On our Facebook group, listeners discuss sayings that people use when they’re sitting around a campfire and smoke comes their way. Among them: I hate rabbits, I hate little white bunny rabbits, smoke follows the tenderfoot, and smoke follows beauty, but Beauty was a horse. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “What We Say When Smoke Blows Our Way”
On our Facebook group, Jamie Morby asks,
You’re sitting around a campfire and the wind shifts, blowing smoke right in your face. What do you say?
I grew up saying simply, I hate rabbits, though I’ve heard other people say, I hate little white bunny rabbits. Any other versions? Any thoughts on the derivation?
No, we didn’t say that in my house. We just said, well, then you should move.
Oh, really? I remember the first time I heard that, I think, our family was sitting around the grill in the backyard, and smoke started coming my way, and my mother said, smoke follows beauty. And at first I was flattered, and then I realized it was a saying. Smoke follows beauty.
And another one that one of our listeners contributed was, smoke follows the tenderfoot.
Oh, interesting. Or smoke follows beauty, but beauty was a horse. And the white rabbits, the only explanation I’ve seen is that maybe it refers to when you’re around a campfire and those ashes sort of kick up. Maybe it’s like little rabbits, but who knows?
Do you have another phrase for explaining why smoke comes your way? Give us a call, 877-929-9673.
