Old sayings and what they mean.

[Diane Amberg]

Great! Now unless you have one handy ,how about "buying a pig in a poke?"

[Mom70x7]

That one I know without looking it up.

You're not supposed to buy something without checking it out.

A poke is a bag. In olden times (and I don't know which country, probably England but could be French), a pig would be sold in a bag for easy transport. To cheat, sometimes people would put a cat or other animal in the bag, since that wasn't as good a deal.

Look in the bag to make sure you have a pig.

[Diane Amberg]

excellent! Now how about "kick the bucket" We know what it means now, but where did it come from?

[Mom70x7]

We are talking killing here - usually suicide, but also murder. String someone (yourself) up on a tree (or farm beam), adjust the noose, and kick the bucket out from underneath them.

[Diane Amberg]

There is another definition of long ago involving farm pigs .Do you know it too?

[Mom70x7]

nope

[sixdogsmom]

Okay, I looked it up------

Wiki says that the beam from which a pig was hung to be slaughtered was called a bucket; therefore the death throes were called kicking the bucket. They also gave another definition that involved the Catholic church. Anyone?