The other minute, I thought: “I could eat cheese to the cows come home”. Is that a tad conflicting? And what’s with that “…till the cows come home” adage anyway?
I found out. Apparently the saying stems from the fact that cows are somewhat languid and quite nonchalant about returning home- usually aiming for the 4-5am timeslot in order to be milked after a big night out on the pastures, it would seem. It is dated back to around 1829 and possibly from Scotland, appearing in The Times that year (http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/382900.html).
“If the Duke will but do what he unquestionably can do, and propose a Catholic Bill with securities, he may be Minister, as they say in Scotland "until the cows come home."
The journo was suggesting that this is perhaps what the Duke of Wellington should do in order to uphold a place as a minister in Peel’s cabinet.
I still feel a little callous in using it for my cheese-eating habit. Somehow, the Duke, the ministerial position, the whimsical Scottish editor, the drunken cows returning to perform their duties at the crack of dawn- it’s a bit too closely related to why I like my cheese in the first place. I wouldn’t be able to eat cheese if the cows didn’t come home at all. So…thank you…?
