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'SPLAIN TO ME

I have found myself using somewhat quaint terms that I have heard all my life and have no explanation of what they really mean.
i.e: " My ass is grass".....I used this term tonight to refer that my cat, Ted, is out...on the loose and must be brought in before DD gets home and finds out....
Another one is "ass over tea kettle". Yet another is "got my ass in a sling over that".
My mom used to refer to my oldest brother being "Pecks bad boy" (I finally had to google that one)!
What are some terms that you have grown up with and it elicits a smile or a cocked eyebrow when you use it.

Tags: completemysteries, familysayings, whatthehelldoesthatmean

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Permalink Reply by Jaylee53 on June 14, 2010 at 4:33pm

"When my ship comes in."

"That's the bees knees."

Permalink Reply by d's girl on June 14, 2010 at 4:51pm

yes, Jaylee, that "bees knees" one doesn't entertain or amuse me at all. It just makes no sense. ;-p

Permalink Reply by Quinn on June 14, 2010 at 5:03pm

My Dad used to say, "Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite."
WTH does that mean???

Permalink Reply by Jaylee53 on June 14, 2010 at 5:11pm

Creepy wish if you ask me. I'd bet it has something to do with living in tenements and close living quarters.or a sketchy Motel 6....wrap yourself up tight in a sheet...etc.

Same with that prayer...."If I should die before I wake...." great way to scare the hell out of a little kid if you ask me....

Permalink Reply by Doesn't Matter on June 14, 2010 at 5:31pm

Not a wonder my kids are all alcoholics :) I've always loved the ole'......."This is gonna hurt me more than it's gonna hurt you". Yeah......right :)

Permalink Reply by P.A. on June 14, 2010 at 5:32pm

That saying comes from as far back as colonial days. Most people slept on rope beds, beds with woven ropes under some sort of mattress. These beds were much more comfortable when the ropes were tight. Hence sleep tight. Bed bugs were and still are in many places a fact of life and you didn't want to get biten in your sleep.

Permalink Reply by Quinn on June 14, 2010 at 6:05pm

I always thought it was in reference to my Mother's housekeeping ;-)

Permalink Reply by Bob Stepp on June 14, 2010 at 6:04pm

......."faster than a dose of salts through a widow woman"
Don't know the origin of that....not sure I want to either.

Permalink Reply by Snagg on June 15, 2010 at 11:47am

I love hearing talkative old farts begin reeling off weird aphorisms. I swear I once listened as a guy in his 90's sat on his porch, took a deep breath and described a less-than-intelligent acquaintance with "You could take his brains, stuff 'em up a gnat's ass and they'd still rattle around like a bee-bee in a boxcar." Yes, the speaker was wearing bibb overalls and a Red Bud cap.

I was at an old job, and one of the newer employees made the mistake of telling the boss that he'd had a weird dream the night before. Your average boss would probably say something like "Oh, Really?", but this one roared "Yeah, I had a dream last night, too! I DREAMED THAT MY ASS WAS A SWEET POTATO PATCH AND YOU WERE A LOOSE HOG ROOTIN' AROUND IN IT!!!", and believe me, when this guy said it, there was nothing suggestive or sneaky-dirty-sounding about it. He just wasn't a "small talk" kinda guy.

Another: "I'm gonna lay a love tap on top of that wart you call a head SO HARD that you're gonna have to reach up to tie your shoelaces!" Stuff like that makes me wonder about the personal levels of expectation of quality in others that have been so poorly met that their failure can inspire an outburst of that magnitude. There must be some hard-to-please folks out there....

'SPLAIN TO ME

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