They won by the skin of their chinny chin chin
Posted: May 17, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, not by the hair of our chinny chin chin, skin of their teeth, The Three Little Pigs, words 2 CommentsThe speaker blurted this beauty out when she was describing a really close baseball game in which the Pittsburgh Pirates ultimately prevailed. It is a mash up of “by the skin of their teeth” (just barely, narrowly) and “not by the hair on my chinny chin chin” (outright refusal to allow something). Of course, the latter phrase is a line from the nursery rhyme “The Three Little Pigs”, where the pig will not allow the wolf to come into the house. Skin and chin rhyme, and teeth, skin, and chin are all in the same general vicinity, hence the mix up I suppose. I think I will use this one for now on when there is a close call. A big thanks to Dan Fornadel who heard his wife utter this gem and passed it on.
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I find this one particularly pleasing because over the past week, I have had to tell the Three Little Pigs story to my grandkids about 100 times and they love yelling, “Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin!”
Also this past weekend 4 year old Lily uttered this one to her brother Brady when telling him to move so she could plunge into the hot tub head first without landing on top of him, “Look out of my way!”
I tell you, they are just brilliant! Debbie
PS – just 54 more hearings. Woo Hoo!
Thanks! Let me know when you finally finish working.