phrases, sayings, idioms and expressions at

Knock the whey...

Posted by Victoria S Dennis on January 02, 2008

In Reply to: Knock the whey... posted by John Gale on January 02, 2008

: Anyone familiar with the term "Knock (or slap) the whey outa you"? It looks like it has to do with some kind of farming activity.

Well, you make full-cream milk into butter by agitating it vigorously(churning it with a paddle, or rocking it) until the solid butter separates from the whey. Perhaps that's the metaphor. Then again, whey is a pale watery white colour; a traditional description of a wan feeble-looking person is "whey-faced". Perhaps the allusion is to slapping this pale person's face till it's a healthy red. (VSD)

© 1997 – 2024 Phrases.org.uk. All rights reserved.