Language Grows on Farms, Too

Common phrases I use regularly without considering their origins or literal meanings? Everything from declaring a new friend "the bee's knees" to saying "I'm over the moon!" about sour cherry pie to, with a yawn, declaring that I'm ready to be "counting sheep." Language can be lovely like that, ripe with meaning and fanciful imagery and, more often than not, defiant of strict interpretation. We think it's enlightening (and, admittedly, sometimes funny) to find out where these turns of phrase came from, so forgive us for totally loving Stone Barn's "Root Of It" series, in which they periodically examine the origin of phrases from our farming history. Initial posts include "Spring Chicken" and "Dyed in the Wool" — but can we make a request for the next one? We're dying to know the historical whereabouts of "Two shakes of a lamb's tail"!

The Root Of It from Stone Barns Center