learn something new every day

[Jonathan Lighter]

One of OED's cites for "the last of pea-time" comes from a book called _Voodoo Tales_.

  Just saying.

  JL

Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU> wrote:
  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Laurence Horn
Subject: learn something new every day
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I reproduce this message (sans link) from the daily spam collection:

================
Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 8:15: 6 -0330
From: "Genevieve Swain"

What are you to do if you have bad erection? Especially
in the forthcoming Saint Valentines Day???
Don t worry, it is not the last of pea-time...
The most simple way is to visit our site, order the
medication and that is all you are to do!

Do not kill the clock!
================

(You'll note that this was sent the day after Valentine's Day; never
to early to plan ahead for next year, it appears.)
Being wholly unfamiliar with the phrase, but assuming in the context
it was not a typo for "the last of pee-time", I googled it, and sure
enough "(like) the last of pea-time" has 157 g-hits, many with
glosses along the line of 'elderly, old, senile'. Go know.

Larry

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



---------------------------------
 Yahoo! Mail
 Use Photomail to share photos without annoying attachments.

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org