Two Shakes of a Lamb’s Tail
Lambs 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.
Do you have an expression you want explained? If so, please comment below.
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