Help - anyone know where the saying.....

[pammy]

...."Teaching your Granny to suck eggs" comes from? We know what it means but not it's origins and daughter needs to know for some homework Cannot find anything on the 'net

 

[lotusmark2]

Hope this is of some help

TEACHING ONE’S GRANDMOTHER TO SUCK EGGS
[Q] From Jonathan Downes: “I wonder if you would care to explain a phrase in wide use but rather odd in its direct meaning: teaching your grandmother to suck eggs? (This has been in use by my parents, both in their 70s).”
[A] It does look odd, but its meaning is clear enough: don’t give needless assistance or presume to offer advice to an expert. As that prolific author, Anon, once wrote:
Teach not thy parent’s mother to extract
The embryo juices of the bird by suction.
The good old lady can that feat enact,
Quite irrespective of your kind instruction. Many similar expressions have been invented down the years, such as Don’t teach your grandmother how to milk ducks, and don’t teach your grandmother to steal sheep. These have the same kind of absurd image as the version you quote, which has survived them all. It was first recorded in 1707 in a translation by John Stevens of the collected comedies of the Spanish playwright Quevedo: “You would have me teach my Grandame to suck Eggs”. Another early example, whimsically inverted, is in Tom Jones by Henry Fielding, published in 1749: “I remember my old schoolmaster, who was a prodigious great scholar, used often to say, Polly matete cry town is my daskalon. The English of which, he told us, was, That a child may sometimes teach his grandmother to suck eggs”.
But the idea is very much older. There was a classical proverb A swine to teach Minerva, which was translated by Nichola Udall in 1542 as to teach our dame to spin, something any married woman of the period would know very well how to do. And there are other examples of sayings designed to check the tendency of young people to give unwanted advice to their elders and betters.

Mark.

 

[kikkthecat]

[Q] From Jonathan Downes: “I wonder if you would care to explain a phrase in wide use but rather odd in its direct meaning: teaching your grandmother to suck eggs? (This has been in use by my parents, both in their 70s).”

[A] It does look odd, but its meaning is clear enough: don’t give needless assistance or presume to offer advice to an expert. As that prolific author, Anon, once wrote:
Teach not thy parent’s mother to extract
The embryo juices of the bird by suction.
The good old lady can that feat enact,
Quite irrespective of your kind instruction. Many similar expressions have been invented down the years, such as Don’t teach your grandmother how to milk ducks, and don’t teach your grandmother to steal sheep. These have the same kind of absurd image as the version you quote, which has survived them all. It was first recorded in 1707 in a translation by John Stevens of the collected comedies of the Spanish playwright Quevedo: “You would have me teach my Grandame to suck Eggs”. Another early example, whimsically inverted, is in Tom Jones by Henry Fielding, published in 1749: “I remember my old schoolmaster, who was a prodigious great scholar, used often to say, Polly matete cry town is my daskalon. The English of which, he told us, was, That a child may sometimes teach his grandmother to suck eggs”.
But the idea is very much older. There was a classical proverb A swine to teach Minerva, which was translated by Nichola Udall in 1542 as to teach our dame to spin, something any married woman of the period would know very well how to do. And there are other examples of sayings designed to check the tendency of young people to give unwanted advice to their elders and betters.

 

[kikkthecat]

You probably beat me by 5 seconds...ROTFL

 

[sym]

there's an echo in here !

 

[lotusmark2]

You probably beat me by 5 seconds...ROTFL

HA !!!!!
ROTFLMAO

 

[Philirv]

Rotflmao ?

 

[pammy]

Thanks guys - are you two twins Was rather hoping it would come from something obvious like - "Sleep Tight" ie from the days when beds had ropes instead of springs for the mattress to sit on, if the ropes weren't tight, the mattress sagged and bad night's sleep ensued.

Heaven forbid it should be so simple

 

[lotusmark2]

Rotflmao ?

Rolling On The Floor Laughing My **** Off

 

[Kinky]

Q] From Jonathan Downes: “I wonder if you would care to explain a phrase in wide use but rather odd in its direct meaning: teaching your grandmother to suck eggs? (This has been in use by my parents, both in their 70s).”

[A] It does look odd, but its meaning is clear enough: don’t give needless assistance or presume to offer advice to an expert. As that prolific author, Anon, once wrote:
Teach not thy parent’s mother to extract
The embryo juices of the bird by suction.
The good old lady can that feat enact,
Quite irrespective of your kind instruction. Many similar expressions have been invented down the years, such as Don’t teach your grandmother how to milk ducks, and don’t teach your grandmother to steal sheep. These have the same kind of absurd image as the version you quote, which has survived them all. It was first recorded in 1707 in a translation by John Stevens of the collected comedies of the Spanish playwright Quevedo: “You would have me teach my Grandame to suck Eggs”. Another early example, whimsically inverted, is in Tom Jones by Henry Fielding, published in 1749: “I remember my old schoolmaster, who was a prodigious great scholar, used often to say, Polly matete cry town is my daskalon. The English of which, he told us, was, That a child may sometimes teach his grandmother to suck eggs”.
But the idea is very much older. There was a classical proverb A swine to teach Minerva, which was translated by Nichola Udall in 1542 as to teach our dame to spin, something any married woman of the period would know very well how to do. And there are other examples of sayings designed to check the tendency of young people to give unwanted advice to their elders and betters.

 

[Philirv]

Ha Ha !
That's a good one. Nearly fell off my chair too !

 

[Philirv]

Jesus,

there's an echo in here, even Kinky's at it now.

 

[lotusmark2]

Kinky whats the secret of good comedy.














Timing

 

[pammy]

You lot are bonkers but lovely with it

 

[Kinky]

Kinky whats the secret of good comedy.

Timing

Just goes to show - I'm always late .... !

K

 

[mapleleaf]

heres another one for you sleuths in a similar vein - see what you come up with.


anyone remember the song "dem dry bones"? your knee bone connected to you thigh bone and all that malarky?

where did this originate?

 

[andy_k]

it's a negro spiritual

Andy

 

[mapleleaf]

it's a negro spiritual

Andy

I found that it is also based on an old testament bible story as follows:-

The Old Testament book of Ezekiel is a book of vivid images that chronicle the siege of Jerusalem
by the Babylonians and the subsequent forced relocation (known as the exile) of the Israelites
following Jerusalem’s fall. Chapter 37 describes a powerful vision of Ezekiel in which a
valley of dry bones becomes reconnected as he prophesies. Tendons, muscle, and skin regrow on
the reconnected bones and the dead skeletons return to life forming a vast army that fills the valley.
This vision of new life arising from dry bones provided the homesick Israelites with hope
that the” dry bones” of defeated Israel would “come back to life” and they could one day be free
of their oppressors, the Babylonians.

Pammy's post promted my curiosity as to where sayings and songs are derived . This song was always on the radio whe I was a kid and i never understood what it was really about or who Ezekiel was. (never went to Sunday School much)

Some web sites suggest it is a kids rhyme.
Hope this isnt coming across as too heavy .. it's not meant to.

I'll get me coat .. as they say

 

[Jukie]

How 'bout this one, folks?

"early doors" or "early days", meaning too soon or plenty of time?

I think the former is the original expression and it has something to do with opening hours or something like that.

And I'm not referring to the Cockney rhyming slang..........!!!!!!!!

 

[Shude]

"early doors"

"Early doors" is something Ron Atkinson said a long time ago (probably by mistake) and now everyone uses it. It actually doesn't mean anything!