Take the rag off the bush

[Baker, John]

I'm not familiar with the phrase, but rag-bushes were in Britain as well as Ireland, so if the phrase comes from the word, that does not necessarily mean an Irish origin for the phrase.
 
John Baker
 

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From: American Dialect Society on behalf of Scot LaFaive
Sent: Thu 10/19/2006 10:18 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Take the rag off the bush



Found this in The Met by Chance (1873) by Olive Logan. The phrase is very strange, but sounds nice. As does "jackassiness."

"To come here and listen to a play that's squalled at you in language you don't understand, jest takes the rag off the bush for jackassiness, according to my notion." (p. 264)

This person (http://www.beatlelinks.net/forums/printthread.php?t=16144&page=3&pp=20) seems to think it comes from a Ireland, but the etymology sounds too perfect to be true. Anyone know if this is true?

Scot LaFaive

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