I'm looking for real answers here... not just peoples thoughts, please support your answers with any appropriate web links or book references.
My wife just used this phrase (jokingly) to my daughter. I've heard it many times and just realized that the phrase origin might be racially biased.
2007-01-27 11:04:37 · 4 answers · asked by JT 4 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
It is from an old sea phrase, to "squeeze all the tar out of the ropes" or sails as to hold on tightly, for life. Herman Melville - 1850. and others -1865 also squeezing the tar out
of the shrouds (sails)
Tar \Tar\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tarred; p. pr. & vb. n.
Tarring.]
To smear with tar, or as with tar; as, to tar ropes; to tar
cloth.
Extracting "tar" and resin our of wood was a difficult mechanical process in that era.
Don't interfere with me or I will wallop the tar out of you 1888
they're going to knock the tar out of you this election
leather the tar out of you
I'll whale the holy, howling tar out of you again," very common whale i.e. seafarer
By 1900 we have your quote and "kick" "beat" "lick", etc.
2007-01-27 12:05:04 · answer #1 · answered by cruisingyeti 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Beat the tar out.
Smack the tar out.
blah blah
It's just a idiom meaning I intend to clean you up. To my knowledge it has no racial meaning. Tar is like the dirtiest thing and when you smack it out of someone it means you plan on cleaning their image or setting them straight, and on the path of being clean again.
2007-01-27 11:48:28 · answer #2 · answered by Parercut Faint 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Tar is dirty, they plan on cleaning up your act.
2007-01-27 11:50:07 · answer #3 · answered by Chicken Dancer 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
beat the tar out of someone means beat the tarnation out of the individual. or beat the hell or devil out of you.
2014-01-26 09:17:06 · answer #4 · answered by Kevin Deney 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋