When referring to trying to fool someone?
2007-07-04 01:01:05 · 2 answers · asked by Vernix Lanugo 3 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
The idiom dates from the late 19th century stemming from pulling one's leg in order to trip them making them fall and then committing some kind of trick or robbing the person. In Scotland by the early 1900's it carried a similar meaning except it was missing the lighthearted touch it has today. Back then it meant to make a fool of the person by outright cheating. A more grisly and somewhat plausisble theory that some experts dismiss comes from executions by hangings. As the story goes; to shorten up the suffering sometimes family members would pull the soon to be deceased legs.
2007-07-04 01:05:49 · answer #1 · answered by Sal*UK 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Pulling the leg was used to shorten the execution by hanging.
because there's nothing you can do about it, it was used to mean "taking advantage when you couldn't do anything about it" - i.e. someone joking with you taking advantage of the fact that you believe it
2007-07-04 08:35:02 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋