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Shanks' Pony


Yesterday I needed a bike in order to ride around my nan's house.  The parents had "bought" nan a new mattress, which is to say that they'd bought themselves a new mattress and were "kindly" giving her their old one.   I needed to go around nan's to be there when "it was delivered", which, again, was shorthand for the only person we knew with a white van, namely our uncle, who would take the role as the delivery driver. 

So I needed to get around her house, which is under a quarter of a mile away.  Not a problem, but I needed transportation.  Dad brought out a little girl's bike.  It looked like a 1:4 scale model of my normal bike, which was at my house.  It was the sort of bike that pink handlebar tassels were made for.  All I can say is: I'm glad it was dark.   

I have been on this earth for 26 years and it was only yesterday that I discovered the term "Shanks' Pony".  

"You can either ride that bike," my dad said, "or it's Shanks' pony."  

Comments

  1. DT30 December 2012 at 15:18

    Sounds like Shanks' Pony and Hobson's Choice all rolled into one!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tom Wiggins31 December 2012 at 19:25

    I'm loving all these newly-discovered phrases!

    ReplyDelete

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