Sunday 11 November 2007

Animal Adages


Cat got your tongue? A pig in a poke? Three dog night? If you're anything like me, you've spent many sleepless nights wondering about the origin of those adages. So put away your sleeping pills because I'm going to answer these burning questions--in other words, I'm going to put you to sleep.


Cat got your tongue?
Well, this one's a little gross. It may have originiated, long ago, in the Mideast, when it was common to punish a liar by cutting out his tongue. This tasty treat was then given to the king's pet cats for dinner.

A pig in a poke
Means to buy something without examination--an unknown. In the middle ages, a suckling pig would be sold in a bag (a poke). Some sellers would try to trick buyers by putting a cat in the bag instead. So don't buy a pig in a bag without checking it out first. You've been warned.

Cat's out of the bag
When the buyer finally got home with what he believed was a pig in a poke (see above), he discovered the bag held a cat instead. The cat was out of the bag, and the truth was known.

Three dog night
All these years, I thought Three Dog Night was just an early 70's band. Wrong. This adage comes from Australia, and means that on cold nights, aboriginals would sleep in a hole in the ground while embracing a dingo (or three).


Hope this helps with all that tossing and turning.

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