lick Archives – A Way with Words

Dirty Laundry (#episode 1520)

Posted by Grant Barrett on March 11, 2019 · Add Comment

Lick the Calf Over

Posted by Grant Barrett on March 9, 2019 · Add Comment

Lick and Run in Place Names

Posted by Grant Barrett on February 16, 2019 · Add Comment

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Lick the Cat Over

Posted by Grant Barrett on January 26, 2018 · Add Comment

Debra in Gates, North Carolina, says that her husband tries to do things right the first time because, as he puts it, he doesn’t like licking the cat over. To have to lick the cat over is to have to repeat a laborious process for a second time. This is part of a complete episode.
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Down to the Lick Log

Posted by Grant Barrett on February 5, 2016 · Add Comment

If you’re “down to the lick log,” you’re close to the end of negotiations, or nearing some kind of decision. This expression is associated with cattle ranching, a salt lick being a place where the herd congregates. The 19th-century frontiersman Davy Crockett used the term in his autobiography. This is part of a complete episode.
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The Cow Ate the Grindstone

Posted by Grant Barrett on March 20, 2015 · Add Comment

There’s an old Texan proverb that goes “Lick by lick, the cow ate the grindstone.” In other words, if you’re dogged enough, anything is possible. This is part of a complete episode.
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