These explanations (of such matters as the origin of terms such as "raining cats and dogs" and "threshold") are imaginative and entertaining, but are undoubtedly folk etymologies, ingenious ad-hoc stories made up for the occasion.
I checked one of them out. The estimable Michael Quinion, at his World Wide Words website (http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-che5.htm) discusses the story that bacon was displayed as a sign of wealth and a piece would be cut off and given to guests who would "chew the fat". Quinion, who doesn't waste words on such matters, says of this explanation, "it's rubbish, of course". He suggests instead that it derives from an older expression, "chew the rag". Of the Sylvesterian explanations given, I guessed that one with possible validity might be that the early belief that tomatoes were poisonous had something to do with lead poisoning from eating them off of pewter plates. Nope, according to About.com (http://tinyurl.com/4zhvt6), that one's bunk as well. It seems more likely related to the fact that the tomato plant (not its fruit) is, in fact, poisonous. Nice try, Michael. Stephen ----------------------------------------------------------------- Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Emeritus Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 2600 College St. Sherbrooke QC J1M 1Z7 Canada Subscribe to discussion list (TIPS) for the teaching of psychology at http://flightline.highline.edu/sfrantz/tips/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
