Jump Thru Hoops
Posted by Smokey Stover on July 12, 2005
In Reply to: Jump Thru Hoops posted by ESC on July 12, 2005
: : : Just wondering if anyone had a line on "Jump Thru Hoops" or "Jumping Thru Hoops"
: : A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English by Eric Partridge, has "go through the hoop," defined as "to pass the Insolvent Debtors' court," 19th-century colloquialism; from circus tricks. "Put through the hoop," derived from the preceding, is defined as "to give a bad time, to punish" and "to reprimand; question closely," colloquialisms, 20th century for both senses.
I hope you all got a good look at the lioness jumping through the hoop surrounded by flame. Lionesses just hate jumping through flames. If you want something badly, whether an object or a promotion or some other boon, the person who can give it to you (boss, spouse, for example) may make you "jump through hoops," make more effort and more painful and sometimes seemingly quite unnecessary effort to get it. How do you feel about jumping through hoops on command? Doing tricks for the boss's amusement? Humiliated? Annoyed? Resentful? SS