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.
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8 thoughts on “Two Shakes of a Lamb’s Tail”
Love this, Diana!
Thank you, Gail. I had heard this one but not often. I’m glad Liz suggested it.
Love this Diana and very true!
Hope you andRim are well!
Thank you, Anne. I’m so glad to hear from you! We are doing fairly well. I hope you and your family are safe and healthy.
This is great! Often, on your posts, I can hear my parents speaking the sayings. Precious memories.
Thank you, Melissa. Many times I hear my parents or other relative speaking as I write. Those memories are precious indeed.
Lamb’s tails aren’t short when they are born. Most shepherds today dock the tails. Lambs ‘wag’ their tails when they are happy, like when they are nursing. If anyone has ever fed a lamb a bottle they will know how fast a lambs tail will go. Two shakes is no time at all!!
Thank you so much for the helpful information, Grovelandfarm. I love your description and hope I have the opportunity to see newborn lambs in action.