life's little mysteries...
It's fascinating to me how soothing it is to listen to my wee one sleep. The quiet little breathing, in...out...in...out. It makes me feel like all is right with the world.
(sigh)
Ok, here's what I found...
..I'll leave it to you to decide for yourselves.
"Colder than a witch's tit."1) From www.thestraightdope.com:
"The simple explanation is that "colder than a witch's tit" is just a vivid metaphor, like "hotter than the hinges of hell." Since a witch is in league with Satan, presumably she has no maternal feelings. Thus the medium by which she would suckle a child is, well, cold as a witch's tit.
But there's some history behind this wisecrack. A witch's tit (or witch's teat, to use the older spelling) supposedly left a marking that witch hunters and courts would look for on the body of an accused person. Supposedly, witches would suckle their familiars, and sometimes the Devil himself, from this "unholy" body part. To find these marks, as well as insensitive spots on the skin called devil's marks--caused by the Devil's claws or teeth--the suspects were stripped, shaven, then closely examined for any blemishes, moles, or even scars that could be labeled as diabolical. To find marks invisible to the eye, the examiner would poke the victim inch by inch with a blunt needle (called a bodkin) until they found a spot that didn't feel pain or bled. Discovery of these marks or spots--one supposes they would be considered cold since they were a sign of communion with the Devil--would be "proof" of the person's dealings with Scratch, so they would be shown in full court before the execution. Makes The People's Court look kinda dull now, eh?
--SDSTAFFMelis
Straight Dope Science Advisory Board"
"Naked as a jaybird."1) From www.word-detective.com (an altogether interesting and sometimes silly, but very informative site.
http://www.word-detective.com/042601.html#jaybird2) From Quimby's (an online book/magazine seller) comes this book mention, from a book entitled
"Naked as a Jaybird":
"Jaybird would appear to be a moniker attached to the free-lovin, 'let-it-all-hang-out-and-flap-around counter-cultural enthusiasts of the 1960's. (Like hippies, but nakeder.) This book collects photos from Jaybird magazine and various spin-offs, all devoted to photo-documenting this unruly scene."
3) From the American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms: "Bare, unclothed, as in I came straight out of the shower, naked as a jaybird. This simile replaced the 19th-century naked as a robin and is equally unclear, since neither bird is normally stripped of its feathers. Further, the bird it refers to is more often called simply "jay" rather than "jaybird," yet the latter is always part of the simile. [c. 1940]"
I kind of had fun looking these up...of course it's late and I should have been in bed an hour ago, but heck, why not stay up and feed my curiosity?
things that make me go "hmm..."
I often wonder where idiomatic phrases in our English language came from. Like the following ones that have come up in conversation around me recently:
"Colder than a witch's tit."
Implying that witches are cold, therefore their tits must be too? And why would they be cold at all?
"Naked as a jaybird."
Jaybirds aren't naked, they have feathers! And why would being a naked jaybird be any more naked than being just naked normally?
I'm going to have to do some Googling and see if I can find out anything...
poor poor lil wee one...
I've got to schedule him for surgery. =(
He's had a hernia since he was a teeny baby, and now that he's over a year old, it's time to get it fixed. It's going to be really hard on me to have him going "under the knife" though, knowing he'll be in pain.
If we don't fix it, things will be much worse, but that's small comfort when I know he'll be suffering.
In other wee one news, though, he's doing really well. Sleeping fairly well, eating OK, though I've got to move toward getting him off of formula and more onto regular people food now, and I think that's going to be a struggle.
We're going in to see the doc tomorrow morning for his 12-month checkup, and I'm going to talk to her about doing that and see if she has any advice. He's really finicky with foods, so I'm concerned that without formula, he won't be getting enough of the right vitamins & minerals. We may have to start giving him vitamin supplements, I suppose.
Oh well, such is life. Such a good boy. =)
geez, no posts for a while, /spank me...
...ok, just got back from a trip, actually. (YAWN) Silly wee one didn't sleep AT ALL during the lovely 5-hour flight.
Anyway, since I have to go to work in the morning...er...in less than 8 hours, I'll post a report on the trip later, but I wanted to share this lovely little piece of fun with you right now, hee hee....
I always knew I was a geek/nerd...now it's just been confirmed. LOL
Time for bed. Man, tomorrow morning is going to suck rocks.
