I'm all brown cows today

Posted by Smokey Stover on January 13, 2006

In Reply to: I'm all brown cows today posted by Peter McCormack on January 12, 2006

: "I'm all brown cows today" says a little old lady I clean for she is 92 and says its what her mother used to say but has no idea where it came from. Any ideas welcome. Thanks.

I've never heard the phrase, even though I'm somewhat interested in brown cows like Jerseys or Brown Swiss. Is it possible that granny is talking about mumbling? "How now brown cow" is a phrase said to have been formerly used in the teaching of elocution, to teach the speaker to avoid "Haow naow braown caow," like using "the rain in Spain" to teach someone to avoid "the Rhine in spine." SS

• I'm all brown cows today Pamela 16/January/06