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.

Children were “to be seen and not heard”, but also to not hear grown folks during discussions. As a child the saying “Little pitchers have big ears” always puzzled me until I came to the conclusion that “pitcher” was a homonym for “picture”. Were not children “as pretty as a picture”?

Burma Shave knew that the people have a fascination for words and jingles. They placed signs up all over the countryside with their jingles during the fifties and early sixties. You would drive (or walk) a few feet and read the first part “She eyed” then a few more “His beard” to read still more “And said no dice” then a few more “The weddings off” another “I"ll cook the rice”, and finally “Burma-Shave” and you had read the whole jingle. Children memorized these and adults remembered them. I bet it sold a lot of Burma Shave.

To check to see if you remember any correctly read more at the fiftiesweb.com

When life's deeper meanings can be summed up in a “nutshell” we relate and recall better. Mom and Dad's warnings “Act your age and not your shoe size” or “Act your age and don't leave puddles” stayed with us longer than simply “behave”. The colorful phrase gave us something to mull over in our busy minds and so did threats such as “If you don't stop that, I'm going to beat the tar out of you”. Tar could be replaced with stuffing, pudding, crap or the devil. Whatever the element that was being beaten out of you, you knew it would hurt, so perhaps it was wise to heed the warning.

Metaphors are so much more descriptive than just adjectives. She or he was not merely bright - they were “as bright as a new copper penny”. Behavior was much more memorable when described by:

• As dumb as a door nail
• Crazy as a loon
• Sly as or clever as a fox
• Soft as a kitten
• Fat as a pig or greedy as one
• Generous to a fault
• Honest as the day is long
• Knee-high to a grasshopper (young!)
• Sharp as a tack
• With the constitution of a horse
• Stubborn as a mule or jack ass
• Loose as a goose
• Light as a feather
• Honest as Abe
• Quick as lightning
• Smart as a whip
• Quiet as a church mouse
• Cute as a bug's ear
• Gentle as a lamb

And so the list goes. Who has not known at least one individual that fits one of the above descriptions?

Something else I miss besides the descriptive metaphors and idioms were the Sunday dinners. Grandma would holler out to everyone “You better get in here quick. We'll wait for you like one pig waits for another.” And we gathered at the big kitchen table on the double. Granddad would say “Good gravy. Good meat. Pass the food. Let's eat.” Grace would be said, and we'd eat.

No one cooked like Grandma did. Good, fresh wholesome food grown right there on the farm. No one argued or bickered. We were too busy filling our faces, and our bellies, and listening to Mom admonish “Your eyes are bigger than your stomach”. (Is that possible?) But we got the meaning.

The memories and words come flooding back as Thanksgiving rounds the corner. My grandparents are gone, but twenty-one grandchildren will be feasting with the family this Thanksgiving. They have started some of their own sayings and traditions replacing some of our older ones, but many are firmly entrenched in our hearts and minds. We still make the rounds and have everyone mention at least one thing they are grateful for before we complete grace. My friends at Triond are one of my many things I give thanks for. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and remember that other old saying “Food was meant to save a life, not take a life” no, not that one “God bless you all, and to all a good night.”