Serendipity appears in ways that never cease to bewilder me. I just sat down to peruse A Hog on Ice and Other Curious Expressions, a book that once belonged to my mother. Her love of language ran deep and spread through the entire family tree. As chance would have it, the pages fell open to turning the turtle. My mom had turtles most of her 35 years of living in Corpus Christi. Or were they tortoises? Ive been the guardian of her pet for many months now, and just this week I caught myself just this week realizing that I still dont know the difference. For those inquiring minds who want to know, turtles are the marine variety. Tortoise refers to land dwellers and fresh water dwellers. Turning the turtle is not a phrase remotely familiar to me, but there it was, staring at me from the page. The phrase was coined by sailors who noticed people in the Caribbean who would wait for the marine creatures to lay eggs on land. They would procure their ingredient for turtle soup by turning the turtle, which rendered it helpless. A capsized boat bears a strong resemblance to the turning of the turtle, hence the typical use of the phrase. Who knew? I didnt, til now. Thanks Mom. Glad to know the difference. Maybe this time it will stick in my brain.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 01:54:16 +0000
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