Donate SIGN UP

sayings

Avatar Image
mazzywoo | 17:32 Sun 26th Nov 2006 | Phrases & Sayings
3 Answers
Hi guys.
Can anyone tell me where the expression to 'settle someone's hash' comes from? We have been having discussions about it but can't come up with an answer! Thanks.
Gravatar

Answers

1 to 3 of 3rss feed

Best Answer

No best answer has yet been selected by mazzywoo. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.

For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.
The original meaning of 'hash' was a dish consisting of bits and pieces of meat cut up small and cooked with gravy etc. The earliest recorded version of the phrase 'settle someone's hash' dates back over 200 years, the idea behind it being that the meal...ie his fate...has been prepared and there's nothing he can do about it.
We see the same idea in the phrase "your goose is cooked". In other words, it cannot now be uncooked, in the same way as the hash cannot be re-treated and produced for the table in some different form. "You've 'ad it!" in other words.
Question Author
Thanks for that quizmaster!
Question Author
Oops! Sorry QUIZMONSTER!

1 to 3 of 3rss feed

Do you know the answer?

sayings

Answer Question >>