Home » Segments » Take the Devil Out of It

Take the Devil Out of It

A San Antonio, Texas, woman wonders about a tradition she grew up with. Before drinking an alcoholic beverage, you hand the drink to someone else to have a sip in order to take the devil out of it. This is part of a complete episode.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

1 comment
  • Hi, Martha and Grant, 
    I love the show! 
    “Take the devil out of it” I had never heard of this expression before either, but it brought to mind the Cupbearer’s position that is mentioned in the Bible and I wondered if this had anything to do with it? I am copying a link to something I found on the definition of a cupbearer. https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/cupbearer/
    No idea if this is actually where it came from, but when I was listening to the podcast, it just sounded like it could be related.
    Thanks!
    Amy -Noblesville, IN

More from this show

Smarmy, A Winner of a Word?

According to Gobsmacked: The British Invasion of American English (Bookshop|Amazon) by Ben Yagoda, the word smarmy, meaning “unctuous” or “ingratiating,” may come from a 19th-century magazine contest, in which readers sent in...

Saying Oh for Zero

Mary Beth in Greenville, South Carolina, wonders: Why do we say four-oh-nine for the number 409 instead of four-zero-nine or four-aught-nine? What are the rules for saying either zero or oh or aught or ought to indicate that arithmetical symbol...

Recent posts