Buttered Statues and Cold Cucumbers

They say never ask a question you don't want to know the answer to. Too bad all that good advice doesn't come before you check your shoe size from the inside of your cheeks!

Riding in a vehicle is always a prime-time for games or stories in our family. Even if we're just moving machinery between fields, it's a perfect opportunity to do a quick vocabulary quiz or maybe read a few pages in our current book. Last week we had a box of brain teasers that asked questions about idioms and their origins.

For example:

Is there such a thing as an upper crust accent? With pinkies outstretched, the kids giggled in a low victorian voice: “Just Maahh-vel-ous!”

We read that in the 1500s, bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle section, and the guest got the upper crust. “How much money would you have to have to live high on the hog?” I asked “Who wants to live on the hog...when we live with the hogs?” my Oldest guffawed. I rolled my eyes and continued: The best cuts of meat on a pig come from the back and upper leg or high on the hog. Typically, only the wealthy could afford to eat them.

“Who among your friends loves being in the limelight more than anyone else?” I read the question. “What's lime-light?” my Youngest asked. I explained it meant being the center of attention, but I was quite surprised by how it originated. Before electricity was in- vented, a stage was lit by heating blocks of lime until they glowed brightly. Actors then performed in the lime light. The idioms continued: Cool as a cucumber: In hot

weather cucumbers are often 20 degree cooler on the inside than the air. Give someone the cold shoulder: In England, noble- man would give parties that would last for weeks. To let guests know the party was over, the host would serve meat slices from shoulders of cold beef, mutton, or pork as a way to politely inform them the party was over.

Hit the hay: in the 1900s mattresses were often filled with straw or hay.

Happy as a clam: The original saying was “happy as a clam at high tide.” It dates back to 18th century New England. Clams were “happy” at high tide as they were safe from diggers who searched at low tide.

Get up on the wrong side of the bed: Ancient Romans thought it was unlucky to get up on the left side of the bed or to put your left foot down first when getting out of bed.

To Butter Someone Up: In India there was a custom of throwing liquid butter at the statues of the gods to seek favor. The people believed that buttering up the statues would bring peace and happiness for a whole year.

We were having an fun time answering the silly questions and learning where the idioms came from.

Just as we pulled into the equipment dealership to pick up the baler parts, I read the last question: “Who do you think is most likely to fly off the handle, boys or girls?”

There wasn't even a momentary pause. My youngest just piped right up with “You!”

I have to say I was stunned. I pride myself on being “cool as a cucumber” and “happy as a clam.” I must have had that “dear in the headlight” look, because my husband jumped in to say “You really think Mommy flies off the handle?”

My nine year old, nodded earnestly, “Oh yes! I've seen her! Remember that time we were snowmobiling across the alfalfa field and she fell in the irrigation ditch? She flew right off the handlebars and landed in front of her sled! I saw it!”

Well I guess the cat's out of the bag...I've been caught flying off the handlebars. Next my son's going to tell me he saw me turning over a new leaf-spring!