Читать книгу Bees Knees and Barmy Armies - Origins of the Words and Phrases we Use Every Day - Harry Oliver - Страница 36

If I had an abundance of cash and someone were to ask me how much cash I had, then I could well reply with the curious phrase ‘more than you can shake a stick at’. I’ve never seen anyone shake a stick at anything, let alone be faced with something that they could not shake a stick at. The phrase is certainly intriguing. Obviously, shaking a stick is not a friendly gesture, and you would probably only start waving one at somebody or something to achieve your own aims. One very plausible suggestion is that the expression comes from farming. A farmer faced with a massive herd of animals that he wants to control or count might find himself overwhelmed by the numbers and therefore his stick would be ineffectual.