Be a Peach!
Dear WB:
Can you help us? We are having a discussion at work about the origin of the phrase "be a peach." Where and when did it get started? Would you be a peach and tell us?
Sincerely,
Colleen Meagher
I wasn't able to find a reference for the origin of the phrase "be a peach." Here's what I did find:
The word "peach" is used metaphorically to liken a
person to a peach in sweetness, beauty, or excellence (e.g., is a
peach to work with).
I found this description in Webster, but not in Oxford, so I conclude that "peach" is used this way in America, but not in Britain, although there are other metaphorical uses of the word in Europe.
It's my guess that this expression has been used for as long as there have been peaches in America. The Elberta peach, the most common variety in the US, was imported from Shanghai in 1850, so it probably got started sometime in the 20 years after that. It's anybody's guess who used it first.
S. D. Liddiard, Origins Guy
 The Cheese Stands Alone
Dear WB:
Can you tell me where I can find the origin and meaning of the phrase "and the cheese stands alone," which comes from the nursery rhyme, The Farmer in the Dell.
Thanks so much,
Barbara Beck
The Farmer in the Dell is a traditional children's song. It is sung in a game that is like a cross between musical chairs and Ring Around the Rosie. A number of children join hands and dance around one child who is "the farmer." The farmer stands in the centre of the circle as they sing. At the end of the first verse, the farmer chooses his wife, who joins him inside the circle. At the end of the next verse, the wife takes a child, and so on, until the last verse when everyone is in the circle except the cheese, who, being the last, stands alone. The cheese becomes the farmer for the next round.
I was unable to determine why it is the cheese that is left alone
at the end of the game. I suspect it has something to do with the
malodorous quality of the best cheeses. Certainly, if you smelled
like Roquefort cheese, you would likely stand alone. And you'd be
the last one picked in the game.
Here are 10 traditional verses of The Farmer in the Dell. More verses can be made up relatively easily as needed to accommodate more children.
The farmer in the dell
The farmer in the dell
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The farmer in the dell
The farmer takes a wife
The farmer takes a wife
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The farmer takes a wife
The wife takes a child
The wife takes a child
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The wife takes a child
The child takes a nurse
The child takes a nurse
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The child takes a nurse
The nurse takes a cow
The nurse takes a cow
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The nurse takes a cow
The cow takes a dog
The cow takes a dog
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The cow takes a dog
The dog takes a cat
The dog takes a cat
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The dog takes a cat
The cat takes a rat
The cat takes a rat
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The cat takes a rat
The rat takes the cheese
The rat takes the cheese
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The rat takes the cheese
The cheese stands alone
The cheese stands alone
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The cheese stands alone
S. D. Liddiard, Origins Guy
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