Near the knuckle

[Douglas G. Wilson]

>A subscriber's question leaves me puzzled - no reference work I have
>here gives an explanation for how this idiom (which the OED records
>from the late 19th century) came into being. Can anyone help out by
>suggesting a rationale for it?

I can't find anything likely in my books at a glance. I've encountered the
alternative "close to the knuckle" also.

Here are three casual notions. My phrase-origin-dar (never very reliable)
is not responding decisively on this one.

(1) "Near the knuckle" = "near the limit [of decency, etc.]". In what
context does "knuckle" = "limit"? In the context of a finger inserted into
something: it can be inserted only to the knuckle (with "knuckle" taken as
"metacarpophalangeal joint", which is a common use) (stick it in any
further and it's the "hand" which is inserted). But what is the metaphoric
finger inserted into? The metaphoric pie? Somebody's eye? The mouth of a
gnawing animal? A closing door?

(2) "The knuckle" could be a metaphor for "fist" and thus "violence". "Near
the knuckle" would mean "close to the point where one will encounter an
intemperate response (maybe a knuckle sandwich)".

(3) The meat "near the knuckle" (i.e., near the joint) is considered the
less desirable meat. There is an example of "near the knuckle" in this
sense at MoA (Cornell), from 1846 IIRC.

-- Doug Wilson