Oh yeah! I love the 'cat. there are a whole lot of these things that really connect us to our past. As in "cut and dried" referring to peat, though it could refer to firewood as well. One that I have used all my life without knowing the origin is "the whole nine yards". Others like "son of a gun" and "take another tack" come to us from our nautical heritage.

I'm looking forward to what comes next on this thread. Thanks, Paddymac.