Blanket

Posted by Mugball-us on February 03, 2005

In Reply to: Blanket posted by R. Berg on February 02, 2005

: : Does anyone know the origin of the term "born on the wrong side of the blanket".

: The link below goes to the page for this expression in the Meanings and Origins section of Phrase Finder. Only the meaning is given, alas.

"Bastard" has its origin in the French word for a pack saddle, the bedding of itinerant drovers who apparently got a lot of the blame for irregular pregnanacies in medieval Europe. Perhaps saddle blankets were also associated with illicit sex? Although "born on the wrong side of the blanket" obviously refers to birth rather than conception, it's probably the wrongness in the phrase that is important. I have spent my whole life trying to figure out which side of the bed is the wrong side, and find that I still make the wrong choice more often than not.