A Tale Told by Idioms
An etymological quest
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The Phases of Phrases: Proverbs and Sayings
Once upon a time there was a wandering etymologist—a true lover of language. She had been living high on the hog for many years, enjoying the materialistic pleasures of the world.
More often than not, she was three sheets to the wind. That was her choice at the time—so no crocodile tears need be shed for her. Someday, the world hoped, she would understand the importance of minding her Ps and Qs.
People would have categorized her as upper crust. But at an important life juncture, this lifestyle became tedious to her, more of a burden than a joy. She decided to start over with a clean slate—to live life a little more off the cuff.
Even though she was, what some might cruelly say “long in the tooth,” (and, by the way, she would have told those folks to put a sock in it), she felt a surge...
