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Stand on his back legs

Posted by ESC on May 29, 2006

In Reply to: Stand on his back legs posted by Smokey Stover on May 29, 2006

: : Is anyone familiar with a saying that goes something like: Well, at least somebody around here can still stand on his back legs--indicating courage?

: Put in that context, your assumption sounds correct. (I don't believe I've heard this use of back legs, but maybe so.) I have also heard a variant, involving the hind legs, as in, "Okay, okay, you don't have to get up on your hind legs with ME!" Or, "Well, yesterday I told him, and he got up on his hind legs and gave me what for." I've no doubt that in these examples, similar to what I used to hear a long time ago, the model was the horse that reared up on its hind legs when it had an issue. My examples are obsolescent, U.S. SS

How about a bear? Bears stand on their hind legs to fight.

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