My Merriam-Webster 'Word of the Day' gifted me with an idea for today's blog with a term I hadn't heard in a long time. One which immediately reminded me of my mother (and grandmothers) and all the little idioms they used.
Short shrift - not to be confused with a short shift, which is a style of dress I wore as far back as in the 60's, means to give little or no consideration.
Or, as Mom meant it, to make quick work of something. Another saying she used, meaning much the same thing, was to give something a lick and a promise. Company was coming, we didn't have time to do a thorough cleaning so we would give it a quick dusting with a promise to do better next time.
Or, we might do things by halves (or half), meaning doing it half-heartedly or only partially.
Wondering what other old sayings might have similar meanings sent me on a search which lead me to pages and pages on the Americananiquarion.org website. There, after 25 pages of idioms, I came up with only one other that fits: "to take the will for the deed". Meaning give credit for good intentions.
I've never been a good housekeeper. Dusting was always my least favorite, not that I had a most favorite, chore. That reminds me of a poem Preston sent me a while back:
Dust If You Must by Rose Milligan
Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better
To paint a picture, or write a letter,
Bake a cake or plant a seed;
Ponder the difference between want and need?
Dust if you must, but there's not much time,
With rivers to swim, and mountains to climb;
Music to hear, and books to read;
Friends to cherish, and life to lead.
Dust if you must, but the world's out there
With the sun in your eyes, and the wind in your hair;
A flutter of snow, a shower of rain,
This day will not come around again.
Dust if you must, but bear in mind,
Old age will come and it's not kind.
And when you go (and go you must)
You, yourself, will make more dust.
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| Our overnight flutter of snow. |
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