By John Matonich
I was heading into the shop the other day from the lake. It was a beautiful morning and a lot of folks were out and about on the roadway that runs along the lake’s east shore. It is the height of the summer season and not only are there a lot of seasonal residents on the lake; there are also a lot of visitors to the area this time of year. I wasn’t in any particular hurry, so I kept the truck moving slowly and waved to all the folks who were out walking and enjoying the day.
As I neared the south end of the lake, I saw a gentleman up ahead on a bicycle. I typically slow down and try to move into the other lane when I come upon a biker so as not to startle them. As I got closer I could see the biker also has a dog on a leash so I slowed down even more and moved over into the other lane. What happened next was a little scary.
I was still a ways from the biker when I saw the leashed dog head one way around a nearby mailbox and the biker head the other way. Evidently, the lease wasn’t in the bikers hand but was tied to the bike. Next thing I know, I saw the bike come to a stop and the back wheel flipped over the front wheel and the gentleman riding the bike ended up head first on the pavement. For some reason my mind sent me a note that said, “Oh my gosh, that guy just went ass over teakettle.”
Once I reached the biker, I stopped the truck and got out to see if he was OK. Other than he was embarrassed about his fall, he and his bike were just fine. I helped him up and got back in my truck and headed on my way. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw him untie the dog leash from his bike, which I believe is something he wished he would have done earlier.
I found myself revisiting what had just happened and questioned the message my mind sent me out of the blue. I hadn’t heard that expression in a long time and really couldn’t remember where it came from. It certainly fit the situation, but I found it interesting that my mind dug something out of somewhere in the depths of my memory that I hadn’t used or heard in many years.
When I got to the shop, I had to do a little research and found a lot of references to the phrase. It seems it has some English origins, but with a little twist or two. There is also a character in one of John Steinbeck’s novels that used a similar phrase, so it gave me a little history on where I might have picked up on it as I have read a number of his works over the years.
I have tried to think a little about other phrases that may be buried somewhere in my mind’s depths, but haven’t really had any just pop out. I am sure we all have some of those phrases that we haven’t heard or used in a long while tucked away, but I guess the next time I see something out of the ordinary; my mind will be ready with another saying to fit the occasion.
And that’s the situation as I survey it …
Image credit: rockandbacon
John, have missed your column in the the surveyors’ magazine…nice to see you’re still writing.
Thanks, Kathy. I still enjoy being able do it. Glad you found this site…
My father sometimes said of clueless persons, that they could not pour pee out of a boot. I just tried to find out where this expression comes from, what it originally meant, but none of the www references explained it. They just noted how peculiar it is.
“Couldn’t pour piss out of a boot if the directions were on the bottom…”
Ahhh…I remember that one too….Good one!!
Most likely it originally had a real meaning…….those kind of sayings are fun to discover their origin.
I think so too, Bob. It was just a little strange to have it jump into my head out of the blue…
My dad would speak of people that were usually lazy and didn’t want to work,that they didn’t have a pot to pi– in or a window to throw it out. One of my favorites.
I like that one, Jimps. Will have to remember it…
My dad said “won’t be seen on a trotting horse” when he was making something.
Like it, Rollie
Good one John. My mom used to say that. Reminded me of her.
Glad it did, Judith. Those memories are always special
Here’s another: My wife’s Grandmother sometimes said that a person was so lazy that he would just poop in in bed and kick it out. “It ,” here means the poop.
Never heard that one, but its good
My mother-in-law, Arkansas born, would say it was “hotter than a hen in a wool basket” on a hot day.
Never heard that one either, but can see how it may work for many…
“If it was a bear, it would bite you.” Meaning something very close. Could be physically close, or something extremely obvious that you do not understand.
“Talk turkey.” We all know what this means, but why, “turkey?” Turkey versus Baloney?? Here is a link for the origin, but it is not perfect.
http://www.kshb.com/decodedc/where-did-the-phrase-talking-turkey-come-from