Idioms, sayings, etc. and what they mean

KERSPLAT! · 24-11-2016 08:00AM #1

Just read "wet behind the ears" in a post in AH.

What in the name of Jaysus does that actually mean!? I could Google it but sure then I wouldn't have this thread to keep me occupied for the next 60-90 seconds...

Any other good sayings, Irish or otherwise?

The flying mouse · 24-11-2016 08:03AM

I haven't googled this so....

Wet behind the ears means your to young to even dry behind your ears. ? Or when your born your head is wet ??

whoopsadoodles · 24-11-2016 08:20AM

Yeh means you're only a babby. Still wet behind the ears from birth.

Like yourself Kersplat.

Peregrinus · 24-11-2016 08:30AM

It's an old German idiom, which crossed into American English in the second half of the nineteenth century, and has since become general.

It's probably a farming idiom originally. Newborn mammals, including ourselves, are typically covered in a sticky amniotic fluid. We deal with this by bathing a baby, but farm animals lick their newborns clean. But the skin/fur/hair/wool immediately behind the ears is protected from licking by, well, the ears, so there tends to be a moist, sticky residue there for some time until it dries out, eventually, falls off. It's harmless.

A variation on the expression is "green behind the ears", which confirms the farming source. Human amniotic fluid is generally clear (if it isn't, see your doctor!) but that of sheep has a green-yellow tinge, so newborn lambs can be, literally, (slightly) green behind the ears.

pedigree 6 · 24-11-2016 09:42AM

Peregrinus wrote: »

It's an old German idiom, which crossed into American English in the second half of the nineteenth century, and has since become general.

It's probably a farming idiom originally. Newborn mammals, including ourselves, are typically covered in a sticky amniotic fluid. We deal with this by bathing a baby, but farm animals lick their newborns clean. But the skin/fur/hair/wool immediately behind the ears is protected from licking by, well, the ears, so there tends to be a moist, sticky residue there for some time until it dries out, eventually, falls off. It's harmless.

A variation on the expression is "green behind the ears", which confirms the farming source. Human amniotic fluid is generally clear (if it isn't, see your doctor!) but that of sheep has a green-yellow tinge, so newborn lambs can be, literally, (slightly) green behind the ears.

On the farming thing if the animals mother doesn't lick the newborn dry, they will be dry themselves in an hour from their own bodyheat.

The fluid is always clear. In some cases there can be a yellow tinge in lambs and calves after birth but never green.

The green thing looks to have come from America and probably as you say Germany before that. I never heard "Green behind the ears" I heard "Wet behind the ears" though.
The Americans tend to refer to new things as green and the word comes from a common linguistic origin as grass and then the association with new and freshness. The term "Greenhorn" comes from American cowboy terminology to describe a new/novice cowboy. The green donotes a new part and the horn part is from the horn on western saddles that is used to tie/hold the rope, when roping cattle.

Lovely Bloke · 24-11-2016 09:53AM

I'd ate the bare arse of a child through the bars of a cot

Means

I'm feeling particularly hungry today.

fizzypish · 24-11-2016 09:56AM

I've used the saying "**** eating grin". Likewise to OP I have no idea where it may have come from. Who'd be grinning eating **** or is it that in the process of consuming the ****e, your grimace looks like a grin?

Peregrinus · 24-11-2016 09:58AM

Lovely Bloke wrote: »

I'd ate the bare arse of a child through the bars of a cot

Means

I'm feeling particularly hungry today.

The variation I've heard is "I'd each a child's arse through a cane chair".

Yourself isit · 24-11-2016 10:03AM

fizzypish wrote: »

I've used the saying "**** eating grin". Likewise to OP I have no idea where it may have come from. Who'd be grinning eating **** or is it that in the process of consuming the ****e, your grimace looks like a grin?

According to Quora

No one knows for sure where it came from, but there are two origin theories.

The current "it's just common sense"/dog theory says that it comes from the very self-satisfied look animals (like dogs and possums) get when they eat feces.

The historical theory says that it dates back to Ancient Rome, with folks like Livy describing the debaucherous, demented grins of coprophages (e.g., see: The Priapeia )

niallb · 24-11-2016 10:06AM

pedigree 6 wrote: »

...

The fluid is always clear. In some cases there can be a yellow tinge in lambs and calves after birth but never green.

The green thing looks to have come from America and probably as you say Germany before that. I never heard "Green behind the ears" I heard "Wet behind the ears" though...

It's pretty green with dogs!

fizzypish · 24-11-2016 10:11AM

niallb wrote: »

It's pretty green with dogs!

Never noticed it to be green but we always had the pups under red heat lamps so maybe it was. Thought it was black with the slightest hint of red.

racso1975 · 24-11-2016 10:13AM

Rule of thumb:

In the bad old days if you decided to beat your wife with a stick it could not be wider then the width of your thumb :mad:

The flying mouse · 24-11-2016 10:15AM

racso1975 wrote: »

Rule of thumb:

In the bad old days if you decided to beat your wife with a stick it could not be wider then the width of your thumb :mad:

To late

silverharp · 24-11-2016 10:24AM

racso1975 wrote: »

Rule of thumb:

In the bad old days if you decided to beat your wife with a stick it could not be wider then the width of your thumb :mad:

there is some debate over that one, the alternative is that it is a carpentry term and the width of the thumb was the measure. Its always had a measuring meaning not the maximum you are permitted to do.

osarusan · 24-11-2016 10:39AM

The Japanese equivalent is 'ao-ni-sai' which translates as '(like a) blue two year-old'.

Shenshen · 24-11-2016 10:47AM

Peregrinus wrote: »

It's an old German idiom, which crossed into American English in the second half of the nineteenth century, and has since become general.

It's probably a farming idiom originally. Newborn mammals, including ourselves, are typically covered in a sticky amniotic fluid. We deal with this by bathing a baby, but farm animals lick their newborns clean. But the skin/fur/hair/wool immediately behind the ears is protected from licking by, well, the ears, so there tends to be a moist, sticky residue there for some time until it dries out, eventually, falls off. It's harmless.

A variation on the expression is "green behind the ears", which confirms the farming source. Human amniotic fluid is generally clear (if it isn't, see your doctor!) but that of sheep has a green-yellow tinge, so newborn lambs can be, literally, (slightly) green behind the ears.

That's interesting - I'm German and have only ever heard that phrase in English. It could have fallen out of use in Germany, or is maybe a localised thing.

Germans would use the term "Gruenschnabel", though - translates as "green beak". And no, I've no idea where that comes from.

Alun · 24-11-2016 10:52AM

Shenshen wrote: »

That's interesting - I'm German and have only ever heard that phrase in English. It could have fallen out of use in Germany, or is maybe a localised thing.

http://www.phraseo.de/phrase/noch-feucht-hinter-den-ohren-sein/

http://www.phraseo.de/phrase/gruen-hinter-den-ohren-sein/

Same in Dutch ... "Nat achter de oren" (or "Nog niet droog achter de oren") and "Groen achter de oren".

Shenshen · 24-11-2016 10:53AM

Alun wrote: »

http://www.phraseo.de/phrase/noch-feucht-hinter-den-ohren-sein/

http://www.phraseo.de/phrase/gruen-hinter-den-ohren-sein/

Never said it doesn't exist, just that in the 30 years I lived there, I never once heard it nor read it anywhere

Alun · 24-11-2016 10:56AM

Shenshen wrote: »

Never said it doesn't exist, just that in the 30 years I lived there, I never once heard it nor read it anywhere

I'd certainly heard the Dutch version when I lived there, so I just Googled the German equivalent and bingo!

Olishi4 · 24-11-2016 11:00AM

I like these two popular ones but the meaning is fairly obvious.

"Houston, we have a problem" from the crew of Apollo 13. Meaning "we're fcuked".

Also like "Beam me up, Scotty" from Star Trek, meaning "let's get out of here right now"

What's "made it by the skin of his teeth" all about? Teeth don't have skin.

pilly · 24-11-2016 11:10AM

I often use "job's oxo" to mean "job's done" but not a lot of people know what I mean.

I think it came from an old Oxo ad but I'm not sure. Could be a Dublin thing as more Dublin people tend to say it.

GerB40 · 24-11-2016 11:21AM

racso1975 wrote: »

Rule of thumb:

In the bad old days if you decided to beat your wife with a stick it could not be wider then the width of your thumb :mad:

That's actually not true. Although one judge did admonish a man for beating his wife with a stick wider than his thumb, he was pilloried for it and became a laughing stock. It's a carpentry term that I can't remember the origin of right now..

Dogs Bollox is a bastardisation if box deluxe, same with box (bog) standard.

Although not a phrase, a soldiers salute comes from the days when knights would joust. As they passed each other they would lift their face visors and that has continued to this day.

Shenshen · 24-11-2016 11:34AM

I heard that "that's the bee's knees" originates in the way Italian migrants used to pronounce "that's the buisness"

osarusan · 24-11-2016 11:39AM

Shenshen wrote: »

I heard that "that's the bee's knees" originates in the way Italian migrants used to pronounce "that's the buisness"

It's one of a number of animal/attribute idioms that popped up over time. The only other one that really survived was 'cat's pyjamas'.

The 'dog's bollocks' idiom is likely a deliberately coarse mimicry of those.

fatknacker · 24-11-2016 11:41AM

whoopsadoodles wrote: »

Yeh means you're only a babby. Still wet behind the ears from birth.

Like yourself Kersplat.

I always thought it meant you're young because your mam just gave you the "spit-shine" on the cloth behind the ears

sbsquarepants · 24-11-2016 11:46AM

Olishi4 wrote: »

What's "made it by the skin of his teeth" all about? Teeth don't have skin.

I think that's the point - any closer and he wouldn't have made it at all.

Shenshen wrote: »

I heard that "that's the bee's knees" originates in the way Italian migrants used to pronounce "that's the buisness"

Ha. Love it - I hope this is true:D

maudgonner · 24-11-2016 11:53AM

There's a phrase in Irish that means 'it will drive me mad': 'cuirfidh sé soir mé'. It literally translates as 'it will send me East'.

Apparently this originates from Connemara i.e. West Galway. The psychiatric hospital in Galway is in Ballinasloe - East Galway. So anyone who was driven mad was literally sent east.

trout · 24-11-2016 11:54AM

Lovely Bloke wrote: »

I'd ate the bare arse of a child through the bars of a cot

Means

I'm feeling particularly hungry today.

see also "I'd ate the balls off a low flying duck"

whoopsadoodles · 24-11-2016 11:59AM

trout wrote: »

see also "I'd ate the balls off a low flying duck"

Ah trout.

You don't pass through here half often enough.

batistuta9 · 24-11-2016 12:21PM

fatknacker wrote: »

I always thought it meant you're young because your mam just gave you the "spit-shine" on the cloth behind the ears

It means you're naive or stupid. Calling someone Green is the same meaning

qo2cj1dsne8y4k · 24-11-2016 12:24PM

We used to have a battle axe neighbour who would say "and the bastard still sh1tting green" when she was talking about someone young in a position of authority

Idioms, sayings, etc. and what they mean

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