What does it mean to shake a stick at something?

Shaking a stick at somebody, of course, is a threatening gesture, or at least one of defiance. So to say that you have shaken a stick at somebody is to suggest that person is an opponent, perhaps a worthy one.

Where does the saying more than you can shake a stick at come from?

Shake a stick at Farmers controlled their sheep by shaking their staffs to indicate where the animals should go. When farmers had more sheep than they could control, it was said they had “more than you can shake a stick at.”

What does nobody to shake a stick at mean?

“nothing to shake a stick at” meaning a confrontation with something should be avoided because it’s either dangerous or it’s inconsequential and not worth your time.

Is shake a stick at an idiom?

To point out, designate, or name: “All of a sudden there came into being a vast conservative infrastructure: think-tanks and more foundations than you could shake a stick at” (National Review).

Where does the phrase on the stick come from?

The accepted explanation of “get on the stick” in dictionaries of slang ties the “stick” to either the gearshift of an automobile or the control stick (aka “joystick”) of a small airplane, the logic being that both devices confer control, and thus that an exhortation to “get on the stick” means “get going.” That …

What does the sticks slang mean?

informal. : an area in the country that is far away from towns and cities We live way out in the sticks.

Why do they say 40 winks?

As a blink lasts for a fraction of a second, forty winks take a few seconds. Hence the phrase ”forty winks” has come to mean a few moments of sleep, or a very short nap, especially taken during the daytime, while not in a sleeping position.

What does it mean when someone says let play it by ear?

Definition of play it by ear : to do something without special preparation I don’t know how they’ll react to our proposal, so we’ll just have to play it by ear and hope for the best.

Why do rappers say stick?

The slang term “Stick” is a noun, which is used in rap music and hip-hop culture to reference firearms or weapons.

Why do they say dressed to the nines?

So in the end, “dressed to the nines” is most likely simply an offshoot of the previous “to the nines” expression, more or less meaning “perfect” or “to perfection.” Where “to the nines” came from exactly is a bit of a mystery. The “Nine Muses” origin theory seems to have the strongest case.

What is a stick in slang?

Stick is a slang term for “gun,” especially an automatic rifle in Southern hip-hop in the U.S. That means you can “stick ’em up”… with a stick.