[MsM]

Did you ever wonder about some of the sayings people use?
I mean, how do you even know if a clam is happy?

Or "cute as a button". Really? A button is cute? That's the best you can do?

Any more sayings that strike you as odd? (Or maybe its just me...)

[JoZ]

I learned it as "happy as a clam at high tide" which makes a bit more sense. I guess if the clam is totally immersed in water, that's pretty much ideal… for a clam! No idea about "cute as a button", though I guess a button nose is cute.

What about "pleased as punch"? Should that be Punch, proper name, as in Punch and Judy -- or some other Punch who is, um, pleased? And don't get me started on "quiet as a mouse", coined by someone who never had them in the walls!

[JoZ]

And I knew this would happen as soon as I posted! What about "easy as pie"? Or "fit as a fiddle"?

[mroades]

flatter than a fritter makes sense...lol

[cowboymom]

"healthy as a horse" always wonders me...

[sk_pacer]

How about Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey? Which, btw, just about describes the temp here.

[mroades]

colder than a witch's tit??? How exactly did that one come around?...lol

[K~2]

Weirdly, I was contemplating happy as a clam as I was cleaning stalls the other day

Maybe because their "mouths" look like they are smiling all the time?

As to the brass monkey, I know the answer to that one! Aboard ships they would pile their cannon balls into pyramids, and would be contained in a brass square called a brass monkey so they would not roll around the deck. They were brass so the iron balls would not rust to the metal. When it would get cold, the brass would constrict and the balls would roll out on deck.

[mroades]

Also "fine as froghair" which I actually get, but ewwww

[MunchingonHay]

easy as pie used to be, " easy as eating pie" because in real life making a pie is hard. then it just got shortened. That is what I heard anyway.

And I knew this would happen as soon as I posted! What about "easy as pie"? Or "fit as a fiddle"?

[TheJenners]

Well...how fast IS a New York Minute, anyways??? I mean, everyone's on foot and the traffic sucks, so???

[twotrudoc]

Yeah, easy as pie my rear. Lemon meringue is the debbil!

[lovey1121]

And what the heck, who the heck is a doubting Thomas?

[LaurieB]

As to the brass monkey, I know the answer to that one! Aboard ships they would pile their cannon balls into pyramids, and would be contained in a brass square called a brass monkey so they would not roll around the deck. They were brass so the iron balls would not rust to the metal. When it would get cold, the brass would constrict and the balls would roll out on deck.

I love that explanation. Thank you!

[Ambitious Kate]

Wasn't there one of the apostles who was a doubter? Was that Thomas? I could be way off on that. Its not a saying, but I always wondered about Yankee doodle who went to town to buy a pony, and put a feather in his cap and called it macaroni. And yes, there is an explaination for that. It was a taunt, back when boston was occupied by the British, it was a taunt which the bristish soldiers would make at colonials - they would follow the colonial boys along the road, lock-step and make fun of the 'yankees' who were too poor to buy a wig - singing that song, because the fasion of the time was to wear a wig with curls at your ears and it was called a macaroni. Making fun of the colonials who didn't know about the european fasion or couldn't afford it. The colonials, us yankees, now, when they began to rise up and rebel against the brits took the song as their own and made it into their marching song, and sung it proudly to undo the taunt and bullying of the brit soldiers. To this day, its a revolutionary war times song of our independence from Britian.

[Kairoshorses]

All of these expressions have really great origins. They simply get lost in time.

Happy as a clam at high tide comes from the idea that you can only hunt/harvest clams during low tide....otherwise, they're under water. So at high tide, they're happy because they can't be harvested. The phrase just got shortened.

I love the brass monkey expression. Certainly changes the image in MY head!

Doubting Thomas was a disciple who, after hearing that Jesus had risen, said he wouldn't believe it until he put his hand in the holes in Jesus' hand. He eventually did stick his finger/hand in the holes, and believed when he met the risen Jesus on the road--but he doubted until he had "real" proof in front of him.

One of my favs is "hole in the wall". I vaguely remember that it dated back to Europe when the priests kept crypts (holes in the walls) with bodies--and, to make money, they would sell food to people. Thus, you'd eat in a modest place for very little, surrounded by holes in the walls, some of which were filled!

[MsM]

But nobody has explained the cute buttons!

[Ambitious Kate]

Half-assed

I got this from a website called 'what's the meaning of this?" They say and I quote:

"We've all heard the phrase that something was done "half-ass," but few people stop to wonder what such a ridiculous expression could possibly mean. The term "half-ass" evolved from "half-adz." An adz is an axelike tool with a curved blade used for shaping wood. If you were wealthy and paid top-dollar for a new fireplace, the mantle would be shaped using an adz in the front as well as the back side, which isn't visible. However, if you weren't wealthy and wanted to save money, you could have only the front visible portion of the mantle shaped, this cheaper job being a "half-adz" job."

thought that was interesting.

[lovey1121]

Becky not only did I give your post the green thumb; I want to tell you personally that I very much appreciated your post

ETA Oops green thumbs to you too, Kate!

[lovey1121]

How about a chip on his/her shoulder?