Cat out of the bag.
What’s it mean? It means revealing a secret. Where did that
expression come from?
Image: Hans Neleman
Graham’s Random Ramblings. says, “Would appear as though in days of past one would trot off and buy a pig from your local butcher at the market. The pig would be placed in a bag for convenience. (The bag was called a “poke”). A dishonest butcher would replace the pig with a big cat. Now, if you opened the bag later, to find out that you had been taken for a ride, the cat was “let out of the bag”, the Butchers secret was exposed.
Back to the poke. If you buy a pig in a poke you have bought something worthless. From the same origin.
A number of sources say this is not true, the cat referred to is the cat ‘o nine tails, used to flog sailors in the Royal Navy. The whip was kept in a bag, and when taken out, it meant that the flogging was a certainty.”
Now Wikipedia didn’t know that!
What about “Horse Feathers”?
The issue of American Speech dated December 1928 records that “Mr. William De Beck, the comic-strip comedian responsible for ‘Barney Google,’ (did we hear Google?—pm) assumes credit for the first actual use of the word horsefeathersâ€. This claim has been frequently reported since, to the point at which it has become accepted knowledge.
A frame from a 1926 Barney Google strip showing Barney, Spark Pug and Spark Plug’s colt Ooky Barney Google and Spark Plug, with Spark Plug’s colt Ooky, in a strip from 1926. No sign of any horsefeathers, though.
There’s no doubt Billy De Beck was an early user, since a short comedy film based on his comic strip had the title Horsefeathers, with Barney Hellum as Barney Google and Philip Davis playing Barney’s famous horse Spark Plug. This was doing the rounds in early 1928, so antedating by five years the Marx Brothers film of the same title. De Beck had something of a reputation for coining words and has also been credited with creating, among others, heebie-jeebies, jeepers creepers! and hotsy-totsy. However, so far as I know nobody has actually found the word in a Barney Google strip.
Oddly, the first recorded appearance of the word, in 1927, was in a different comic environment, a cartoon created by T A Dorgen: “The cashier’s department — Bah — Horsefeathers. He wouldn’t give you a ticket to see Halley’s Comet.†Full story
Pigeon-livered?
Timid, easily frightened, like a pigeon. The bile rules the temper, and the liver the bile. A hundred more of these found at brewer e. cobham
Maureen Adams
April 25th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Good afternoon,
I really enjoy reading all the informative pet information on Pet Monologues. I thought you and your readers might be interested in learning about how to care for an aging pet.
Forty-five million strong, the “Pet Boomer†generation (cats and dogs age seven and older) is experiencing many of the same health problems as their “Human Boomer†counterparts. Yet, most pet owners fail to notice these signs, therefore missing the opportunity to proactively manage their pets’ health to extend their four-legged friends’ lives by years.
Here are a few resources for you and your readers to use to learn about the Pet Boomer population:
1) Online Video: This short video segment from Marty Becker, DVM, a nationally recognized pet expert, author and Good Morning America contributor, features five common health conditions in aging pets. Please feel free to link to the video segment from http://www.petboomers.com. If you prefer, I can also send you the link to the video on YouTube so that you can embed it on your blog.
2) Not-for-Profit book called The Merial / Merch Manual for Pet Health: This manual, authored by 200 veterinarians, is the first comprehensive guide to health care of all pets, especially the Pet Boomer population. If you are interested, I can send you a copy of The Merial/Merck Manual for Pet Health and any supporting photography for your blog.
3) PetBoomers.com: This new Web site is a resource for all pet owners. It offers quizzes, facts, statistics on the aging pet population and is a terrific resource for pet owners dealing with traveling with a pet, pet poisons and emergencies.
If you are interested in any or all three of these resources, please email me and I will be glad to share more information or provide digital assets.
I think you and your readers will find these resources highly valuable for owners with pets of all ages, especially those with pets entering their boomer years.
Best,
Sarah Woodward