"Sayings"?

[Evil Queen]

I love "sayings", but often wonder where they came from and how they got started.....

I'll fix his/her wagon

Go the whole 9 yards (why not 10 yards?)

It's raining cats and dogs

I could spit nails

What are some of your favorites??

 

[minnieandme]

Mine are whatchamacallit and thingamagig. Don't know what it actually is, but somehow whenever you use either of those words, the person you're talking to know exactly what you're referring to.

Other ones are:

bat outta hell

sweating like a pig

dog days of summer


I wonder who made these things up.

 

[tkd lisa]

I love "sayings", but often wonder where they came from and how they got started.....

I'll fix his/her wagon

Go the whole 9 yards (why not 10 yards?)

It's raining cats and dogs

I could spit nails

What are some of your favorites??

I read once where the "9 yards" thing came from. As I recall, it's something about a load of concrete, and how they used to short people, so they started asking "Is this the whole 9 yards?"

And I'll do your wagon one better? My family says "I'll fix his/her little red wagon"

My kids like "cool beans"

And I've been known to say "I'm going to throw you out to the Indians."

 

[Sparx]

the southerner in me pulled these up.

"colder than a witches...."-insert body part here-
"bleeding like a stuck pig"
"out till the cows come home"
"getting up with the chickens"
"thats enough to gag a maggot on the meat wagon"

I could go on and on.

 

[apirateslifeforme]

I want to know who came up with "I have the body of a god. Unfortunately, it's Buddha."

 

[suezpqt]

this one drive my husband bananas when I say it - don't really get way -

6 of 1 - half dozen of the other

I say it just to aggrevate him

 

[Evil Queen]

I want to know who came up with "I have the body of a god. Unfortunately, it's Buddha."

I have never heard that one, but that could be my motto...

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I also love sayings and their origins, so I bought this book, which explains a lot of them. http://www.amazon.com/Curious-Origi...=pd_bbs_1/002-2318739-2409654?ie=UTF8&s=books I drive my kids crazy with says and expressions.

 

[XYSRUS]

My favorite is an old one...His dimes are dropping...meaning there's no connection, like a pay phone! I say it all the time with my kids and then the person has no idea we think they're " not all there"!

 

[Syrreal]

I have heard that the whole 9 yards came along with WWI, when they were using machine guns they had 9 yards worth of bullets.

 

[Evil Queen]

I also love sayings and their origins, so I bought this book, which explains a lot of them. http://www.amazon.com/Curious-Origi...=pd_bbs_1/002-2318739-2409654?ie=UTF8&s=books I drive my kids crazy with says and expressions.

I'll have to look into getting that when I get back. Thanks.