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I grew up in Michigan. My grand mother was born in Owosso, MI in 1877, her mother was from Ireland.
When growing up, if I got a stain on a dress or snag in a sweater that I was concerned about, so objected to wearing the clothing, my grand mother would say, “You wouldn’t notice it on a trotting horse.”
Too polite to have a retort to my grand mother, I was always quiet and compliant, but wanted to say that I wasn’t going to be riding a horse at school or the dance or where ever I was headed.
Was this just her own saying or was it an expression of the time or place?
I suspect it's just hers.
I grew up about 120 miles south of Owosso along US127 (which used to be route 9) and while there were a lot of different phrases like that, they usually changed each time. I recall hearing "bucking mule" once but never "trotting horse".
Obsolete phrases rarely completely disappear (for instance, YOU are repeating this one) but a Google search on "+notice trotting" shows 7 hits, none relevant.
Thanks for stopping in. You're welcome to stick around. There are a lot of folk here who are smarter than me, and if you're as easily amused as I am, the scarcity of car chases, gun play, and half-naked wimmen won't bother you much.
You are in luck, it's a topic in this 2012 book on American pioneers' lives. It's something to do with the prairie romance of young men and women sharing rides.
But this slightly different version is even older- it refers to English ladies' garments being disfunctioned. The reference is to the rider being too busy with the horse to see, not the garment too blurry in flight.
Anyway , what it really says is that only idle minds nitpick and find faults. You're right not bringing up riding with your GM.
Fascinating. Thank you both for replying. Interesting insights and wonderful research.
And, yes, my grand mother was definitely telling me to not worry over the small stuff, as you suggest. Good advice for us all, but advice a teen aged girl who was worried about others opinions had trouble taking to heart.
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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