The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1894-08-17
NUMBER 26.
FAMOUS EXPRESSIONS.
Origin of Some of the Common Sayings
Curious Deviations.

Curious Deviations.
New York Advertisers.
"lIe was as mad as a halter" is q
phrase often used to indicate that q
person has been very angry. But why
should halter be more addicted to
anger than the tailor or the shoe
maker. No one can tell, and conse-
Quently the phrase has no intelligent
meaning If taken as it reads. The
original phrase was mad as an AFTER"
the last word being the Saxon for
adder" which gave it sense, as the
adder is supposed to be always mad
and ready to sing.
Mad as a March hare" Is another
much used phrase. The hare is not
reputed to be ferOcous at any time.
Those who have given information
respecting the hare assert that i'm
March the animal is perfectly wild
and shy. Consequently the phrase
can have no meaning. except sarcas-
tic allusion to ones lack of spirit and
courage.
zone often hears "He's dead as s
door nall" yet it is probable that most
of those who use the phrase cannot
tell why a door nail should be any
deader than any other nail that is
made of metal. 1t is explained, how
ever, that the door nail in earlier
times was the plate on the door upon
which the old-fashioned ami now un-
used "knOckerh struck to arouse the
| inmates OF the house. AS the plate
or nail was struck many more times
than any other nail, it was assumed
to be deader than nail struck only
when driven into wood.
Il acknowledge the corn,n meaning
to retract or take back, has number
Of explanations, the most PLAUSIBLE Of
which is that in 1923 one Stewart, of
Ohio, made speech in Congress, in
which he declared that "Ohio, In
diana and Kentucky sent their hay
stacks and cornfelds to New York
and Philadelphia for market"
| Wickliffe, of Kentucky, questioned
the correctness of the statement.
What do they send 2" asked Stewart.
why, horses, mules, cattle and hogs" "
: What makes your horses, mules, cat.
tie and hogs ~ continued the Ohio
man; "you feed 800 worth oil hay to
a horse; you just animate and get on
top of your haystack and ride off to
market. How is it with your cattle
You make them carry $50 worth of
hay and grass to the EASTERN market"
Il acknowledge the corn" shouted
the Kentucky member.
"a Il talk and no cider" is an adage
which is said to have originated in
Bucks Co., Pa. A party was assem-
bled to drink a barrel of superior
cider, but the elders of the assemblage
engaged in political discussion,
which lasted so long that some who
were less interested in politics than
cider withdrew on the plea that the
invitation was trap to get them t.
listen to political talk rather than
to drink cider, One of the party said
it was "all talk and no cider"
'"To take the cake' had its origin in
the cakewdlk in which the colored cou
pies participated, the prize being
cake. Hence any one who does a
thing conspicuously well, or, sarcasti
cally and more usually, one who fails
is said ''to take the cake"
"a little bird told me" is an almost
universal adage, based upon the ide;
that this ubiquitous wanderer from
the upper air spies out all strange
and secret things and tells them t,
those who can understand. Thus, il
Ecclesiastes X, 20: Course not the king
:, no, not in thy thought; and curse no
! the rich in thy bedchamber, for tn
bird of the air will carry the voice
and that which hath wing to tell til
), matter"
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