Re: Reason 5 to avoid the police

Periander wrote:
> Richard Miller <richard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
> news:9MNxL01uBWuDFwB8@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:
> > In message <11rif8qah8b4rde@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
> > =?UTF-8?B?UGFsaW5kcuKYu21l?= <sb382638@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes
> >>There used to be a saying, "If you want to know the time, ask a
> >>policeman". It has become, "If you want to do time...."
> > That saying meant "policemen have a lot of nice watches that they have
> > taken in bribes". It was not a tribute to nice friendly officers that
> > most people nowadays take it to have been.

That was not quite what the lyrics of the song stated.
http://tinyurl.com/dmjb2

> Strange you should mention that, on the subject of old sayings I've just
> had to explain to Mrs Dormouse that "Gor there ain't room to swing a cat in
> ear tonight", has nothing to do with attracting the attention of the RSPCA
> and all to do with the RN's previous fetish for whipping naughty sailors.

The correct reference is indeed nautical, though it has nothing
whatever to do with the lash as it also applied to the merchant
fleet. A 'cat' was a variety of small sailing vessel and to 'swing'
a veseel was to turn her around so that her bows were facing
the harbour entrance. If the harbour was so small as not even
to permit such a small vessel to be turned, it was accordingly
said to be 'too small to swing a cat'.



If you have been, was it furry?

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