Fun with Farm Phrases

'Straight from the horse’s mouth'

Farming is ingrained in the Midwest. Even though they say, “there’s more than corn in Indiana,” the truth is, it’s what we’re known for. We have a rich history of farming that has filled our vocabulary with farm phrases that even city slickers and suburbanites use.

Let’s first start with animals, more specifically pigs. They can have good connotations such as if you bring home enough bacon, you could go hog wild. Most people would be happy as a pig in mud living high on the hog.

Whilst you might think pigs are always a good thing, let’s not forget chauvinist pigs, and no one wants to bleed like a stuck pig or have their home compared to a pigsty.

You may prefer to think you are gentle like a lamb, those sweet fluffy innocent creatures. On the flip side you don’t want to be like the lamb led to slaughter or the sacrificial lamb. Avoid that by not letting people get your goat, even if you are stubborn as a mule.

Chickens have a lot of wisdom to teach – not putting all your eggs in one basket is good advice, as is not counting them before they hatch. However, you never want to be like that chicken running around with its head cut off. It’s preferable to accomplish tasks in two shakes of a lamb’s tail, which you can do if you take the bull by the horns. Just be careful not to be a bull in a china shop.

I could do this until the cows come home, but there’s no use in beating a dead horse. I think we’ve exhausted this topic. Just remember you heard it straight from the horse’s mouth.