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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 46
newbie
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OP
newbie
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 46 |
I was wondering, does anybody know the origin of the phrase "sweating bullets"? I heard others use it and I've used it myself, but I've always wondered: WHY BULLETS?
"A sobering thought: what if, at this very moment, I am living up to my full potential?" JANE WAGNER
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 218
enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 218 |
the origin of the phrase "sweating bullets"
A couple of idiom dictionaries listed "sweating bullets/sweating blood." If "sweating blood" is indeed a related idiom, then we can look to (an interpretation of) the biblical account of Christ suffering in the garden for a hint of the etymology.
Brandon
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Joined: Sep 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757 |
Hi a&o
(is that the opposite of ciao?)
This is suggested in blissfully partial ignorance:
sweating = operation of easing a solder or other lead-work joint
bullets = lead pellets
sweating bullets = armourers' delicate task of removing bullet from charge of heat-sensitive gunpowder.
But someone correct this...
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