Posted by ESC on February 17, 2003
In Reply to: Re: To cotton to posted by James Briggs on February 15, 2003
: : In response to a post on the archived board:
: : TO COTTON TO (THING OR PERSON) -- "...it was used by Dickens (Old Curiosity Shop) more than a hundred years ago with just the present meaning, to get along with or to like a thing or person. The origin is lost, but probably referred in some manner to the readiness with which cotton adheres to a napped surface. From "2107 Curious Word Origins, Sayings & Expressions from White Elephants to a Song and Dance" by Charles Earle Funk (Galahad Book, New York, 1993).
: The saying is recorded in a play as early as 1605. Clearly the saying is a lot older.
My original post has random ?? question marks. Very strange.