2006-10-10 03:32:23 · 13 answers · asked by bwadsp 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Mythology & Folklore
GET UP ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE BED - "The wrong side of the bed is the left side, according to a superstition that goes back to the time of the Romans. People have been saying other people 'got up on the wrong side of the bed,' 'awoke surly or grouchy,' for well over three centuries now, usually not knowing the real meaning of what they are saying, but the equally old expression 'got up left foot forward' tells the story. The supposedly sinister nature of the left is reflected in many English superstitions and expressions, such as the belief that it is unlucky to put your left shoe first, or to walk into a house left foot first. The Romans, especially Augustus Caesar, were very careful that they got up on the right side of the bed, but there is no evidence that they were less grouchy than anyone else."
2006-10-10 03:42:37 · answer #1 · answered by mildly_adiktiv 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get Up On The Wrong Side Of The Bed ( having a bad day ...)
The wrong side of the bed is the one that leaves you grumpy and unsociable first thing in the morning (my own has two wrong sides). There are many similar expressions that begin the wrong side of..., of which the original seems to be wrong side of the blanket for a child born illegitimately. Some others are getting on the wrong side of somebody, the wrong side of the law, laughing on the wrong side of one’ S mouth, and on the wrong side of forty (or thirty, or fifty, or almost any age, really).
All express the idea that there are good and bad aspects of any situation. A well-known American example, the wrong side of the tracks, is the only one of the set that seems to be based in a real, physical location.
Some writers say there was once a superstition that to get out of bed on the left side, the sinister side, led to bad luck, but this sounds like a well-meaning attempt to explain the mysterious. If there ever was such a belief, it’ s not reflected in the recorded use of the expression, which is actually not that old; It seems to have been derived from another phrase of similar type.
2006-10-10 12:08:22 · answer #2 · answered by ~Charmed Flor~ 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it just means that when you're used to a routine of sleeping on a certain side of the bed, if you jump out of that routine or it is interrupted by lack of sleep or getting up too early or late, it mess up your coordination, and this puts some people in a bad mood, but mostly because they need to rest and go back to a comfortable position.
2006-10-10 11:27:02 · answer #3 · answered by coochie1 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most people who share a bed have a "side" that belongs to them. sleeping on the opposite side that you are used to, especially after 51 years, can be confusing and difficult. Once I slept on my husbands side of the bed because he had been on the road a long time and I missed him and wanted to "smell his pillow". I woke up when the clock went off, but couldnt for the life of me fiqure out how to turn it off. After about 3 minutes of utter confusion, I realized I had set the clock on MY side of the bed. I was trying to turn off his clock. So, I suppose that could be one reason we call someone who is grumpy and sullen in the morning one who "got out on the wrong side of the bed".
2006-10-10 10:40:31 · answer #4 · answered by chattanoogamollyblue 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
like the answers given but there was a story I heard that a person woke up and got out of bed on the wrong side and rolled down a steep incline.
2006-10-11 10:28:22 · answer #5 · answered by Marvin R 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Answer: 'Sister Teresa.'
She told the Rev mother the reason that all the others sisters and novices where tittering at her behind her back because, "You got out of bed the wrong side this morning, Revernd Mother."
The Rev Mother was aghast and asked how anyone could possibly know this?
Looking pointedly at the Rev mothers feet, the Sister replied, "It's because you are wearing Father O'Rafferty's boots, Reverned Mother."
Sash.
2006-10-10 13:03:55 · answer #6 · answered by sashtou 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just an old saying when someone gets up grumpy and there is seemingly no explanation for it, so they must have just gotten up on the wrong side of the bed.
2006-10-10 10:35:00 · answer #7 · answered by butrcupps 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No idea, but I tried to the other morning, and smacked my head on the wall :( ! I was pretty grumpy after that, so maybe that's exactly where the term came from - actually doing it!
2006-10-10 10:37:38 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Don't know where it came from, but when you are getting up for work, don't think there is ever a right side.
2006-10-10 12:51:03 · answer #9 · answered by Ally 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mood swings. bad mood if you got out on wrong side good mood if you got out on the right side.
2006-10-11 06:43:53 · answer #10 · answered by pixie007 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋