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There's a man come into the house

Posted by Baceseras on November 16, 2007

In Reply to: There's a man come into the house posted by Rick on November 15, 2007

: Where does the phrase "there's a man come into the house" come from, when somebody drops a knife?

It's nearly impossible to discover the origins of household superstitions, of which this is one. They are immemorially old, universally distributed, and infinitely varied. The best that can be done is to trace back from one instance of a superstition --- for instance, your phrase: where did you hear it? Who said it? Where did they pick it up, and from whom? You can follow up whatever answers you get by repeating the questions back through generations. But beware of conclusions: answers given will prove to be just as shifty as the superstition you are investigating. Yet many find the study of folklore endlessly fascinating. 'Tis curious.

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