I dont Understand?

[bigscoop]

I don't Understand?

I don't understand the expression, "The cat is out of the bag."
Why was the cat in the bag?
Who put the cat there?
What happened when the cat got out?
Can someone explain the story or history which coined this curious expression?
(This should be fun!)

 

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[GopherDaGold]

Re: I don't Understand?

Cats don't like bags

In order to understand the origins of "let the cat out of the bag," it helps to understand how medieval markets worked. During the Middle Ages, markets or fairs were held to sell livestock, produce, and other goods from around a region. Most of the livestock was sold alive, usually in sacks so that the purchaser could bring it home relatively neatly. As a general rule, someone would inspect the pigs, chickens, and so forth for sale and pick one out, and then the farmer would bag the animal so that it could be carried.

Unscrupulous merchants might replace the livestock with a cat, since cats were readily available. The unknowing customer would carry the bag home, open it, and realize that he or she had been swindled. However, the plot relied on not letting the cat out of the bag too early. If the bag was opened in the marketplace, the customer could demand reparations from the merchant, since the secret would be out. Of course, the scheme would also rely on a quiet cat, since most people know the difference between a oink and a meow.

Courtesy of wisegeek.com

 

[bigscoop]

Re: I don't Understand?

Cats don't like bags

In order to understand the origins of "let the cat out of the bag," it helps to understand how medieval markets worked. During the Middle Ages, markets or fairs were held to sell livestock, produce, and other goods from around a region. Most of the livestock was sold alive, usually in sacks so that the purchaser could bring it home relatively neatly. As a general rule, someone would inspect the pigs, chickens, and so forth for sale and pick one out, and then the farmer would bag the animal so that it could be carried.

Unscrupulous merchants might replace the livestock with a cat, since cats were readily available. The unknowing customer would carry the bag home, open it, and realize that he or she had been swindled. However, the plot relied on not letting the cat out of the bag too early. If the bag was opened in the marketplace, the customer could demand reparations from the merchant, since the secret would be out. Of course, the scheme would also rely on a quiet cat, since most people know the difference between a oink and a meow.

Courtesy of wisegeek.com

Wow! The things you can learn on Tnet. And all this time I just thought it was silly human expression.

 

[spartacus53]

Re: I don't Understand?

Have a seat son and I'll give you the whole history behind it. This is actually from an old German tradition that began in Germany in 1763, a year after the legend of Kris Kringle was born.

Q- Why was the cat in the bag?
A- He was a gift, placed in a midsized paper bag to conceal him

Q- Who put the cat there?
A- Kris Kringle

Q- What happened when the cat got out?
A- The sad part was the cat actually had distemper, ate the family Canary, clawed the little girls hand and almost took out the boy's eye.

So this is not a happy story and I am sorry to bust your bubble.

 

[spartacus53]

Re: I don't Understand?

Bigscoop, GopherDaGold story is just that a story.. Mine is of Christmas fact and well documented..

Now who are you going to believe

 

[GopherDaGold]

Re: I don't Understand?

I...I...

 

[ivan salis]

Re: I don't Understand?

two says go together really -- " buying a pig in a poke" --blindly buying something without seeing it or checking it out --and "the cats out the bag now"

often to make carrying a little dead piglet easy to tote home from a market for dinner-- it was placed in a cloth type bag for transport (needless to say - the item could not be seen )--- if the market dealer was a "visiting" passing thru type ( dishonest type ) a dead cat was often placed in the bag in place of the little piglet --by the time the local got home and found out --the dishonest merchant was packed up and long gone , however if the local farmer was wize enought to check the bag out before heading homeward --well then --"the cat was "out" of the bag" -- the "gig" was up and the dishonest merchant was busted.

 

[bigscoop]

Re: I don't Understand?

Bigscoop, GopherDaGold story is just that a story.. Mine is of Christmas fact and well documented..

Now who are you going to believe

Hmmmmmm.........Seems like "we've really opened a can of worms" here.
I feel I've been suddenly, "put on the spot".

 

[spartacus53]

Re: I don't Understand?

Here are some pig facts

1- It is important to maintain the health of your pig. The first 2 or 3 weeks are critical, so you should check your pigs several times each day during this period. Strong appetites, body temperatures of 102.5° F, sleek haircoats, and tightly curled tails are all signs of a healthy pig. Healthy pigs are active and alert with bright looks in their eyes

2- For the first 3-4 weeks of life, the piglets consume milk from the sow. For the remainder of life, the primary components of pig diets are cereal grains, such as corn, and soybean meal. The soybean meal provides protein, while the cereal grains provide carbohydrates. The diet is supplemented with vitamins and minerals

2- Healthy pigs will gain from 1.5 to 1.8 pounds per day if fed properly.

Now, do the math.. Even if the piglet was 7 days old, his weight would be 10.5 pounds on the low side and nearly 13 on the heavy side.

Those merchants must have been swapping out cats on steroids Then again, I guess that is when they also coined the term "fat cats".

If we were talking sheep I'd say both Ivan and GopherDaGold were pulling the wool over your eyes, not unlike those merchants they were talking about

Keep in mind that I will never steer you wrong

 

[Zephyr]

Re: I don't Understand?

I don't understand the expression, "The cat is out of the bag."
Why was the cat in the bag?
Who put the cat there?
What happened when the cat got out?
Can someone explain the story or history which coined this curious expression?
(This should be fun!)

There is another part before that:
"The cat is in the bag and the bag is in the river"

 

[bigscoop]

Re: I don't Understand?

Here are some pig facts

1- It is important to maintain the health of your pig. The first 2 or 3 weeks are critical, so you should check your pigs several times each day during this period. Strong appetites, body temperatures of 102.5° F, sleek haircoats, and tightly curled tails are all signs of a healthy pig. Healthy pigs are active and alert with bright looks in their eyes

2- For the first 3-4 weeks of life, the piglets consume milk from the sow. For the remainder of life, the primary components of pig diets are cereal grains, such as corn, and soybean meal. The soybean meal provides protein, while the cereal grains provide carbohydrates. The diet is supplemented with vitamins and minerals

2- Healthy pigs will gain from 1.5 to 1.8 pounds per day if fed properly.

Now, do the math.. Even if the piglet was 7 days old, his weight would be 10.5 pounds on the low side and nearly 13 on the heavy side.

Those merchants must have been swapping out cats on steroids Then again, I guess that is when they also coined the term "fat cats".

If we were talking sheep I'd say both Ivan and GopherDaGold were pulling the wool over your eyes, not unlike those merchants they were talking about

Keep in mind that I will never steer you wrong

I guess that would all depend on what type of cats were are talking about? Perhaps baby lions, young tigers, or is this why the panther is now nearly extinct?

"Pulling the wool over your eyes" ......I'm not sure I want to know about this latest curious expression.....

 

[spartacus53]

Re: I don't Understand?

"Pulling the wool over your eyes" ......I'm not sure I want to know about this latest curious expression.....

Good grief man, don't get the guys started on that one You have to watch it, these guys are some pretty good story tellers and almost had me fooled too.

 

[bigscoop]

Re: I don't Understand?

"Pulling the wool over your eyes" ......I'm not sure I want to know about this latest curious expression.....

Good grief man, don't get the guys started on that one You have to watch it, these guys are some pretty good story tellers and almost had me fooled too.

Actually, I was counting on you to "tell me the truth" about the origin of this curious expression.

 

[Dano Sverige]

Re: I don't Understand?

The wool refers to a powdered wig. To pull the wool down over a man's eyes is to temporarily blind him. It is an Americanism, dating to the 1830s.

 

[BigDan]

Spartacus, you are a loose cannon

But, your stories really trip my trigger. Now, don't go off half cocked. I'm not saying there's a fly in the ointment. Just remember haste makes waste, but the early bird gets the worm and he who hesitates is lost. The race goes to the swiftest. Pace yourself.

Burning the candle at both ends? Read between the lines, you can't tell a book by it's cover. That's a horse of a different color. An old wive's tale.

Behind every good man there's a woman. Don't look back. There's a monkey on your back.

I feel a cold chill running up and down my spine.

I guess it is better to remain silent and look like a fool than to open my mouth and prove it.

 

[spartacus53]

Re: Spartacus, you are a loose cannon

But, your stories really trip my trigger. Now, don't go off half cocked. I'm not saying there's a fly in the ointment. Just remember haste makes waste, but the early bird gets the worm and he who hesitates is lost. The race goes to the swiftest. Pace yourself.

Burning the candle at both ends? Read between the lines, you can't tell a book by it's cover. That's a horse of a different color. An old wive's tale.

Behind every good man there's a woman. Don't look back. There's a monkey on your back.

I feel a cold chill running up and down my spine.

I guess it is better to remain silent and look like a fool than to open my mouth and prove it.

Dan I don't even know where to begin with you , so I will tackle the easier ones first.

 

[spartacus53]

Re: I don't Understand?

The wool refers to a powdered wig. To pull the wool down over a man's eyes is to temporarily blind him. It is an Americanism, dating to the 1830s.

Bigscoop, the last thing you want to do is take the word of Dano.. Dano is 1/2 right in his reply, just keep in mind this was the second incarnation of the term. Ahh, the first you ask? Well, I'll be glad to enlighten you.

The original term dates back to the early 1780's when highwaymen ruled the roads in the US. People think that ski masks were a relatively recent production, but nooooo, they were around back then too, with a more sinister purpose.

In order to rob a coach without being identified these highwaymen developed a woolen full faced mask in order to avoid being recognized. They would simply pull the wool over their eyes to avoid identification, not to blind someone else as Dano would have you believe So pull the wool over eyes really meant, let's get ready to make some quick cash

 

[bigscoop]

Re: I don't Understand?

The wool refers to a powdered wig. To pull the wool down over a man's eyes is to temporarily blind him. It is an Americanism, dating to the 1830s.

Bigscoop, the last thing you want to do is take the word of Dano.. Dano is 1/2 right in his reply, just keep in mind this was the second incarnation of the term. Ahh, the first you ask? Well, I'll be glad to enlighten you.

The original term dates back to the early 1780's when highwaymen ruled the roads in the US. People think that ski masks were a relatively recent production, but nooooo, they were around back then too, with a more sinister purpose.

In order to rob a coach without being identified these highwaymen developed a woolen full faced mask in order to avoid being recognized. They would simply pull the wool over their eyes to avoid identification, not to blind someone else as Dano would have you believe So pull the wool over eyes really meant, let's get ready to make some quick cash

I'm thinking these wool face mask had serious drawbacks when it was 100 degrees outside, hence the creating of the bandana drawn accorss the face. Correct?

 

[bigscoop]

Re: I don't Understand?

"Don't go off half cocked".....a saying in regards to the battlefields of the Revolutionary War, as a gun half cocked only allowed the flint to be set in place. The gun wouldn't fire unless it was fully cocked to the second stage, a lesson many a poor soldier learned the hard way.

"Burning the candle at both ends".......the wick was lit to provide light while the bottom was heated so the melted wax could be used to seal envelopes/letters.

"Behind every good man there is a woman".......a saying created by married women.
"Don't look back"........a saying created by married men!

 

[spartacus53]

Re: I don't Understand?

"Don't go off half cocked".....a saying in regards to the battlefields of the Revolutionary War, as a gun half cocked only allowed the flint to be set in place. The gun wouldn't fire unless it was fully cocked to the second stage, a lesson many a poor soldier learned the hard way.

You did pay attention in school, but unfortunately they taught you wrong. Again, this is another fine example of a reincarnation of a saying.. You mean there was another?? Of course there was, so pull up a chair, I'm gonna learn you something.

Believe it, or not, this story goes back to the biblical days of none other than King Solomon. I am sure that you have hear the following in regards to Solomon's wisdom

In one account, known as the Judgment of Solomon, two women came before Solomon to resolve a quarrel about which was the true mother of a baby. One mother had her baby die in the night after rolling over it in her sleep and crushing it; each claims the surviving child as her own. When Solomon suggests dividing the living child in two with a sword, the true mother is revealed to him because she is willing to give up her child to the lying woman, as heartbreaking a decision as it is. Solomon then declares the woman who shows compassion to be the true mother, and gives the baby back to her.

King Solomon held court weekly, where people would settle their disputes through his great wisdom. It wasn't even an hour after the above judgment that gave birth to "Don't go off 1/2 cocked"

It was the story of two warring merchants that both laid claim to a prize winning stud rooster. Spunky, the roosters actual name was legendary in his ability to impregnate other chickens. After hearing the 2 me argue about ownership, Solomon leaned over and said, I am sure the 2 of you were here when I made the judgment on the baby. I am tired of your foolishness and I will cut that SOB in 1/2 if you men can't agree. So I suggest that you "don't go off 1/2 cocked".

Now you again have the true meaning...

It's a shame that it seems I am only privy to the truth, but not to worry, I will gladly share on my knowledge and enlighten all of you

Spartacus53 has spoken