Obscure sayings?

A friend called the other day and asked me how things were going "in my neck of the woods?" I said sometimes I feel like I'm in the ballsack of the woods. Where do these sayings come from? Anyone think of other such sayings that seem to make no sense? And where is the neck of the woods?

 

the saying "on or off the wagon" is an old english saying. there was a bar in england i cant remember the name or exact dates, but there were gallows right next to the bar and the prisioners that were scheduled to be hung at these gallows were transported via horse and wagon. they were offered one last drink at the bar. If they accepted they got "off the wagon" if they didnt want a drink they were "on the wagon."

"mind your p's and q's" is another english saying. at the english bars they served (maybe they still do i dont fuckin know) pints and quarts and when bar-goers would get too obnoxious the bartender would tell them to "mind their p's and q's mate."

i love finding out the meanings of phrases people use all the time, so awesome thread and i hope other people post!

 

As the crow flies! If I was a crow that would be really helpful but since I am generally confined to land, it is not.

Over yonder! Great directions for someone already not sure where they are headed!

Not a lick of sense! That one totally baffles me. Of course maybe I just have not a lick of sense.

 

hahah ive never heard of as the crow flies im going to throw it into a sentence now and then.

"jay walking" when blue jays are seen stupidly walking into traffic or around the forest floor and get hit by a car or eaten...you have wings use em..derpp

 

Sitting on the fence! Usually lead to immense pain and I have never actually seen anyone doing it.

 

"I'd give my left nut for..."

 

As the Crow flies just means in a straight line.

How far's the next town ? 5 miles as the crow flies, but 7 miles by road.

How about To smell a rat? Who the hell goes around smelling rats ?

 

ahh i see ..thanks! i was going to use it anyway but atleast now i know what it means haha

i think spilling the beans is a wasteful saying.

 

The cat's out of the bag

What sick bastard keeps his cats in bags...

 

Oh!

And 'screwed the pooch'

 

"The cat's pajamas"...my cat is a nudist.

 

hunkering down

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I haven't seen you in a coon's age.

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The idiom dictionary.

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/

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Got a bee in my bonnet for/about... - I love and use that one regularly.

 

Probably the same kind of sick bastard that complains that there's no room to swing a cat in here...

 

you lie faster than a cat will lick it's own ass

 

whatever tickles your fancy...

Chip off the old block..(this one annoys me for some reason)

sweating (other verb) my balls off.

 

^hahah

my grandpa always says - "i tell you everything i know and you still dont know anything" ive always liked that one

another one is "heavens to betsy" ,apparantly betsy and god talk on a cb radio

did anyone figure out where "your neck of the woods" came from?

 

A friends dad used to say "first thing you know ,you won't know nothin'." Always liked that one.