Pull the other one, it's got bells on

Posted by Yasmin Mazur on March 31, 2003

In Reply to: Pull the other one, it's got bells on posted by TheFallen on March 31, 2003

: : : : Can someone help me with the ORIGIN of THIS expression?
: : : : I'm not looking for it's meaning, I know it's when someone doesn't believe what was said. I'm not looking for the origin of Pulling my leg either - just the phrase Pull The Other One, It's Got Bells On.
: : : : BTW - what is the connection between the bells and someone's leg? Doesn't seem relevant, just two expressions that got confused together.

: : : Dictionary of Catch Phrases: American and British, from the Sixteenth Century to the Present Day, by Eric Partridge, has an entry for this phrase. It says just a little about the origin: "Frank Shaw attributed it to the 1920s" (no, I don't know who he was) and "Presumably from pictures of court jesters, wearing cap and bells."

: : I thought it was older than that. This explanation doesn't make sense, is there a chance for a better one?

: You asked this very same question on Message Board #19 (the one that just got archived). In case you can't find your way to it, here's a link to the answers received back then.

Yeah, I know - I got the origin of Pulling My Leg - not very helpful, although the intention was good. I'm looking for a specific expression, not the history of sayings about not believing something.

• History hard to find R. Berg 03/31/03