Bell

Posted by ESC on March 31, 2000

In Reply to: Looking for the meaning of a phrase posted by Tina on March 30, 2000

: Wondering if anyone can tell me the meaning of "born with a bell over your head"?

: thanks!

Could this phrase possibly be "born with a veil over your head" instead of bell? That's the term used to mean "born with a caul" -- "an irregularity of birth involving the fetal membrane, referred to as a caul in earlier times, gave rise to an old wives' tale...that being born with a caul was a sign of good fortune..." From Wise Words and Wives' Tales: The Origins, Meanings and Time-Honored Wisdom of Proverbs and Folk Sayings Olde and New by Stuart Flexner and Doris Flexner.