Comments on: Some Hairy Expressions

By: Christina

Christina — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:37:33 +0000

Boy, this is a fascinating discussion (and fascinating time-waster).

I think that it’s not just the terms used, but also the meaning of the phrase that seems to change with region.

In the Southwest (Phoenix), I heard the term a lot. It was always used in the phrase “I had a wild hair up my butt (or a**)”, and it always referred to doing something on a wild and crazy impulse. I always imagined it to refer to an ingrown hair or hair that grows wildly, or even a hair from your head that gets down into your nether regions, and that irritates, or ‘gets under your skin’, to use another colloquialism, thus causing you to behave erratically. Wouldn’t you get jumpy if you sat down and something felt a little funny down there? Wouldn’t it make you behave like a crazy person in the eyes of others?

P.S. – If this has never physically happened to you (as in, a real hair), I could understand why you don’t understand the expression. However, I assure you that it does happen to many people. That’s probably the reason it was changed from ‘hare’ to ‘hair’.

By: Maeve

Maeve — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 20:39:57 +0000

@ JJ Jenkins
I think that if you were to research the question, you would find that no final authoritative conclusion can be drawn. The explanation I have given is valid. You are, of course, free to disagree.

Here is a link to an article that discusses various opinions:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/26/politics/animal/main3418643.shtml

By: JJ Jenkins

JJ Jenkins — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 06:27:22 +0000

It’s not “wild hair” it’s “wild hare” and is meant to convey acting impulsively or randomly as if agitated by something significant and internal, like, say, a rodent in your rectum. Do some research.

By: Stephen Thorn

Stephen Thorn — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:41:26 +0000

Another expression to add: You ain’t got the hair on your (insert vulgarism discussed previously for a person’s backside — three letters, one vowel). This is a biker expression indicating the person of whom you are speaking doesn’t have the courage/gall to commit a specific act. As in “Obie wants to bust that dude in the mouth for dropping a dime on him, but he ain’t got the hair on his a__ to do it.”

RE: the warning at the beginning of this post — I support including it. I am virulently against any form of censorship, but recognize that not everyone carries that same standard. Therefore, it is appropriate to let people know what they’re about to step in BEFORE they get their foot dirty (ex. ratings on movies). Granted, we are supposed to all be adults here, but just because a person is over a certain age doesn’t mean they want to be exposed to things they would find objectionable.

By: Maeve

Maeve — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 13:00:14 +0000

Jess,
Thanks for triggering this lively discussion with your question.

Thanks everyone for joining in.