Well, picking rock in those crop fields is harder, and I have hoed many a garden. <S> Road to Tow: Few are fortunate enough to have never had their car towed, or be a horse (in those times) with a covered wagon, or pulled your little red wagon with too many siblings or friends in it, etc. <G> I never thought of towing the road, as we tend to leave words out of sayings, so Road to Tow (on), etc. The "Song of the Volga Boatman" comes to mind. (Yo, yo, heave, ho...and all of that) <S> Interesting how we all process things. I have heard people mix the two up sayings also... On Arachne it would be "Pricking to Flow?"
Best,Susan Reishus *** Before the industrial revolution, crops were planted, and if you wanted them to do well, you had to manually keep them weeded and the soil aerated. You did this by hoeing the soil. You'd start at one end, and work to the other. It was backbreaking work, usually in the heat of the sun, and often with no breaks. So when someone said, "that's a long row to hoe", it meant a very unpleasant experience that had to be endured. "A long road to tow" means absolutely nothing. Roads are stationary, and aren't moved by towing. In any event, a colloquial expression is always something that relates to the experiences of those who use it in conversation, so since roads weren't towed, or toed, that expression is clearly a bastardization of the original phrase. Clay - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]
