Fun Fact October 20, 2021.
Why don’t you sit a spell and chew the fat? A two for one today. To sit a spell originated from the Old English meaning of spell, that is telling of a story, fable or history. In the 12th century it took on a darker meaning with a spell being a magical procedure. Sailors applied a time element to spell, as in a long run of bad weather. Eventually in the southern U.S. it came to mean sitting for a while and having a chat. Enter chew the fat, which means to gossip or tell stories, usually in a group setting. One theory of it’s origin suggests that the phrase comes from the practice of chatting while chewing on the leftover fat after a meal. Another refers to sailors chewing salted beef and pork on deck while they complained about life. I think that perhaps we could all use a little more sitting a spell and chewing the fat. You can’t do that on social media, it has to be done face to face, around a kitchen table, a bonfire or on a front porch. Listen to the podcast here; https://theriver953.com/lonnies-fun-fact/
/
RSS Feed