Today I'm going to put my geese* in a row, and
then let things happen as they may.
then let things happen as they may.
*The phrase is actually, "Get you ducks in a row," but I didn't have any pictures of ducks, so I said geese. And the rest of my family can't tell the difference between a duck and a goose, so maybe it doesn't really matter. I wondered where the phrase came from, and as with most of these sayings, there are several ideas. The first is a mother duck getting her ducklings in a row behind her. Another says that it is getting bowling duckpins in a row for the next ball.
**I tried to remember what came next after, "Best laid plans..." but I couldn't. Turns out the whole phrase is "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry," and comes from a Robert Burns poem, To a Mouse, written in 1786.
***Another wording of this is "Go with the tide".
Photo by Theo.
I don't think I've ever heard the rest of the phrase for "best laid plans". Interesting!
ReplyDeleteI like to have a plan, too. I am too scattered if I don't at least begin with a plan.
I certainly get more accomplished if I have a plan. The key for me is not to get upset if things happen that I hadn't planned for.
DeleteI enjoy learning origins of odd phrases. Cats sure don't line up and march along. I'm always trying to go with the flow instead of getting stressed over things I can't control, but I keep reverting to the stress way anyhow. Good luck with your "go with the tide" way. It is the best way.
ReplyDeleteI'm better going with the flow than I used to be, but still have room for improvement.
DeleteI like having a plan too... of course it seldom works out the way I imagine it, but it does give me an illusion of control! And the duckpins thing is fascinating... I too love researching the history of phrases. I suppose there are some obvious ones that will become mysterious to future generations - like "sounding like a broken record!"
ReplyDeleteThat's a good example. I'm gonna have to ask my kids if they know what that means.
DeleteThis is how I learned the "mice and men" saying--“The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft a-gley.” I think your version was adapted from the Scottish version, but I'm too lazy to research it. :) My Word Nerd tendencies come out again ...
ReplyDeleteYes, I think it was adapted from the Scottish version. Most sources listed "Gang aft a-gley" as the original version, then translated it.
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