As Low As?

[arjay]

I cannot think of a saying for "as low as" meaning close to the ground.
There is "as high as a kite" but no opposite.
Does anyone know of one, please?

[scorpiojo]

a snake's belly

[janzman]

As low as a snake's belly

[bookbinder]

In the USA they say 'as low as a snake's belly'.

[scorpiojo]

..it doesn't mean close to the ground though.

[fiction-factory]

I suppose 'high as a kite' isn't really about vertical distance either.

[MargoTester]

My Mum always used to say as low as a snake's belly

[scorpiojo]

Excellent point, ff :)

[Jackdaw33]

Snake's belly seems to be correct. Although used as a simile to describe a very mean person it used as such because there is nothing between the ground and a snake' belly.

[arjay]

Thank you scorpiojo,janzman,bookbinder,fiction-factor, margo tester andJackdaw33
I have heard someone say "at it's lowest ebb"

[Jackdaw33]

But that metaphor has a totally different meaning.

[MallyJ]

low as a snakes armpit ..... heard that one a few times

[merrythought]

"As high as a kite" I think means "stoned". In my experience stones lie on the ground i.e as low as they can be.

[Hypognosis]

I've never understood why "high" became the expression for intoxication because (at least with drink) it was more a case of struggling to remain upright rather than any sense of being lifted up.

"Stoned" is equally incomprehensible unless it refers to achieving a state of insensibility?

The trouble is, we mostly just copy the slang we encounter. Questioning what every piece of slang means just makes you look ignorant and 'uncool'. I suspect only the originator could say why they chose such contradictory terms, to describe their experiences.

But, as the saying goes, if you can remember the sixties, you obviously weren't there. If you asked them, they probably wouldn't be able to recall.