Hell in a hen basket and walking the talk

[Michael Quinion]

A correspondent has just pointed out "going to hell in a hen basket",
which has some circulation online as a variation on the older form.

And, while I'm on altered expressions, when did "walk the talk" start to
appear as a modified and condensed version of the longer expression? I
only came across it the other day (in a British newspaper, as it happens)
but found it to be extremely common.


--
Michael Quinion
Editor, World Wide Words
E-mail: wordseditor at worldwidewords.org
Web: http://www.worldwidewords.org