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ill go to the foot of our stairs....
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can anyone tell me when this saying originated and why?
thanks
thanks
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There have been many expressions of surprise with the opening words "Well, I'll go to..."
Hanover, Jericho, Putney, Pudsey, the end of our garden and our ‘ouse have all been used at various times and places to round the saying off. Given that these are all basically variants of "Well I'll go to hell!" - if not something stronger - it is fairly clear that offering a logical explanation is problematic.
‘Well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs' is probably a north of England euphemism for a much stronger expression of surprise, just as ‘Cor blimey!' is an acceptable version of ‘God blind me!' The word ‘foot' was - in all likelihood - chosen to chime with the 'f' of a strong swear-word, with the ‘of our stairs' just tagged on to make sense...if foot was used, it had to be the foot of something, after all. The whole thing is, in other words, quite possibly - and here's the ‘something stronger' - just a polite version of "Well, I'll go to eff!"
(cont)
Hanover, Jericho, Putney, Pudsey, the end of our garden and our ‘ouse have all been used at various times and places to round the saying off. Given that these are all basically variants of "Well I'll go to hell!" - if not something stronger - it is fairly clear that offering a logical explanation is problematic.
‘Well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs' is probably a north of England euphemism for a much stronger expression of surprise, just as ‘Cor blimey!' is an acceptable version of ‘God blind me!' The word ‘foot' was - in all likelihood - chosen to chime with the 'f' of a strong swear-word, with the ‘of our stairs' just tagged on to make sense...if foot was used, it had to be the foot of something, after all. The whole thing is, in other words, quite possibly - and here's the ‘something stronger' - just a polite version of "Well, I'll go to eff!"
(cont)
(cont)
Of course, it was used in total innocence by many people - including charming old grannies! - in the same way as they probably said "What the heck!" little realising that that was just a polite way of saying "What the hell!" It was used as a catchphrase by entertainers such as Tommy Handley and George Formby on radio shows in the 1940s, but there appears to be no evidence that either actually coined it.
Some suggest that the foot of the stairs was en route to the toilet and that the speaker had possibly been so surprised that he soiled himself. Others believe that the mere act of walking somewhere might have been sufficient to dull the speaker's astonishment. The etymologist, Michael Quinion, claims that the origin of this and other such phrases is, quote, "impenetrable". Accordingly, my naughty explanation - a guess like the others in this paragraph - is just as likely as any innocent one.
Of course, it was used in total innocence by many people - including charming old grannies! - in the same way as they probably said "What the heck!" little realising that that was just a polite way of saying "What the hell!" It was used as a catchphrase by entertainers such as Tommy Handley and George Formby on radio shows in the 1940s, but there appears to be no evidence that either actually coined it.
Some suggest that the foot of the stairs was en route to the toilet and that the speaker had possibly been so surprised that he soiled himself. Others believe that the mere act of walking somewhere might have been sufficient to dull the speaker's astonishment. The etymologist, Michael Quinion, claims that the origin of this and other such phrases is, quote, "impenetrable". Accordingly, my naughty explanation - a guess like the others in this paragraph - is just as likely as any innocent one.
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