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Category: Southern Expressions

Two Shakes of a Lamb’s Tail

Two Shakes of a Lamb’s Tail

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Two Shakes of a Lamb's Tail--two lambsLambs are small and have short tails. I don’t know if that has anything to do with the origin of two shakes of a lamb’s tail. However, it makes sense to me.

Two shakes of a lamb’s tail means a short period of time.

We use the expression if we plan to do something quickly:

  • Work
  • School assignments
  • Home chores
  • Exercise

However, anything completed too quickly leads to problems.

Haste makes waste if we do a poor job. We frequently give a lick and a promise when we need to take one step at a time and do our job right.

Fast work is good. Correct work is better.

Moving too slowly also causes problems.

If we dislike what we do, we are tempted to put it off as long as possible.  We become slow as molasses starting and often slower finishing.

Whatever we do, whether fast or slow, let’s give our best.

“Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind” (Proverbs 21:5 MSG).

Thanks to Liz Gray for the suggestion. Image by Michael Grundmann from Pixabay.

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More than One Way to Skin a Cat

More than One Way to Skin a Cat

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More than One Way to Skin a Cat--child on playground barsMore than one way to skin a cat sounds cruel. We don’t want our cute, fur-covered pets to suffer.

However, many of us grew up climbing trees or playing on swing sets or horizontal bars. We learned to skin cats without a single pet around. We hung by our hands and lifted our feet and legs between our arms. Then we reversed that position.

More than one way to skin a cat means more than one way to reach a goal.

Simple examples include different ways to:

  • Bake a cake
  • Grow a garden
  • Study for a test

We learn and work based on our personal skills and interests.

  • I learn and work better with words.
  • My husband prefers math.

We figure out how to do our best work. Sometimes we do well and hit the bull’s eye. Other times our efforts fall short of what we hope.

Whatever our skills or our results, let’s aim for the best way to do whatever we do.

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives” (Colossians 1:9 NIV).

Thanks to Tillie Cowherd for the suggestion and to Karen Atwood for the photo.

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Pay the Fiddler

Pay the Fiddler

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Pay the Fiddler--fiddle in case with a money containerA friend’s father often said, “The one who dances has to pay the fiddler.” That makes sense. We live with the consequences of the choices we make.

To pay the fiddler means we suffer the results of what we say or do.

To pay the piper means the same. We use these expressions most often to describe the results of bad behavior. If we get in trouble, we get punished. Our choices force us to face the music.

The same truth applies to gardening: We reap what we sow.

  • Follow the wrong crowd — get in trouble.
  • Cheat on tests — fail to learn.
  • Hurt other people — lose their trust.

When we choose the right words and actions, we enjoy better results.

  • Follow the right examples — learn the best way to live.
  • Work as we should — grow in knowledge and abilities.
  • Treat others well — build trust in relationships.

Choose well to live well.

As another year begins, may we always choose the best. Happy New Year!

“Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23 KJV).

Thanks to Patty Cooper Emerson for the suggestion.

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Out of Whack

Out of Whack

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Out of Whack-- dark, snow covered trees with sun shining throughSome days everything gets out of whack.

Nothing works right.

  • Snow and ice make travel treacherous.
  • The car won’t start.
  • Our laptop freezes.

We don’t feel well.

  • A cold keeps us coughing and sneezing.
  • Muscles ache.
  • Our head hurts.

Life gets crazy.

  • We have too much to do and no time to do it.
  • No one offers to help.
  • We see no hope for improvement.

Days out of whack put us down in the dumps. We become emotional wrecks and can’t get a grip.

Most of us face times like that.

 That’s life, but how do we deal with it?

We can:

  • Complain. That usually makes us and everyone around us feel worse.
  • Pretend nothing is wrong. As a result, we never make anything better.
  • Do the best we can. That way, something gets done.
  • Ask for help. People usually don’t know we need help, unless we tell them.
  • Pray for guidance and peace. Even if circumstances never change, our attitude can.

On the darkest days, let the light of God’s hope shine through.

“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long” (Psalm 25:5 NIV).

Thanks to Darrin Jenkins for the suggestion.

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What Goes Down in the Well Comes Up in the Bucket

What Goes Down in the Well Comes Up in the Bucket

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What Goes Down in the Well Comes Up in the Bucket --well with bucketAs a little girl, I loved to visit relatives who had a well with a bucket. The bucket was tied to the end of a rope. To get water, we had to:

  • Lower the bucket into the well
  • Listen for the bucket to go under the water
  • Turn the crank on the side of the well to bring up the bucket of water

I learned what goes down in the well comes up in the bucket.

  • Throw toys in the well; toys come up.
  • Dump garbage in the well; garbage comes up.
  • Spill food in the well; food comes up.

The same holds true for our lives.

What we pour into our lives comes out in how we live.

  • Feed our minds and hearts good thoughts; good behavior follows.
  • Dump trash into our brains; we treat ourselves and others like trash.
  • Fill our lives with truth; we live that truth.

Our actions show what we believe.

  • If we believe in respect, we show respect.
  • When we love others, we show love.
  • If we have faith in God, we demonstrate that faith.

Let’s get our lives right before we kick the bucket. Let’s make our good deeds more than a drop in the bucket.

“Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life’” (John 4:13-14 NIV).

Thanks to Dr. Dwayne Norman, pastor of Campbellsville Baptist Church, for the suggestion. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

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I Swan

I Swan

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I Swan--Uncle Lowell and three dogs

My Uncle Lowell, like many in our family, loved to use idioms and slang. He often expressed surprise with, “I swan.” He occasionally changed that to:

  • “I’ll swan.”
  • “I swanny.”
  • “Well, I swan.”
  • “I declare.”

All meant the same.

Uncle Lowell’s “I swan” meant something happened he did not expect.

He may or may not have known it also meant the same as “I swear.”

Like most of us, Uncle Lowell preferred pleasant surprises:

  • News of a new grandchild
  • Gifts out of the blue
  • Contact from an old friend

Unfortunately, he also received unpleasant surprises:

  • Deaths of friends or family members
  • Bad accidents
  • Weather related crop losses

However, Uncle Lowell was a tough cookie.

He often laughed through his troubles by:

  • Telling tall tales
  • Playing jokes on anyone around him
  • Giving children funny nicknames

Singing also helped him through hard times. I can still hear his deep bass remind us to have a little talk with Jesus.

If Uncle Lowell knew about this post, I have a feeling he would respond, “Well, I swan. Who ever heard of such a thing?”

“Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come” (Psalm 71:18 NIV).

Did you have family members like my Uncle Lowell? Please comment below.

Thanks to Stacey Marcum and Gail Gosser for the suggestion. Special thanks to Stacey for the photo.

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Chickens Come Home to Roost

Chickens Come Home to Roost

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Chickens Come Home to Roost--chickens on a fenceChickens come home to roost.

  • Birds usually return to their nests at night.
  • The results of our past actions return to us.

Bad behavior in the past may causes problems in the present or future.

We may get away with bad choices for a while. However, we often suffer for them later. We land in hot water. That is true for what we do and what we say.

We live with the consequences of the choices we make.

 Mistakes or wrong choices hurt us and others. We reap what we sow.

  • Fail to study: fail a test.
  • Hurt other people; expect to get hurt.
  • Ignore physical needs; suffer physical pains.

Therefore, we do well to always make right choices.

Be careful what we say and do. What goes around comes around. We don’t want our words and actions coming back to haunt us.

If we follow the straight and narrow, we have no need to worry.

“Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14 NIV).

Thanks to Steve and LuAnne Russell for the suggestion. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

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Mad as a Wet Hen

Mad as a Wet Hen

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Mad as a Wet Hen--chickenWhen we get mad as a wet hen, we get angry – very angry.

This seems like a strange expression, because most hens don’t mind getting wet. (Hen usually means a female chicken.)

We may not get mad often. Yet, most of us get mad as a wet hen or fit to be tied when people:

  • Hurt someone we love
  • Steal from us
  • Lie to us

Sometimes we get mad as a wet hen for no good reason. A little problem occurs, but we make a mountain out of a molehill. We usually regret that anger.

How do we act when we get mad as a wet hen?

We have several bad choices:

  • Fly off the handle and do something we regret
  • Scream like a baby
  • Destroy property
  • Hit something or someone

We also have several good choices:

  • Think before we act
  • Admit our anger
  • Learn how to express anger without hurting anyone
  • Use our anger to improve life for everyone, if possible

As with all emotions, we choose how we show anger.

May we always use it for good.

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1 NIV).

Thanks to Pam Barnes Harlow for the photo.

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Put Our Hand to the Plow

Put Our Hand to the Plow

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Put Our Hand to the Plow--horses pulling old plowWhen we put our hand to the plow, we are ready to work.

Years ago farmers ran their plows behind horses or mules. When they put their hand to the plow, they usually had a full day of work.

A few people still prepare their land for planting the old way. However, most farmers today use tractors with bigger plows.

Homeplace on Green River hosts Plow Day each spring. During this festival, people watch farmers plow like they did in the good old days. They see the ground break open, ready for planting.

In the past, when seeds began to grow, farmers had hard rows to hoe. Harvest time meant more work

Most farmers today have easier ways to work. However, farming still means long, hard days.

When we put our hand to the plow, we have hard work ahead.

We may not plow fields. Yet, we face long hours with much to do.

Sometimes we put our hand to the plow for ourselves. Other times we put our hand to the plow for someone else.

Whether farmers or office workers, we can experience the joy of hard work and a job well done. At the end of those long days, most of us are ready to hit the hay.

“Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’” (Luke 9:62 NIV).

Thanks to Sarah Borders Creason for the photo from Homeplace on Green River’s 2016 Plow Day.

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

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Fit to be Tied

Fit to be Tied

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Fit to be tied-rope tied into a heart shapeMost of us have occasional fit-to-be-tied moments. We become:

  • Angry
  • Upset
  • Excited

We fly off the handle.

When fit to be tied, we get out of control.

Our emotions grow so great, we need someone to calm us down. No one actually ties us. However, they do try to:

  • Prevent anything we will regret
  • Keep us from hurting ourselves or someone else

We may grow fit to be tied for selfish reasons. 

  • When we don’t get our way
  • If our plans don’t work

We may also grow fit to be tied for unselfish reasons.

  • When someone abuses a child or older adult
  • If someone lies, steals, or hurts people in any other way

Little things often make us fit to be tied.

Some of us deal well with life’s big problems. Yet, we blow off steam when faced with small ones such as:

  • Slow traffic
  • Food spills on a clean floor
  • Noisy neighbors

God gave us emotions.

However, we want to use those emotions for good, not harm. How do we do that?

  • Recognize what upsets us.
  • Remember we can’t control everything.
  • Change what we can.
  • Ask for help when we need it.
  • Focus on what matters most.
  • Ask God to guide us and work through us.
  • Choose to love everyone, including those who make us fit to be tied.

“Don’t let your spirit rush to be angry, for anger abides in the heart of fools” (Ecclesiastes 7:9 HCSB).

Thanks to Pat Stapp for the suggestion.

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

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