Pull it to

Posted by ESC on September 13, 2008 at 23:50

In Reply to: Pull it to posted by R. Berg on September 13, 2008 at 17:49:

: : : PULL IT TO - this is a phrase we often use when describing how much to shut a door by. It has recently caused us to ask where does the phrase originate from, after all we all know how much to pull a door to!

: : Obviously when you pull a door to, you pull it until it is closed or nearly so. The Oxford English Dictionary gives numerous examples from 1673 on, including some in which it is not a door that is pulled to, e.g., "895 J. M. FALKNER Lost Stradivarius xii. 188 He set down his mandoline and left the room, pulling to the curtain and shutting a door behind it." In another example it is shutters that are pulled to.

: : The OED does not speculate about the grammatical logic behind the phrase.
: : SS

: "Pull it to" must be British. I never hear it in the U.S. ~rb

I've heard it -- West Virginia/Kentucky.

• Pull it to Smokey Stover 14/September/08
  • Pull it to David FG 14/September/08
    • Pull it to Snokey Stover 14/September/08
      • Pull it to Brian from Shawnee 15/September/08
        • Pull it to Victoria S Dennis 15/September/08
          • Pull it to Smokey Stover 18/September/08
            • Pull it to Parthian 24/September/08