Enlighten this Canadian - Wordsmith.org

Can you enlighten me as to the origins of the expression �to harelip� someone? It�s a Southern expression from the USA meaning to follow through or stick by one�s word. I would love to know how that came about.

W E L C O M E

welcome, Janne. can't help you though, since I've never heard this!

I've not heard of harelip in those terms either.
Down in Australia, a harelip was the name given to children born with what is now called a cleft lip or cleft palate.

And I have been looking into why it was called that and this is earliest record I found.....very interesting.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1044324/pdf/medhist00013-0055.pdf

Originally Posted By: Candy

Down in Australia, a harelip was the name given to children born with what is now called a cleft lip or cleft palate.

That's what it's always meant in the US, too. Urban Dictionary didn't even have the OP's definition.

Can't open the pdf. Evince, the LInux pdf viewer, says it's damaged.

Originally Posted By: Faldage

Can't open the pdf. Evince, the LInux pdf viewer, says it's damaged.

Its a pity you can't...maybe its the way I posted it or maybe because of where I am. I can open it in this thread!!!
Basically it is a discussion about 'the history of tradition Chinese medicine' and maybe the first recorded case of harelip in 179- 122 BC and its treatment.

Also mention possible source of the name....
a book quoted "A pregnant woman who saw a hare as a result gave birth to a baby with hare lip."

The Chinese character translation 'Que Chun' "Que" means imperfect, defective, gap, or cleft, and "Chun", lip.

(Just in case anyone is interested)

I could not open it either, so it is interesting to
know what it said. Thanks for the recap.

opened fine for me (Mac OS10.6.4 Safari 5.0.2)

here's a (I think) linguistically interesting part:

Quote:

Conclusions
The earliest record in China of someone born with a cleft-lip (QueChun) with its cause relating to the hare or rabbit in China is found in the Huainan Zi, a non-medical book attributed to Liu An (179-122BC).
The first use of the term "TuQue" (hare-lip) and the first record of its successful operation are found in the Jin Shu, also a non-medical work. The operation was carried out between AD 392 and 395.
The first description of hare-lip in Chinese medical literature is recorded in Zhubing Yuanhou Zonglun compiled in AD610.
The first detailed description of surgical treatment for cleft-lip caused by trauma is found in Wang Kentang's Yangke Zhengzhi Zhunsheng, published in 1608.
The Chinese records of the treatment of hare-lip and defective lip are not only of historical significance, the methods and in particular the medicines used are perhaps of some practical value and merit further investigation.

Up here in Nzild I'd never seen the term written and had always thought it was 'Hair-Lip'and wondered why. I only got the association when I saw Candys post. Ya live n learn eh?

I like the suggestion in this "other" forum that it might be a corruption of "to harrow hell" � http://wordoriginsorg.yuku.com/topic/8203/t/Don-t-care-if-it-harelips-the.html

Welcome Slimm

That wordorigins discussion doesn't sound like it's about harelip with the same definition as Jannebarn suggested.

maybe not....but it might be enough to 'scare' someone into not doing or doing something, just in case they end up with a harelip.
Some people are very suspicious.

I don't quite live in the South, but one way or another I've heard southern expressions all my life, and I have never heard of this one. The best I can figure is that it's devilish hard to make a harelip go away...

Olly, this def. from Webster's 1828 dictionary may enlighten you:
A divided upper lip, like that of a hare.