Weasel knowledge

Posted by Word Camel on November 06, 2003

In Reply to: Why are weasals and sacks associated? posted by ESC on November 06, 2003

: : OK, this is a follow-on to my previous message. After much crawling around the internet, I found multiple references to weasals and sacks: "mad as a sack full of weasals", "As much fun as a sack full of weasels". There is even an album entitiled "Sack Full O'Weasals". One article mentioned transporting ferrets in a sack, and another using a baited bag to trap and dispose of various varmints. Is the origin the latter? What do weasels and sacks have to do with one another?

: I'll look this up in my references when I get home. I have a vague notion of cartoon weasels being long and twisty, capable of crossing themselves up. Other than that, my only weasel knowledge is the night they got in the henhouse and slit the hens' throats. That was a mess.

I used to work for one. *grin* I think you are right about the weasel. There is a similar expression except it's a bag of eels, which are also writhing and twisty.