Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
#52479 01/11/02 09:57 AM
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,636
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,636
Where did the expression "Katie bar the door." come from?


#52480 01/11/02 10:13 AM
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
W
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Well, Consuelo, here's a bit I googled:

"Up to par, Katie bars the kitchen signs but not me in"
There's an old saying "Katie bar the door". It's used a lot in the south meaning, "something unstoppable [is coming]". [gerbil] * 'Katie bar the kitchen door' is a southern term that meant you better watch out. [Stipe, on AOL] * It's been suggested that this song might be related to Stipe's sister's experience teaching deaf children. (Consider also "I'm the sign and you're not deaf.") Therefore, the "sign" in question might be American Sign Language. [Chris Piuma] * "Up to par" means "good enough". [Chris Piuma


http://www.flim.com/remlafaq/murmur/sittingstill.html

And that's just theory, so mebbe you'll get some more theories on this today.

Best regards,
WW


#52481 01/11/02 03:03 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
W
wwh Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
From Word-Detective:
I can tell you that "Katie bar the door" is a colloquial expression meaning "look out" or
"get ready for trouble," and that it is heard primarily in the Southern United States. Beyond that, things get very murky. I even
searched the Internet for an answer, but all I discovered about "Katie bar the door" on the Net is that the phrase may or may
not -- opinions vary -- occur in the lyrics to an old REM song.

Eventually, like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, I realized that the best
answer I was likely to find was in my own back yard all along. My parents,
in their Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins, report similar
difficulty in tracing "Katie bar the door." In their case however, a helpful
reader came to the rescue and noted that the phrase most probably came
from an old English folk song. In the song, Katie and her husband are
arguing, and somehow agree that the next one to speak will lose the
argument. Since neither will speak to suggest barring the door at bedtime,
robbers break in during the night and commit various outrages against the
pair. The end of the song apparently involves the husband crying out at last
and repelling the miscreants, thereby losing the argument with his wife.
Since I don't have the actual lyrics to the song, I can only presume that the
phrase "Katie bar the door" occurs as a refrain or concluding stanza, but
the accepted meaning of the phrase certainly fits the story conveyed in the song.




#52482 01/11/02 04:30 PM
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605
K
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
K
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605
dr. bill, sounds like an old ballad I vaguely remember, where the punch line is ...
No, let's not spoil it. The ballad can be found at http://www.bartleby.com/243/172.html
The wife's name is never specified.


#52483 01/13/02 05:45 AM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 157
F
member
Offline
member
F
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 157
I remember studying that ballad in a British Literature class. I think it was medeival (sp?) - I know that unit came before the one on Shakespeare, anyway. There were a lot of beautiful poems in that unit.



Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,283
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 442 guests, and 3 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,510
LukeJavan8 9,916
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5