Under the anvil

Posted by Brian from Shawnee on September 16, 2005

In Reply to: Under the anvil posted by ESC on September 16, 2005

: : What does the phrase "under the anvil" mean

: This is a guess. It is someone or something being reshaped or transformed.

: www.kentuckyarts.org/ scedules/Craig%20at%20Anvil_small.jpg

But when a blacksmith is shaping a piece of metal, it's done on top of the anvil. If someone or something is "under the anvil" (which I've never heard before) that sounds kind of like "behind the eight ball", meaning in a tight spot or dire situation.

Reminds me of Jesse Jackson's "boats stuck at the bottom", referring to sunken boats that a rising tide can never lift. If you're a piece of metal and you're under the anvil, you'll never be reshaped by the blacksmith.

• Under the anvil Steve E 16/September/05