Where does the phrase "guts for garters" come from?
Example:
I'd better stop mucking around on the Internet or my boss'll have
my guts for garters.
Someone having your guts for garters means you are in big trouble with them. Metaphorically to the extent that they will disembowel you and use your intestines to hold up their stockings.
phrases.org.uk says
A printed reference to 'guts for garters' appears in Robert Greene's The Scottish Historie of James the Fourth, circa 1592:
Ile make garters of thy guttes, Thou villaine.
Google n-gram viewer shows a peak in usage around 1850 and rising usage from 1960 to the present day, but I would like a definitive source if possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment