"I have a question that maybe you can answer or pose on your blog. I had left the French doors open in my front room and it is too cold right now to do so, and a friend said to me “Do you have a 40 foot tail?” Later he left them open, and I said “What? Were you born in a barn?” Neither of us knew what the other meant or could even explain as to how those sayings came about. Though, if you think about it, one can make more sense about the tail too long thing – it being caught in said door…. Do you know the history of the born in a barn? Or could you find out, please?"
I researched these idioms without much luck. I found the following for "were you born in a barn?"
1. Supposedly from the UK meaning why have you left the door open was originally "were you born in Bardney". Bardney in Lincolnshire was the site of an important monastery Tupholme Abbey and when the king Saint Oswald was killed they tried to bring his bones into the abbey but the monks kept the doors shut...the monks were subsequently forced to leave the doors open...
Hmmm... somehow this doesn't sound quite right, barns sound more U.S. thank U.K.
2. Those who like open drafty places; or
3. Barn doors are opened in early morning to let the cows out to pasture and remain open until the cows are herded back in for milking in early evening.
Does anyone know the origins of this saying? Please post your comments!
As for "were you born with a 40-foot tail", I found nothing. Anyone?
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1 comment:
I heard it was "Were you born in Bardney?"
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