When it is raining and the sun is shining, the Devil is beating his wife.
Warts are caused by a toad or frog peeing on you.
If you try to kill a snake, it won't die until sundown.
[There are all sorts of social and political myths I was taught, too, and you can probably guess what they were. Unfortunately those are the ones that many people still believe.]
10 comments:
I learned these two ...
When it is raining and the sun is shining, the Devil is beating his wife.
Warts are caused by a toad or frog peeing on you.
... in California.
But my mother was from Texas so maybe ...........
Can you explain any of them michael?
John,
I seem to recall that one of my cousins explained them thus:
The thunder frightens the snapping turtle into opening its mouth. We used to wonder if you could fake thunder by rattling sheets of tin in order to fool the turtle.
The Devil was married to a good angel, and when he beat her, her tears were rain but her goodness was the sun shining. (Or something convoluted like that. Why that good angel married the Devil in the first place was never explained.)
The snake is cold-blooded and as long as the sun warms it, it will live. When the sun goes down and its body cools down, then it will die.
John,
Sorry, I forgot the warts. In the case of toads, they have wart-like growths on their skin. Some versions of this superstition say you will get warts just by touching a toad. Frogs are guilty by association mainly. Like many of my friends, I was plagued by warts as a child, and since all of us had played with toads and frogs, it was easy to believe that they had caused the problem.
First, I wasn't taught any of these growing up in NYC. Second, I am SO impressed that you were able to provide explanations to John! (By the way, I downloaded -- bought and paid for -- your Whoville recommendation and I'm now having Kindle problems and can't open it. I'm waiting for help from Kindle!)
Mitchell,
Sorry you are having Kindle problems. Hope they are able to resolve it or give you a refund. If worst comes to worst, I could send you a PDF.
Don't forget:
If you play with fire, you'll pee in the bed.
Masturbation will make you go blind.
If you drink pig's milk, you can see the wind.
Michael:
Thanks for the offer and no worries. They responded quickly and resolved the problem! I'VE GOT IT!
Mitchell,
I am glad. Now I hope you find it worth the trouble!
I fear living in Texas makes one soft in the head.
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