A family of phrases

Posted by Henry on June 06, 2004

In Reply to: A family of phrases posted by R. Berg on June 05, 2004

: : The pattern that interests me is:

: : "Let us make like a [noun] and [verb]"

: : Usually, the phrase arises on the occasion of departure or transition. There are many clever variants, such as

: : "Let us make like a bakery truck and haul our buns."

: : The question is: what is the original phrase, of which all the others are imitations? From whence did it originate?

: "Why don't you make like a tree and leave?" must be an early ancestor of this group.

This isn't a construction that's common in England. Is its origin in another language?

• A family of phrases ESC 06/June/04
  • A family of phrases Bruce Kahl 06/June/04
    • A family of phrases R. Berg 06/June/04
      • A family of phrases/ suggestion SR 07/June/04