It’s easy to see how that is related to deafness. The phrase ‘like Posts can neither speake nor goe’ was used in Richard Braitwhaite’s Solemne and Joviall Disputation in 1617. So deaf people are apparently unresponsive. It is not 100% clear where it directly came from but according to my research, it is said that it the word “post” of whatever kind (fence, gate, bed, etc) has long been used to highlight deafness and unresponsiveness, perhaps at the same time. I wasn’t sure until I looked into the origin of ‘deaf as a post’, as it seems to be one of the most well-known phrase. Post box, postman/woman, words with posts in them like postgraduate, postmortem and posters? When I first heard of this, I was confused: what “post” are talking about there? Deaf as a Door Post / Door Knob / Door Nail / Door Mat.Most, if not all of them, are generally considered to be as an insult. The same applies to anything that starts with “deaf as…” and I’ve encountered quite a few of the the common phrases below and their origins too.Įven though the definitions of each phrases are mostly meant to be “unable to hear anything or profoundly deaf”, most of the time, the phrases doesn’t make sense at all.Īnd FYI, I would avoid using them in real-life and say it to a deaf person. Other times, it doesn’t (is a cucumber “cool” because of its supposed attitude or because it’s been in the fridge?). You know how there are various sayings and phrases around the world like “fit as a fiddle”, “strong as an ox”, “cute as a button” and “cool as a cucumber”.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |