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Homely as a mud wall

Posted by ESC on January 17, 2007

In Reply to: Homely as a mud wall posted by ESC on January 17, 2007

: : : The meaning seems obvious, but has anyone ever heard "she's as homely as a mud wall" and what in the world is a mud wall? Thanks. Jonathan

: : A wall made of mud, presumably. Mud huts is the basic local building material in huge areas of Asia, Africa and the Americas; quite large and sophisticated houses can be made of mud. This must be a purely Leftpondian saying, as in Britain "homely" isn't used to mean "ugly".

: I've heard -- in West Virginia -- ugly as a mud fence. A couple of variations:

Ugly as a mud fence daubed with misery. Or daubed with tadpoles. "Sayings from Old Smoky, Some Traditional Phrases, Expressions, and Sentences Heard In the Great Smoky Mountains and Nearby Areas" by Joseph S. Hall, Ashville, N.C.: Cataloochee Press, 1972. Page 103.

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