PatentAnon dropping some crazy stuff.
(archive.ph)
You're viewing a single comment thread. View all comments, or full comment thread.
Comments (27)
sorted by:
"stone the crows"? I've never heard that one but it sounds cool- where is it from and what does it mean, please?
Going postal flows of the tongue better, but it's interesting how that suddenly stopped and never happened again?
What does it mean?..
https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/stone+the+crows
As to where it originated, that's a bit more fuzzy..
https://sayingsetc.blogspot.com/2010/01/stone-crows.html
Since it is an English idiomatic expression, my suspicion is that it has to do with the crows in residence at the Tower of London. Fits of political exaspiration made it into child's rhymes (e.g., "London Bridge is Falling Down," or "Humpty Dumpty") and I suspect into "minced oathes" meant to hold English royalty in contempt - without saying so obvioulsy.
As described by Yeoman Warders at the Tower if the crows in residence were to flee, it would mean the end of the monarchy; hence stoning the crows may refer to a wish for a permanent departure of the crows - and the monarchy along with it.
Just my guess. Brits care to weigh in?
It's as good a guess as any, I like it.
"Stone the crows" is believed to have originated in Britain. Some sources say it originated in America. Other sources say it originated in Australia.
Australians probably used it far more.
It can be difficult to web search as often they don't define it well and miss the rich meaning around the saying.
It has many uses, example, for being surprised, alarmed, annoyed, frustrated ect.
It is a bit old fashioned these days but can still be in fairly common use.
It is probably a lot preferable to swearing.
You can probably imagine what Australians can sound like when they are having a decent swearing session. You have probably seen their comments on this board!
"Struth" is another good word. Used in the same way as "Stone the crows"
Going postal seems to have died out now. It was quite common in the 80s and 90s.
For a while there, going postal was overtaken by "Going Ballistic"
I've heard struth before, assumed it was a condensation of It's Truth. 'Stone the crows' sounds fun to say. My favorite is probably still 'well slap me with butter and call me a biscuit,' from the southern US. Cheers!
I'm pretty old and have paid attention to language for the whole time, and I've never heard that phrase a single time. It must be a foreign expression, not American.