Before the industrial revolution, crops were planted, and if you wanted
them to do well, you had to manually keep them weeded and the soil
aerated. You did this by hoeing the soil. You'd start at one end, and
work to the other. It was backbreaking work, usually in the heat of the
sun, and often with no breaks. So when someone said, "that's a long row
to hoe", it meant a very unpleasant experience that had to be endured.
"A long road to tow" means absolutely nothing. Roads are stationary,
and aren't moved by towing. In any event, a colloquial expression is
always something that relates to the experiences of those who use it in
conversation, so since roads weren't towed, or toed, that expression is
clearly a bastardization of the original phrase.
Clay
Clay Blackwell
Virginia, USA
Tamara P Duvall wrote:
On Apr 12, 2009, at 0:13, Susan Reishus wrote:
[...] here people often interchange "A long row to hoe" with "A long
road to
tow." I have no idea which precedes.
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