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Blue Monday; don't have a clue

Posted by ESC on August 09, 2001

In Reply to: Two phrases ... Need origins ... anyone know? posted by Tiko on August 09, 2001

: : : I have two phrases I need the origin of does anyone know where they came from?
: : : the first is "Blue Monday"
: : : the second is "don't have a clue"

: : : Thanks in advance!
: : : BranSaigh

: : "Blue Monday" is a song -- I've have a recording by Fats Domino. It's about being hungover after a wild weekend. But I don't know if that's the origin.

: Main Entry:
: Pronunciation: 'klü
: Function: noun
: Etymology: alteration of clew
: Date: 1596
: : something that guides through an intricate procedure or maze of difficulties; specifically : a piece of evidence that leads one toward the solution of a problem.
: I believe this stems from the days of the Sleuth searching for answers (usually for criminal conviction) by means of deduction with the bag of knowledge he had on hand.
: Not having a clue or "clueless" in non-law enforcement terms insinuates stupidity or unawareness. I do not know when this term entered the "Blonde Joke" arena but I would imagine Hollywood movies had something to do with it.

BLUE MONDAY - "It is an unquestioned fact that during the Middle Ages the Monday before the beginning of Lent was called Blue Monday - but there are two schools of thought as to why it got that name. One holds that the churches were decorated in blue on that day. Another believes that because so many people spent the weekend before Lent in drunken revels, they woke up mighty 'blue' and hung over on that Monday morning. And then there's a later version of the origin of blue Monday, this one stemming from the days of sailing ships. Monday - any Monday - was flogging day. Errant sailors were brought before the mast and flogged until they were black and blue." From Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins by William and Mary Morris (HarperCollins, New York, 1977, 1988).

BLUE MONDAY
Fats Domino
Blue Monday, how I hate blue Monday
Got to work like a slave all day
Here come Tuesday, oh hard Tuesday
I'm so tired, got no time to play
Here come Wednesday, I'm beat to my socks
My gal calls, got to tell her that I'm out
'Cause Thursday is a hard workin' day
And Friday I'll get my pay

Saturday morning, oh Saturday morning
All my tiredness has gone away
Got my money and my honey
And I'm out on the town to play
Sunday morning, my head is bad
But it's worth it, for the times that I've had
But I've got to get my rest
'Cause Monday is a mess

I DON'T HAVE A CLUE. Couldn't find the first use of that phrase. But here's some information on "clueless." CLUELESS "adj. ignorant, incompetent, or baffled; stupid. 1942 in OEDS (Oxford English Dictionary Supplement): 'I'm clueless' - I don't know." From Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Volume 1, A-G by J.E. Lighter, Random House, New York, 1994.

The meaning and origin of 'Don't have a clue'.

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