Madder Than a Peach Orchard Boar

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

This is Peter. I’m calling from Kohlberg, Wisconsin.

I’m interested in learning about a phrase that one of my professors used. I’ve never heard it before or since, but when he was referring to a person who had become angry, he would describe them as madder than a peach orchard boar. And that’s not an expression I’ve ever heard before. I wonder if you can tell me what it’s coming from.

So let me get this again. Madder than a peach orchard boar. Yes, B-O-A-R. That’s colorful. Yeah, and that meant really, really angry? Apparently so.

Well, he was a notorious practical joker, and when he would pull one of these jokes on one of his subordinates, if they got particularly upset with him, that would be the phrase he used. Okay. And any idea where he was from?

Well, the fact that he referred to peach orchards and boars made me think he was from somewhere like Georgia, although his accent really wasn’t that much further south of the Mason-Dixon line than maybe Kentucky or Tennessee.

Yeah, well, that makes sense because these expressions involving the behavior of peach orchard borers are scattered throughout the country, but they tend to concentrate in the South and the South Midlands there where Kentucky and Tennessee are.

Yeah, madder than a peach orchard bore. It’s a really colorful expression that connotes the idea of the old practice of pasturing your hogs in peach orchards. You know, letting them go there and eat the windfall, you know, the peaches that have fallen off the tree.

And you can just imagine this whole pack of hogs being let loose to go pick up these peaches and eat them whole. And some people have speculated that it has to do with the idea of the peaches actually fermenting, you know, being on the ground long enough so that they have…

Yeah, but in any case, you can imagine these hogs just gulping these things down and competing for them. I was going to say. Yeah, I bet it was a little competitive.

Yeah, yeah, exactly. You know, I don’t know if it has anything to do with them eating the peaches whole. I’ve seen people talk about the fact that maybe, you know, once the pits went through, that agitated them even more. I can see that.

These analogies using the term peach orchard boar go back to the 19th century. And there are lots of different versions of this. Crazy as a peach orchard boar or crazier than a peach orchard pig or a peach orchard sow. Tipsy as a peach orchard sow. Full of nuts as a peach orchard boar.

And you can just imagine them ranting and frothing, as they say, like a peach orchard boar. Yes. Wow.

Well, Peter, thank you so much for spending some time with us. We really appreciate it. Well, thank you for that piece of information. I will sleep a lot better knowing where it came from.

Call us again sometime. We’re glad. Take care. No boars in your dreams. Thank you so much. Take care. Bye-bye.

Okay. Thanks. Bye-bye. Bye-bye.

We’d be happier than peach orchard boars if you’d give us a call, 877-929-9673. That’s toll-free in the United States and Canada.

And if you’re somewhere else in the world, there are lots of ways to reach us. Find them all on our website at waywordradio.org.