animal adages

Animal Adages

Cat got your tongue? A pig in a poke? Three dog night? If you're

anything like me, you've spent many sleepless nights wondering about

the origin of those adages. So put away your sleeping pills because

I'm going to answer these burning questions--in other words, I'm going

to put you to sleep.

Cat got your tongue?

Well, this one's a little gross. It may have originiated, long ago, in

the Mideast, when it was common to punish a liar by cutting out his

tongue. This tasty treat was then given to the king's pet cats for

dinner.

A pig in a poke

Means to buy something without examination--an unknown. In the middle

ages, a suckling pig would be sold in a bag (a poke). Some sellers

would try to trick buyers by putting a cat in the bag instead. So

don't buy a pig in a bag without checking it out first. You've been

warned.

Cat's out of the bag

When the buyer finally got home with what he believed was a pig in a

poke (see above), he discovered the bag held a cat instead. The cat

was out of the bag, and the truth was known.

Three dog night

All these years, I thought Three Dog Night was just an early 70's

band. Wrong. This adage comes from Australia, and means that on cold

nights, aboriginals would sleep in a hole in the ground while

embracing a dingo (or three).

Hope this helps with all that tossing and turning.