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Joined: Jan 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
Date: Thu Dec 17 00:04:27 EST 1998 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--down-at-the-heel down-at-heel (doun-at-HEEL) or down-at-the-heel adjective
1. Worn out from long use or neglect; dilapidated.
2. Shabbily dressed because of poverty; seedy.
A really obsolete phrase. When making a pair of shoes took several hours of a skilled craftsman's time, shoes were expensive, and worn as long as possible. The heels of shoes wear faster than the soles, and the wear is more readily noticed. Shoe are mass-produced now, and relatively cheap. Today few people betray their poverty by the condition of their shoes.
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Joined: Jun 2002
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210 |
and down-at-the-mouth? is that from eating ducks?
formerly known as etaoin...
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
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Dear etaoin: My father's Chesapeake Bay Retriever was so soft mouthed he didn't mar any down. What a dog he was. When I was small, the minute I got into the water up to my knees, he'd come grab me by the seat of my bathing suit, and drag me back up onto the beach. He knew I couldn't swim.
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Joined: Apr 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065 |
I know this much better as down-at-heel, with no 'the'.
Bingley
Bingley
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