Transcript of “Has a Horn and Doesn’t Toot It”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hello, good morning. This is Judy Geary, and I’m calling from Huntsville, Alabama.
Oh, well, welcome to A Way with Words. What can we do for you, Judy?
Thank you. Well, I was remembering my stepmother that I called Miss Bonnie, and she periodically would say to me, he that hath a horn to toot, and tooteth it not, the same shall not doot it. And I heard encouragement as well as humor for me to use my voice and use my gifts.
And what kind of context would she say this in?
She would say that when she wanted me to join in the conversation or to realize that I could sing, actually. I think that that was part of the deal. She knew that I had some issues around learning piano, and she heard me singing around the house, and she wanted to encourage that. And even though the singing is not the same as a horn to toot, she made it clear that she really, you know, that she appreciated my voice.
That’s very sweet, actually. That’s very nice. It’s funny because it’s not the usual way that the expression is applied, if that makes sense.
Oh, yes, yeah.
But I guess it works here, you know, because when we talk about tooting one’s own horn, we’re talking about speaking highly of ourselves, bragging a little bit maybe, or saying good things about ourselves that others might not be saying about us.
Right.
And that’s what that expression, despite its weird wording, that’s basically what it is. It’s saying, it’s basically saying, nobody else will toot your horn if you don’t.
Right, right. Well, that makes perfect sense to me. And she knew a lot about that, speaking up for herself. And for her own gifts and for her own life, really.
What was the phrase again?
Well, he that hath a horn to toot and tooteth it not, the same shall not be tooted.
Yeah.
Yeah, I’m trying to think what book of the Bible is.
You’re right. I think that must be in Ephesian somewhere. I have seen it attributed to Jehoshaphat, but it’s not actually in the Bible. It dates at least to the early 1850s.
Oh, wow.
Yeah, so it’s got some legs to it. But what’s strange about it is it’s got this patina of age to it that it doesn’t really deserve because of that weird syntactic construction, just the way that it’s put together. But often it’s attributed to made-up gods or made-up oracles or figures of wisdom. More recently, often it’ll be in the mouths of famous people who didn’t actually say it, people that we’ve come to respect as thinkers and writers. And there’s lots of variations on it, but yours is as good as anyone. He that toots not his own horn, the same shall not be tooted.
Right, right. And he didn’t have a horn to toot. One more pedestrian one is toot your own horn, but deliver the goods.
Right, right, yeah.
Yeah, well, I appreciate that. I had no idea. I just know that it was unique to hear that in my little rural community, and that I appreciated hearing that from Miss Bonnie, our stepmother.
Well, Judy, thank you so much for calling and sharing these stories with us.
You’re very welcome.
All right, take care of yourself.
Bye-bye.
Thanks.
Bye-bye.
