A family of phrases
Posted by R. Berg on June 06, 2004
In Reply to: A family of phrases posted by Bruce Kahl on June 06, 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?
: : I have a book with types of phrases. I'll have a look.
: I entered "make like a *" into google and was presented with 32,000 pages. I looked at a bunch and they were all from within the US of A.
: The strangest:
: Lets make like a fetus and head out.
"Make like a tree and leave" is a punning U.S. insult, heard among schoolchildren and probably others.
- A family of phrases/ suggestion SR 07/June/04