thought the same as Szkot - Lowry's paintings and remembered the 1970s song!!


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## an0405

so this means 'artist cheaters'?
can dogs and cats be cheaters?

I do not see in what it refers to the industrial paintings? the people in the paintings were cheaters?


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## Cynthia F

an0405

I'm sorry we (I) seemed to have confused you! 

Your original question asked about matchstick men in the film. In this context it means a con-man or a a trickster (sometimes in British English this is called a con-artist - it doesn't mean a painter as such, it means someone who is an expert in confidence tricks)  - I don't know the correct Polish word but maybe something like - naciągacz.
http://en.bab.la/dictionary/english-polish/con-artist 

I am sure the native Polish speakers will have lots of words for a con-man to share with you 

As for the part about industrial paintings - this was slightly off topic, sorry! It also doesn't refer to your original question - it was an observation from those of us who speak British English. 

In the 1970s a song was in the pop charts which was called Matchstick men and matchstick cats and dogs - and it was based on the industrial style paintings of a man called LS Lowry - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._S._Lowry who painted people very simply and they became known as matchstick men, which is why before realising you were talking about a movie, we thought of Lowry's matchstick men. Sorry for the confusion. I hope this helps!


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## an0405

Many thanks Cynthia, it is clear to me now. Why these simply people in Lowry's paintings have been called Matchstick men? I understand it is a second totally different meaning of 'matchstick people' which means 'simply', industrial people in Lowry's paintings?


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## Cynthia F

According to Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._S._Lowry 

Lowry is famous for painting scenes of life in the industrial districts of Northern England during the early 20th century. *He had a distinctive style of painting and is best known for urban landscapes peopled with human figures often referred to as "matchstick men".* 

I think because of the simplicity of his human characters they were known as match-stick people.  

You would draw a circle for the head, and 4 straight lines - for body, arms and legs ie, sticks. A matchstick person - in the very simplest form is the picture that *robin74* showed earlier in the thread. I think Lowry's "matchstick men" were slightly more advanced than this however 

I don't know about in Poland, but when children in the UK are learning to draw, they usually draw "stick" people! 

But I don't really know the history of the name or where "stick" comes from to describe this! This has probably confused you even more (I'm sorry if it has!).


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## an0405

Cynthia,
your answer is perfect, and now I understand it. Thank you very much. 
Maybe 'match' comes from matches (for fire) as a child I made 'people' from matches and for example a chest (for head). Sticks are understandable. 

There are two meanings:
1. con artist = cheaters, (naciagacze)
2. 'stick people' = people represented in a simple form ex. from sticks, or matchsticks, (ludziki z zapalek).  

Thank you for your help!
Anna


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