Okay, so I found the coolest site the other day: proving once and for all that I am a dork it's all about word origins. So, this will be a regular feature on Thursdays now along with the inner dork. I know! I'm super excited about it too!!
To hell in a handbasket:
This simply means going to seed without effort, a handbasket being easy to carry. The term has been in use since at least 1941.
Safire, however, identifies the term to heaven in a handbasket as dating to at least 1913. In this case the sense as of some sort of assured sinecure in the afterlife, again attaining the destination without effort. The change in direction was quite natural, especially since it retained the alliteration.
(see, notice the use of big words intertwined with something like, to hell in a handbasket. Seriously, color me tickeled!!! I'll be chooseing some good ones!)
source: http://www.wordorigins.org
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2 comments:
I love that saying!!!
sometimes I don't even need the handbasket.
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