Sunday Throat

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hi, this is Susanna from Indianapolis.

Hello, Susanna. What’s happening there in Indianapolis?

Well, I just had a question about a phrase that I heard my grandmother use this past Thanksgiving.

And we were all sitting around the dining table eating Thanksgiving, and my grandmother started choking and coughing, and then she finished coughing, and she said, that went down my Sunday throat.

And I’d never heard this phrase used before.

And I was wondering if you guys knew the origins.

Down her Sunday throat.

Yeah.

So she choked on something.

Yeah, yeah.

The most common use, I guess, for the same kind of scenario would be like it went down my windpipe.

I’ve heard that before, but I never heard it went down my Sunday throat.

Did you ask your grandmother about it?

Yeah, I did.

And she really didn’t have any answer for me.

She said that’s what they always used when they were growing up.

That’s a common phrase that they used.

Yeah, yeah, I’m familiar with this. In fact, I used it a couple of weeks ago.

Oh, did you really?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I love it.

As far as we know, the idea is that, at least in Christian tradition, Sunday is a different day of the week.

You know, it’s special, and it’s unusual compared to Monday through Saturday, right?

And so if something goes down your special alternative other throat, it’s sort of a joking reference to your windpipe.

Oh, okay. I see. That makes sense.

You do see Sunday used in different ways like that.

I mean, Sunday go to meet and close or special clothes.

And do you know what your Sunday face is?

No, no.

Well, it’s your derriere.

Oh, okay. Oh, wow.

It’s kind of your other alternative face, you know, those other alternative cheeks.

Right, right.

So it’s a pretty simple explanation.

I’m delighted to hear this phrase.

I haven’t heard it in a while except for my own use of it.

Wow, I really appreciate you guys giving me that answer.

I’ve been curious about it since Thanksgiving.

Oh, well, great.

Well, thanks for calling.

Thank you, Jen.

Thank you so much.

Bye-bye.

All right, bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

You know, I’ve also seen one’s windpipe referred to as Sunday Lane or Sunday Pipe, but the idea there, again, is something different from the usual.

Something out of the ordinary.

Yeah, yeah.

I love that.

Did you grow up with that expression?

I never heard it.

No, it was always the windpipe.

My family is as rural and as southern as some of them are, weren’t particularly colorful.

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