2107 Curious Word Origins, Sayings and Expressions from White Elephants to a Song & Dance

981 Pages·1948·12.31 MB·English

by  Charles Earle Funk

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CURIOUS WORD
081GIIS,
SIYIIGS I
EXPRESSIONS
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CHARLE. EARLE
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CURIWOOURSD
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EXPRESSIOIS
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CHARLES EARLE
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DRAWINGS BY TOM FUNK
Galahad Books· New York
Previoupsulbyl ishiendf ours eapratveo lumeass
A HOG ON ICEAN D OTHERC URIOUS EXPRESSIONS
Copyrig©h t1 948b yH arpeCro lliPnusb lisheIrnsc,.
THEREBYH ANGS A TALE
Copyrig©h t1 950b yH arpeCro lliPnusb lishIenrcs.
HEAVENST O BETSY!
Copyrig©h t1 955b y CharleEsa rlFeu nk;c opyrigrhetn ewe©d 1983b y
BeulaMh . Funk
HORSEFEATHERASN D OTHERC URIOUS WORDS.
Copyrig©h t1 958b yC harleEsa rlFeu nk,J r.
Copyrigrhetn ewe©d 1986b y CharleEsa rlFeu nk, Jr.
Allr ighrteses rvedN.o parotf t hiwso rkm ay ber eproducterda,n smitted
ina nyf ormo rb ya nym eanse,l ectroonrim ce chanicianlc.l uding
photocopyirnegc,o rdionrg ,a niyn formatsitoonr aagned r etriesvyaslt e,m
withoupte rmissiionwn r itifnrgo mt hep ublishAelrlr. e quesftosr
permissitoor ne produmcaet erifarlo mt hiwso rks houlbde d irectteod
HarpeCro lliPnusb lishIernsc,.1 ,0 Eas5t3 rdS t.N,e w YorkN,Y 10022.
Publishiend1 993 by
GalahaBdo oks
A divisioofBn u dgeBto okS ervicIen,c .
386P arkA venueS outh
New YorkN,Y 10016
Publishbeyd a rrangemewnitt hH arpeCro lliPnusb lisheIrnsc,.
Lirbaryo fC ongreCsast aloCga rdN umber9:3 -78584
ISBN0:- 88365-845-3
Printiendt heU niteSdt ateosfA merica
CONTENTS
A Hog
on Ice
3
Thereby
Hangs a
Tale
203
Heavens
to Betsy!
509
Horsefeathers
719
Index
955
��ll(0V�1
CURIOUS WORD
081GIIS,
SIYIIGS I
EXPRESSIONS
ftr"M�
\� �illtill1ru�
TI
�.o.a�
..... .
CHARLE. EARLE
I1WOOlOO
I. .W 'I.S I' YO. FUI.
A HOG ON ICE
AndO ther
CuriEoxupsr essions
Tot hmeem ory
of mmyo ther,
CyntEhllieaFn u nk
FOREWORD
CURIOSITY
aboutth eo rigoifna ne xpresstihoamnty mothefrr e­
quentulsye sdt arttehdei nvesttiiogwnah ichha sl edt ot hec ontents
oft hibso okW.h enevesrh es awa pompoupse rsosnt ruttdionwgn
thes treae tg,i rlle aditnhge w ay toa restaurtaanbtlw ei thout
heeditnhge h eadw aitegru'isd a,n ceyao ungm anw ithh ata tilt
jauntsitlryi dailnognw gi thoau cta rien t hew orladb ,a byw hoh ad
juslte arnteodw alki gnoritnhgeo utstrethcahnedod fi tmso ther,
sucahp ersosnh,ea lwayssa iwdi tah t ososf h ero wnh eadw,a s" as
independaesna t h ogo n ice.S"h em eantc ockiilnyd ependent,
supremecloyn fidebneth,o ld�eonn oo ne.
N ow my mothewra sb orna ndb rouguhpto na f arimn s outhern
Ohioi,n a regiwohno llgyi veonv etro f armSsh.e k newf ulwle ll
thaat h apl�hsso gt hafto unidt seulpfo nt hei cew oulbde u tterly
helpleusnsa,b lteor isiet,fs e estp rawloeudti na ldli rectiSoon s.
whyd ids heu set hiesx pression wai ctohn tsruamcrehya ninOgf?
courseI,n evetrh ougthota skh erw hilseh ew asl iviInd go;u bnto w,
inf actth,a sth ec oulhda vteo lmde .I tw asa sayitnhga sth eh ad
pickuepdf romh ero wne ldearnsdt, h eiyn t urfnr omt heg eneroant i
thaptr eceded.
Theh omeleyx presstihoonu,gn ho te xtinicsrt a,r ehleya rndo w­
adaysso;i tw asn otu ntaif le wy earasg ot haItf ountdh amty wife,
whosfeo rebedawresli tn e asteMrans sachufsreotmtP su ritdaany s,
wasj usatsc ognizoafnt th es imialseI -andk newn om oreo fi ts
origiTnh.e no,f c oursIet ,u rnedt ot hec ollecotfip ohnr absoeo ks
on msyh elves-Htool tP'sh raOsrei giFinst,z GeraWlodr'ds s and
7
PhreasBs,r ewerD'isc triyoo nfPa hraasnedF abWlael,s hH'asn d­y
Boookf L iterCaurryi osHiytaimseosn,D' isc tioonfaE rnyg lish
PhreassA,p persoEnn'gsl Pirsohv earndb Psr overPbhiraalsan eds ,
otheorlsda nd new-nbountee velni sttehdes ayinTgh.ed iction­
ariweesr en extto b ec onsulOtfea dl.l tohfe mn,o to nel istaendd
definetdh e expraesas w shioolne , tthhoeSu ugphp lempeunbtl,i shed
in1 933t,o t heh ugOe xfoErndg lDiischt iocnaamrewy i thainna ce
ofs od oinTgh.e reu,n de"rh ogi"tl isttehdep hras"el,i koera, s a,
hogo ni ce,g"i viintgt hed efinit"iodne,n otaiwnkgw ardnoers s
insecurIittc yr.e"d ittheeds ayitnogt heU nited Satnadtg easv e
twoq uotatsihoonwsi intgus s eT.h efi rsftr,o amV ermonpta peorf
1984r,e alillyl usttrhaetd eedfi nitfioorni ,tp ertaitnoea d c ertain
horsweh icuhp,o na r acetrwaocukl,bd e a sa wkwaradsa h ogu pon
thiec eT.h es econtda,k efnr oCma rSla ndbur"gT'hseW indyC ity,"
fromS laobfst hSeu nbuWrnets rte,a d":C hicafigsoh efdr omi ts
deptah st extI:n dependaesan hto go ni ceT.h"e e ditosrlsi pped,
howeveirnt, h ei nclusoifto hni qsu otatuinodnet rh ed efinitfioorn ,
itd oenso tfi tA. readionfgt hee ntiproee ms howtsh aSta ndburg
usetdh ef ulplh ras"ei,n depenadsae h notg o ni cei,n"t hese nsteh at
my mothekrn ewi t-tion dictahtae"t t hWei ndyC ityw"a sq uite
ablteo s tanudp oni tosw nf eehta,d s upreme conafinddes neclef ­
assurance.
My nexstt etph,e wn,a st or efteort hev asrte sourocfte hseN ew
YorkP ublLiicb ratroye ,n litshtea iodf s omeo fi trse searcahnedr s,
especitaolc loyn sutlhtec omplefitleeo fN ote&s Q ueritehes ,
Britmiosnht hpluyb licatthiasotin n c1e58 0h asb eetnh e recognized
mediufmo rt hee xchanogfea ntiquairnifaonr maatmioonng i ts
readeIrf so.u nndo thiSnugb.s equeInm tlayys, a yhe rdei,r eacptp eal
tot her eadeorfNs o t&e sQ uerwiaeses q ualnloyn -produncotri ve,
didt hel arger reosfot uhreCc heisc aPguob lLiicb raerxyt,e nded
throutghhec ourtoefsi yt lsi brarMira.Cn a,r Bl. R odeny,i eladn y­
thintgh aItd idn ota lreakdnyo w.
Int hmee antiImh ea db eeqnu estiomnyi fnrgi eannddsa cquaint­
anceSso.m ee,s pecioafal y loyu nggeern erathiaodnn e,v ehre artdh e
expressbiuotan l,m oaslttl h oswei thin owmnyg eneraotrio olnd er
were familiiator,r h waidht eha ridti nc hildhoUopdo.nf urther
inquiIrf yo untdh atth el ocaliintw iheisct hh espeeo phlaed k nown
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