Re: Pull
the other one, it's got bells on
Posted by
ESC on March 28, 2003 In Reply to: Re: Pull
the other one, it's got bells on posted by ESC on March 28, 2003
: : : I've been looking for the origin of this phrase, and I think it's from somewhere
in the 17th or 18th century but don't know for sure. Can anyone help me with this?
:
: Do you mean " Pull the other ONE ??
: I think it refers to "pulling someone's
leg." Fooling or teasing him or her. It's a variation of:
"pull one's leg. When
you pull a person's leg you are spoofing or making fun of him, usually in a good-humored
way. But that wasn't always the meaning of the expression. When the expression
first turned up in Scotland about a hundred years ago, it was lacking the lighthearted
touch it has today. In those days 'pull one's leg' meant to make of fool of him,
often by outright cheating. The best theory of the origin of the phrase is that
by tripping a person -- pulling his leg -- you can throw him into a state of confusion
and make him look very foolish indeed." From "Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase
Origins" by William and Mary Morris (HarperCollinsPublishers).
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