Hi Ray. That is a point well made and well taken. After my initial response to Carlene, I did indeed Google, Wiki, etc., the expressions. It was very interesting from a historical standpoint. But I could not help but continue to respond with remembrances of my relatives (mainly my mother and my grandmother) because I was then able to "see" them in my mind's eye (now there's an expression) as they actually used these expressions. What has been most interesting to me, is to see first; where these expressions started with their original meanings, and second; how these expressions have evolved. Even from country to country. That is the beauty to this particular list. It also has been nice to just hear from everyone after all of that damn quiet! Back to my research.................. Monica ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.