Yes I am a big dork.

So lately I have been wondering about phrases that are in our vernacular but we really don't know where they came from or what the actual meanings are. Example I was leaving a comment on another blog about possible meanings to the phrase "Shake a stick at". As in so many stupid people at the bar last night you could shake a stick at. In this instance one possible explanation comes from when farmers would count animals in a coral they would use a stick to point and count. Hence so many you would shake a stick at to count.

Another usage is when someone is referring to something as being less. Like it was nothing to shake a stick at. In this case they may be referring to when people carried swords. Another old phrase "Sabre rattling" could be connected. When they would want to make a defiant gesture at an enemy one would shake their sword or rattle it. If someone was not worthy or less of threat to them they wouldn't. Therefore you wouldn't shake a stick, or sword at them.

What ultimately got me on doing this was the phrase "Mind your P's and Q's". We actually use this in the wrong context all the time. I always hear it in the since that you must behave. Your mother would always say mind your p's and q's. It got me to thinking what the fuck are my p's and q's? Well I looked it up and actually it comes from when people would have to set type for a printing press and you would put the letters in backwards and if you go to fast you could put a p in where you meant a q because they are mirror images of each other. So it really has nothing to do with politeness or courtesy but more to do with being accurate and thorough.

I think it is important that we all use this little quips and phrases in their proper contextual setting. So I will never use mind your p's and q's again. Unless I am referring to type setting. lol