Re: Meanings
and origins
Posted by R. Berg on January 31,
2002 In Reply to: Meanig orgin posted
by kimo on January 31, 2002
: can anyone give me the meanig and
orgin of the following prases, "bank teller" "sleep like a top" and"greenhorn"
A
bank teller is a person who works behind the counter in a bank, serving customers.
An old meaning of "tell" was "count," and tellers count money.
To sleep like
a top is to sleep very deeply and soundly. I don't know why that's called sleeping
like a top. Possibly the reason is that when a spinning top (the child's toy)
stops spinning, it comes to a complete stop and lies utterly still.
A greenhorn
is a recent immigrant who hasn't yet learned the ways of his or her new country,
or, more generally, anyone who is inexperienced, immature, or gullible. The word
originally referred to young animals with immature horns, like deer and elk.
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