Talk

Posted by ESC on April 14, 2000

In Reply to: Whats the meaning of :To talk the hind leg(s) off a donkey ? posted by Marc on April 13, 2000

Talk the hind legs off a donkey.
: I have heard this phrase many times but do not know its meaning.Why the hind leg(s) ? Why a donkey ?

Well, it's not just the "hind legs off a donkey." This phrase is just one in a series. Here are some examples from This Dog'll Really Hunt: An Entertaining Texas Dictionary by Wallace O. Chariton:

Talk water into a boil at 20 paces.
Talk the hide off a longhorn bull.
Talk the hide off a gila monster.
Talk the legs off an iron stove.
Talk a wagon out of a ditch.
Talk the ears off a wooden Indian.

And it seems to me I've heard:
Talk the bark off a tree.

• Talk Marc 05/03/00