Although the origins of this phrase come from the 18th century meaning something insignificant, the slang of the 1920's brought it to a new place. Honestly, a bees knees do store pollen, therefore they are extra sweet. People tried to make other slang phrases that didn't quite pan out. "The Canary's Tusks", "The Elephant's Instep", and my personal favorite "The Flea's Eyebrows". "That flapper dress is simply the flea's eyebrows." I could just hear someone saying that. Another one that did survive is "The Cat's Pajamas". Do you know any cute old expressions? Please tell me in the comments.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Vintage Phrase of the Day
The Bee's Knees = An Outstanding Person Or Thing/ The Height Of Excellence
Although the origins of this phrase come from the 18th century meaning something insignificant, the slang of the 1920's brought it to a new place. Honestly, a bees knees do store pollen, therefore they are extra sweet. People tried to make other slang phrases that didn't quite pan out. "The Canary's Tusks", "The Elephant's Instep", and my personal favorite "The Flea's Eyebrows". "That flapper dress is simply the flea's eyebrows." I could just hear someone saying that. Another one that did survive is "The Cat's Pajamas". Do you know any cute old expressions? Please tell me in the comments.
Although the origins of this phrase come from the 18th century meaning something insignificant, the slang of the 1920's brought it to a new place. Honestly, a bees knees do store pollen, therefore they are extra sweet. People tried to make other slang phrases that didn't quite pan out. "The Canary's Tusks", "The Elephant's Instep", and my personal favorite "The Flea's Eyebrows". "That flapper dress is simply the flea's eyebrows." I could just hear someone saying that. Another one that did survive is "The Cat's Pajamas". Do you know any cute old expressions? Please tell me in the comments.
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This has always been one of my favourite vintage expressions (I use it fairly often - even my Italian hubby has adopted it into his vocab) - right up there with words like "swell", "nifty", and "pet" (as in "The black felt one is my pet hat").
ReplyDelete♥ Jessica