"Does that ring a bell?"

Posted by ESC on January 07, 2004

In Reply to: "Does that ring a bell?" posted by Oros on January 07, 2004

: I was trying to find the orgin of the common phrase "Does that ring a bell?"
: Does anyone know where it came from and what it's all about?

I found it in a reference (The Dictionary of Cliches by James Rogers, Ballantine Books, New York, 1985). But there's surprisingly little information. No origin listed. It says, "Presumably the 'bell' is in the recesses of one's mind and is reminiscent of a bell heard ringing deep inside a house when one pushes the doorbell."