Where the heck does that phrase come from?
2007-12-02 05:17:50 · 22 answers · asked by Athena 6 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Polls & Surveys
I think it'th thomething to do with being 43, tho yeth, my ginger bithcuit, I'm thomewhat long in the tooth. Would you thtill kithth me? xx
2007-12-02 07:34:45 · answer #1 · answered by Benny Zuko, The All-Knowing cat 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Long in the tooth refers to horses. The older a horse gets, the longer it's teeth get because the gums recede. Checking a horses' teeth is a measure of the horse's age and health. That's also where the saying: Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" comes from.
And yes...I am QUITE long in the tooth...50 to be exact.
2007-12-02 05:23:53 · answer #2 · answered by LolaCorolla 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Long in the tooth" means old. It refers to the fact that one can determine a horse's age by looking at its teeth. A horse's gums recede as it ages causing its teeth to look "long."
2007-12-02 05:23:33 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
It means old, looking old. It dates back to the 16th Century and was a way to tell a horses age because their teeth continue to grow. "She is beginning to look long in the tooth", She is beginning to look old
2007-12-02 05:26:23 · answer #4 · answered by Ink Corporate 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A horses' age shows on how long its teeth are looking...long in the tooth meant it was an older horse...when they are young their teeth do not appear as long.
2007-12-02 05:24:36 · answer #5 · answered by missellie 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It comes from the fact that as you age, your gums recede, so it looks like your teeth are longer, and at 76, I think I qualify.
2007-12-02 05:21:45 · answer #6 · answered by jms043 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
As you get older,your gums recede,your teeth get longer....long in the tooth.
2007-12-02 05:20:59 · answer #7 · answered by Pat R 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As we age, our gums recede... causing our teeth to appear longer...
Hence, the phrase...
But no, I'm not that way yet!
2007-12-02 05:20:21 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
As we age, our gums often recede, giving the impression that our teeth are getting longer.
2007-12-02 05:23:28 · answer #9 · answered by legendofslipperyhollow 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, and " short in the grain " haven't you noticed as we get older our gums recede ?..... hence our teeth apparently appear longer, simple really !
2007-12-02 05:24:54 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋