"A hole big enough to drive a truck through" (1922)

[James Knight, MLIS]

Some "coach and horses" citations...

The Times, Saturday, Feb 09, 1833; pg. 1; Issue 15084; col B
House Of Commons, Friday, Feb. 8.

... Speaking of that act, Lord Eldon had said that most acts were so drawn
up that a person of ordinary ingenuity could drive a coach and horses
through them, yet that one set had been so loosely framed that fleets and
armies could pass through it. ...

The Times, Monday, Oct 17, 1864; pg. 8; Issue 25005; col A
France. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.).
Foreign Intelligence

... The proceedings of the Bismark Cabinet in the case of these
functionaries, as in many cases, are completely opposed to the spirit of
the Consitution. If they had their own way they would be perfectly ready to
violate the letter as well, or to shelve the whole document as a
superfluous and impertinent farrago. But the King is there to save the
letter, although he accepts interpretations which enable his Ministers to
drive a coach and horse through the spirit.
...

The Times, Friday, May 14, 1886; pg. 13; Issue 31759; col A
The Canadian Fisheries And The Seizure Of The David J. Adams. (FROM A
CORRESPONDENT.).

... Now for the argument by the aid of which the Americans wish to drive a
coach and horses through the Convention of 1818. They say that the ordinary
rights of trading which they accord to British vessels ought to be
reciprocated by the Canadians; ...

Hope that helps.

-jk

At 03:47 AM 12/19/03, you wrote:
> >   Holes to drive a truck through?
> >   I found this idiom/catchphrase while searching SPORTING NEWS.  A football
>offensive line has opened a huge hole for the running back to pass through--so
>huge you can drive a truck through the hole.  The catchphrase has been used
>for holes in movie/political logic, but why would you "drive a truck" through
>there?  Maybe you can drive an SUV through, instead?
> >
>The Brit equivalent phrase is "drive a coach and horses through," which on the
>face of it would seem to date from an earlier time. Perhaps the truck version
>is just a transatlantic, 20th c. update?
>
>Orin Hargraves