A Medley of Metaphors: Happy Thanksgiving

Ruby Hawk brought us some of the old familiar sayings that we would hear our parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles say. Reading these in We are Losing More and More of Old Folks Sayings, A Jack Pot of Old Folk Sayings, and More Old Folk Sayings We are Losing, brought back many wonderful memories, as did the memorial service our friends and family held recently in honor of my father.

I come from a family of Scotch, French, and Irish heritage, but I also come from a quick witted father and a creative mother. Some of the sayings that have been passed down to us may perhaps have a personal twist added, so it is hard to differentiate in what was perhaps the original and what we have grown up hearing.

I often wished that I had the quick wit of my father. He was often (forgive the language) referred to as a “smart ass”, but those who referred to him that way quickly were told that it is better to be a “smart ass than a dumb one.” As one after another stood and commented on recollections of my father, it became abundantly clear that Dad had left something with everyone, even if it was just the way he said “Glad you could see me today.” His quick wit brought many a smile to a face, and sometimes a wonderful belly laugh.

Some of these idioms stumped me so bad as a child. I had to grow up to get the gist of the meaning, but some still puzzle me such as “What in tarnation have you been up to? Microsoft does not recognize the word tarnation, and I sure do not know what it means. You can kind of follow the context and place a meaning to it. But why did they not just ask something like “What in the world have you been up to” or better yet “What have you been up to?” It was almost like the mystique meant something too.

Britches – why so much talk about britches? Girls could not wear pants to school, but if they misbehaved, they could get their britches tanned. Men wore the britches in the family. Does anyone now days refer to pants as britches?

Who were Peter and Paul? Mom always fussed at Dad (supposedly out of our hearing) about having to rob Peter to pay Paul. I never could figure out who these gentlemen were.