Sometimes, you just have to drop the fish

I was rambling yesterday about new words that have entered our language. Today, it's the turn of new sayings.

My old mum had a wealth of them, and not one of them made a lot of sense. If something was nonsense, it was "all my eye and Peggy Martin". If it was going to rain, it was "looking black over Bill's mother's".

No-one knew why Peggy Martin was associated with nonsense or who Bill was, who his mother was, where she lived and why it should be Bill and his mother's house that were singled out to be part of this entertaining saying.

Well, for the benefit of future generations, I am about to explain a new saying that has now appeared in our studio. Who know? In years to come, it might be one of those generally-accepted expressions. So I'm doing you the favor of letting you know it's origins. In future times, someone might find this post in some sort of internet archive and say "aha!"

It all started last week when an eagle landed in the canal outside our studios. Yes, an eagle.

It was pretty huge. It's wingspan was about the same  as mine. (Not that I have wings, but you know what I mean).

It was  flailing about in the water. It wanted to take off but it couldn't. Then we realized why. A glint from beneath the surface of the water showed us that it was holding a large fish in its claws. (Talons? Whatever they're called, anyway).

So the reason it was flailing around  and, frankly, looking rather silly, was because the weight of the fish meant that it couldn't get airborne.

How hard it tried though! Gayle and I were both getting concerned. Neither of us wanted to see the bird expire before our very eyes. "Do something" I said to the guys. AJH took one look at the creature's beak and gave me one of those looks which meant "yeah, right".

Eventually though, the eagle realized that he had a choice between life and lunch. He let go of the fish (after what seemed like ages) and flew off.

Hence the new expression in the TSDG vocabulary - "sometimes you just have to drop the fish".

So now you know ...

Comments

[Daisy]

Great saying! I have started using it. So if somebody asks me in 50 years time (if I'm around then) where it came from I shall tell them. Keep blogging it makes me smile everyday!

[JJ]

Thank you Daisy :)