Category Archives: Folk speech

Folkspeech – Dog’s Leg

“Crooked as a dog’s hind leg”

This saying came from the informant’s grandparents and parents using it to describe someone or their actions. It is the opposite to “straight as an arrow” which is used to describe someone’s truth and honesty. “Crooked as a dog’s hind leg” can also be used to physically describe something, which creates a double use to the saying. This was mostly heard in North-East United States, but the informant began hearing it out West through time, usually from people who had roots in the Northeast.

Folkspeech – Methuselah

“As old as Methuselah’s cat”

The informant often heard the saying “as old as Methuselah’s cat” from their family who said the saying was often used around Irish crowds, as well as commonly in Ireland. It can be used to state a rule is “as old as Methuselah’s cat,” when talking about someone’s age, and so on. The origin is not concretely said to be Irish but used by Irish people as they are often very religious and Methuselah is an old figure in Christian and Catholic religion. Multiple variations are also used by changing the name of Methuselah to something else.

Children’s Expressions

A quote that one of my friends grew up with is, “You get what you get and you don’t get upset.” He talked about how when he was in kindergarten the quote, “was taught to us by our teacher.” He said that the quote existed for the fact that when the children in the class would get a prize that they didn’t want, they would just have to suck it up. What I find interesting about this quote is the fact that I learned it differently. When I was in kindergarten, the quote was, “You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit.” It’s funny because when I was discussing the etymology of the quote with another friend they also agreed with the first quote. This was a weird revelation for me because all of the people from where I grew up learned it the same way and the fact that someone, who only grew up a couple of hours up north from me, believed so adamantly that theirs was the ‘right’ version of the saying. It’s interesting to try to attribute a ‘right’ meaning to something like this. The main argument by my friend was the fact that his version rhymed and mine didn’t. At the end of the day, the correctness of the quote doesn’t matter as the phrase exists as a way for teachers to keep children’s expectations in place. It is a saying that children enjoy its simplicity and the fact that it is something told to them by their teacher, someone who they listen to and respect.

Drunk as a Skunk

Text:

“Drunk as a skunk”

Context:

My father, M, grew up in Vancouver, BC, Canada, where he was first introduced to this phrase at a young age. The phrase refers to someone showing visible signs of heavy alcohol consumption and would be used when gossiping with others or seeing someone heavily inebriated. He laughed a little when telling me the saying, questioning what skunks have to do with being drunk, but stated that everyone in his community knew and would use it. He currently lives in Seattle, Washington, where I grew up; I don’t remember hearing him use the phrase in conversation during my childhood.

Analysis:

The actual comparison within this phrase seems to be more a matter of humorous rhyme than truth – like M, I am not aware of skunks having anything to do with drunkenness. Nonetheless, this saying seems to be a lighthearted way of discussing someone’s socially questionable behavior and reveals the cultural attitudes towards drinking in my father’s childhood community. The saying’s use in gossip and in pointing out the drunk person to others gives the phrase a somewhat negative, albeit teasing, connotation. That usage, combined with M’s explanation that it refers to someone “really drunk,” indicates that someone who is “drunk as a skunk” has surpassed a socially acceptable level of drunkenness. However, the humor in the saying’s rhyme indicated by my father’s explanation leads me to believe that the offense is not necessarily considered serious or deserving of punishment – or perhaps the subsequent gossip is seen as consequence enough.

Dead as a Doornail

Text:

“Dead as a doornail”

Context: 

M, my father, grew up in Vancouver, BC, Canada, and dates his introduction to this saying to “sometime in the 80s.” He stated that everyone in his community commonly used the phrase to describe something that was “really dead”; when asked to elaborate, some examples provided of “really dead” things were “birds that hit windows, long dead pets of friends, bugs, mice, and movie characters that get found dead after days.” M also expressed confusion about the origins and meaning of the phrase, saying that he “[didn’t] know what it actually means” before asking “what’s dead about a doornail?” He currently lives where I grew up in Seattle, Washington; I don’t remember hearing him say the phrase in conversation. 

Analysis:

I suspect that my father’s (and my own) confusion about the saying’s practical meaning indicates its original context has since been lost. The saying is therefore likely quite old in nature and feels like a testament to the lasting nature of elements of folk speech. Despite the unclear nature of the saying’s origin, it nonetheless reveals a lot about attitudes towards death in my father’s childhood community. Many examples M provided, like a dead movie character or long dead pet of a friend, convey a degree of distance or emotional detachment to the deceased being. That detachment is contrasted with the lack of deaths relating to close family, friends or pets. It seems as though this saying is only used in reference to beings whose deaths are considered less tragic or important to the person using the phrase. I also find it interesting that my father no longer seems to use it and has not passed it on to me or my sister, perhaps due to regional or generational differences.