[plug] [OT] Bee's knees (was Re: How much can a koala bare ?)

[Harry]

On Fri, 25 Jun 2004 23:36:08 +0800 "Arie Hol" <arie99 at ozemail.com.au>
wrote:

> Would you happen to know the origin of the expression :
> 
> "The bee[']s knees" 

Just beating JamCam to it ;-)

> Any linguists on the list ???

Since New Shorter Oxford Vol. I is still sitting right here and goes from
A to M

*flick* *flick* *flick*

Hmmm. No. It doesn't give the origin. It is only listed in Phrases under
bee (naturally :-)

"Phrases: ... the bee's knees .. slang .. something or someone
outstandingly good."

Can't find Eric anywhere tho' :-(

You might need to consult the English Oxford Dictionary (1933) in
13 convenient volumes for the origins. That'll probably tell you how many
hairs[0] there are on a bees knee if that matters to you.

Then you can paste all the sordid details here: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special%3ASearch?search=%22the+bee%27s+knees%22

It may/may not have come from a popular piece of music referring to 
bee's knees in 1922. On this page ..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1922_in_music

cu
Harry

[0] Another OT story related to rock lobster larvae

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