Connie - thanks for explaining that, I was quite ignorant of the meaning of that phrase until now. Apologies, kamion, for misunderstanding you. As I said in reply to joelglaine, it's so easy for our meaningful words to mean something different to someone else.
Izi

"If I were a shadow, I know I wouldn't like to be half of what I should be."
Mr Otsuka, the old black tomcat in Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami)