When you say, “I’ll get a ride with Pat and Charlie” or “I’m going to go with Pat and Charlie,” you’re talking about walking somewhere. Other colloquial ways to describe traveling on foot include getting there by shank’s leg, shank’s mare, chevrolegs, going with Tom and Jerry, or saying “I’ll use my pegs” or “I’ll use my ponies.” This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Pat and Charlie”
You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and how we use it.
I’m Grant Barrett.
And I’m Martha Barnette.
Grant, do you know who Pat and Charlie are?
Pat and Charlie.
No, they sound like Canadian television hosts, a morning show around a fire.
Bearskin rugs.
They may be, but that’s not the Pat and Charlie I’m thinking of.
Say I say, come over to my house, Grant, for a party.
And you say, okay, I’ll get a ride with Pat and Charlie.
Is that your own feet?
You’ll walk?
Your legs.
Your legs.
That’s very good.
Oh, okay.
Gotcha.
Yeah, I’m going to go with Pat and Charlie.
I’m going to get a ride with Pat and Charlie.
Yeah.
Where’d you pick that up?
I stumbled across it in the Dictionary of American Regional English.
Of course.
And it turns out there are lots and lots and lots of terms for going on foot someplace.
I know a few of them.
Yeah.
Shank’s mare.
Shank’s mare.
Right.
Chevro legs is one of my favorite.
What’s that?
Chevro legs.
So instead of taking your Chevrolet, you take your Chevro legs.
That’s great.
I hadn’t heard that one.
I’d heard on Tom and Jerry, which is also your legs.
Or you can say, I’m going to use my pegs or use my ponies.
Sure, yeah.
Pegs, I know.
Yeah, but same idea as Shank’s mare.
Nice.
Yeah.
All words meaning take your legs instead of drive.
Exactly.
And I will be sharing many more of them later in the show.
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