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<DIV>
<DIV>This was not one of my dad's sayings as he would have considered speaking
like that around his children "too vulgar." But an older man who was about 65
when I first heard him say this, gave me my favorite: </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>"Stronger than stud horse piss with the foam farted off."</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Another of my dad's was his "deep seated (seeded) sense of humor." He was
always referring to it. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>My mother also had one that irritates my husband when I use it on him. When
we were children and asked our mom "What for?" (In response to a request from
her.) She'd say "Cat For (fur?) to sew a pair of kitten britches." That'll stop
'em from asking that question. <IMG title="Cat emoticon"
style="FLOAT: none; MARGIN: 0px; POSITION: static" tabIndex=-1
alt="Cat emoticon" src="cid:002801c44fd1$ade5e360$7e8bbbcd@P4"
MSNNonUserImageOrEmoticon="true"></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>-Laura</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>From:</B> <A title=mailto:census@wi.net
href="mailto:census@wi.net">Connie Guardino</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=mailto:or-roots@sosinet.sos.state.or.us
href="mailto:or-roots@sosinet.sos.state.or.us">or-roots@sosinet.sos.state.or.us</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, June 10, 2004 4:55
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [or-roots] Snap Your
Sprocket</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Interesting discussion. My late husband's father, George A.
"Dell" Hodges (1887-1969 born Cougar Mountain)<BR>was 54 years old when Del
was born. There was a "skipped" generation because of the age factor. Dell
Hodges<BR>was an old-fasioned farmer and fur trapper. I adopted some of his
sayings, some of which were quite colorful<BR>and descriptive: "crazier than a
crap house rat" is one of my favorites, followed by "worthless as tits on
a<BR>bull." Then there's "I don't know whether to shit or go blind." "Let's
make like a hoop and roll out of here"<BR>was a blander one. I agree that
"snap your sprocket" is akin to "knock your block off."<BR><BR>Kith-n-Kin
wrote:<BR><BR>> And, don't forget a sprocket wrench, which as I recall had
to do with bicycles. Oh, here, I looked it up.<BR>><BR>> "Sprocket
- a toothed wheel that engages a chain. Freewheels consist of one or more
sprockets. A 15-speed<BR>> bike will have three sprockets on the
chainwheel, and six sprockets on the freewheel. Synonym: cog.
Some<BR>> people will also call sprockets "gears."<BR>><BR>>
"Sprocket wrench - a tool to remove sprockets from a freewheel. There
are several forms of sprocket<BR>> wrenches. Some are a bar with a
length of bicycle chain attached. Others are hooks that engage one
or<BR>> more sprocket teeth."<BR>><BR>> So, my take was that "snap
your sprocket" had to do with what happens when you use a sprocket
wrench<BR>> without care <G>. Don't know about the thump on the
head, though.<BR>><BR>> Otherwise, to me sprockets are the projections
on little guide wheels on a movie projector -- what goes in<BR>> the
"sprocket holes". Again -- where is the thump on the
head.<BR>><BR>> So, I agree with Les - knock your block off one way or
t'other.<BR>><BR>> Pat (in Tucson)<BR>><BR>> -----Original
Message-----<BR>> From: <A
title=mailto:or-roots-admin@sosinet.sos.state.or.us
href="mailto:or-roots-admin@sosinet.sos.state.or.us">or-roots-admin@sosinet.sos.state.or.us</A><BR>>
[mailto:or-roots-admin@sosinet.sos.state.or.us] On Behalf Of<BR>> Leslie
Chapman<BR>> Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2004 18:05<BR>> To: <A
title=mailto:or-roots@sosinet.sos.state.or.us
href="mailto:or-roots@sosinet.sos.state.or.us">or-roots@sosinet.sos.state.or.us</A><BR>>
Subject: [or-roots] snap your Sprocket<BR>><BR>> Laura;<BR>><BR>>
That expression is a new to me, and my father was 46 when i was<BR>> born
and I know the meaning of most of the slang he used as<BR>> well as a good
portion of the slang from the last fifty years.<BR>> I tried the expression
online and came up void. Sprocked itself<BR>> so far has turned up an
Aussie expression directly related to<BR>> bicycling, thousands of hits
associated with bike/motorcycle<BR>> parts, one phallic reference; pocket
sprocket which "might" be<BR>> associated with what you father was trying
to say as I can<BR>> think of any number of expressions that could be
implied with<BR>> the words "snap your sprocket", there is also a slang
term<BR>> "popped a sprocket" but it is related to computer
hardware,<BR>> specifically lanport problems, so unless you are about
minus<BR>> twenty years old it probably isn't relevant to your
question.<BR>><BR>> Here is a defintion of sprocket that might be
meaningful;<BR>><BR>> sprocket - 1536, originally a carpenters' word for
a piece of<BR>> timber used in framing, of unknown origin. The
meaning<BR>> "projection from the rim of a wheel that engages the links of
a<BR>> chain" is first recorded 1750.<BR>><BR>> Now since they don't
go into any detail in defining; "piece of<BR>> timber used in framing" let
us just suppose it is specifically<BR>> a short piece such as a fire break
which is the cross piece you<BR>> see nailed between two studs in a wall,
or the even shorter<BR>> pieces that are nailed in between window and
door headers; in<BR>> another words "a block" hence "snap your sprocket"
would be<BR>> another way of saying "knock your block off" which from
what<BR>> you have described, which I believe I have heard
elsewhere<BR>> referred to as a "brain duster," sounds very much like the
same thing.<BR>><BR>> Sprocket Opera is apparently a slang term for a
film festival,<BR>> given the other definitions I have found for sprocket I
don't<BR>> even want to think about that one.<BR>><BR>> I am of
course not an etymologyst, but I really think knock<BR>> your block off is
what he was implying.<BR>><BR>> Les Chapman<BR>><BR>>
-----Original Message-----<BR>> From: <A
title=mailto:or-roots-admin@sosinet.sos.state.or.us
href="mailto:or-roots-admin@sosinet.sos.state.or.us">or-roots-admin@sosinet.sos.state.or.us</A><BR>>
[mailto:or-roots-admin@sosinet.sos.state.or.us]On Behalf Of LMA<BR>>
Project_Managers<BR>> Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2004 9:12 AM<BR>> To: <A
title=mailto:or-roots@sosinet.sos.state.or.us
href="mailto:or-roots@sosinet.sos.state.or.us">or-roots@sosinet.sos.state.or.us</A><BR>>
Subject: Re: [or-roots] Humour in the 1840-50's<BR>><BR>> Have any of
you out there ever heard the term "Snap your<BR>> Sprocket?" My dad, who
was 47 when I was born, had a lot of<BR>> these sayings and because he was
an older father I didn't hear<BR>> the sayings from any other fathers. So I
never knew if he made<BR>> them up or if it was an old timey
slang.<BR>><BR>> Anyway, if we were misbehaving as children or bothering
my dad<BR>> in some way- he'd say "I'm going to Snap your Sprocket."
Then<BR>> he'd thump us on the head by flicking his middle finger
away<BR>> from his thumb. It HURT too. You had to learn to get moving
if<BR>> he said that before he could actually make good on his
threat. Thanks.<BR>><BR>> I can't ask him this now because he
passed away two years ago at 90.<BR>><BR>> Thanks,<BR>> Laura<BR>>
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