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Pushed from pillar to post

Posted by Dr on August 14, 2000

In Reply to: Pushed from pillar to post posted by James Briggs on June 18, 2000

: : desperately need to know what this means its in the 'phrases found' section but no meaning or origin. can anybody help?

: To go from pillar to post is to go from one disaster to another. It comes from the comparison with criminals going from the pillory to the whipping post.
: Another possible definition suggests that the saying was originally from post to pillar. In this case the comparison is with old tennis courts and relates to the banging about of the balls.
I've heard this many times in reference to be dragged from place to place for no good reason, in the sense that "pillar" and "post" are different names, nicely alliterative, for the same thing, hence the needless exertion.

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