"Aha" she cried, and waved her wooden leg aloft

[Marg Meikle]

Hi. I am a radio presenter in Canada and attempt to answer listeners
questions. I have been trying to find the origin of this phrase for a
long time--all I have succeeded in doing is finding many many variations
on it, some involving glass eyes rolling down her front and other
bizarre notions. I'm guessing english parlour poetry or music hall
song. Any ideas?

Thanks so much.

Marg Meikle
marg_...@mindlink.bc.ca

[Jitze Couperus]

In article <31B379...@mindlink.bc.ca>, Marg Meikle
<marg_...@mindlink.bc.ca> wrote:

> Hi. I am a radio presenter in Canada and attempt to answer listeners
> questions. I have been trying to find the origin of this phrase for a
> long time--all I have succeeded in doing is finding many many variations
> on it, some involving glass eyes rolling down her front and other
> bizarre notions. I'm guessing english parlour poetry or music hall
> song. Any ideas?
>

The variant I have (whose origin is my Latin prep-school teacher of
lo many years ago) went

"Thank ye kindly Sir!" she said as she waved her wooden leg aloft.

This usualy uttered in a quasi-Somerset accent as we handed our "prep" in
late...I assumed it was part of a longer story or piece of verse that
was unsuitable for tender ears, and thus withheld as a private joke by
the old twit.

[danar...@gmail.com]

On Monday, June 3, 1996 at 3:00:00 AM UTC-4, Marg Meikle wrote:
> Hi. I am a radio presenter in Canada and attempt to answer listeners
> questions. I have been trying to find the origin of this phrase for a
> long time--all I have succeeded in doing is finding many many variations
> on it, some involving glass eyes rolling down her front and other
> bizarre notions. I'm guessing english parlour poetry or music hall
> song. Any ideas?
>

> Thanks so much.
>
> Marg Meikle
> marg_...@mindlink.bc.ca

Interestingly, I was looking for the maple syrup in the fridge this morning. when I found it, I exclaimed "Ah ha she said as she shook her wooden leg'. My wife looked at me like I had 2 heads so I explained it. My dad said this(or something similar, possibly the quote above) when something was remarkable. My dad was born in 1914, died in 1985 and I never asked him where this was from. I assumed it was something he learned in grade school. A poem or work that they had to memorize. I googled the phrase and found this. So....Ah ha she said as she shook her wooden leg. Im sticking with this version.

[bill van]

In article <4ace33a5-9e38-4354...@googlegroups.com>,

Well done: an answer to a 21-year-old post.

The name Marg Meikle rang a bell for me. She was "the Answer Lady" on a
popular CBC Radio talk show hosted by Vicky Gabereau. She was eventually
diagnosed with Parkinson's and died in 2013. Vicky is still with us,
retired but making supportive fundraising appearances on a public TV
station in British Columbia, The Knowledge Network.
--
bill

[Peter Moylan]

On 2017-Mar-12 06:17, bill van wrote:
> In article <4ace33a5-9e38-4354...@googlegroups.com>,
> danar...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> On Monday, June 3, 1996 at 3:00:00 AM UTC-4, Marg Meikle wrote:
>>> Hi. I am a radio presenter in Canada and attempt to answer listeners
>>> questions. I have been trying to find the origin of this phrase for a
>>> long time--all I have succeeded in doing is finding many many variations
>>> on it, some involving glass eyes rolling down her front and other
>>> bizarre notions. I'm guessing english parlour poetry or music hall
>>> song. Any ideas?
>>>
>>> Thanks so much.
>>>
>>> Marg Meikle
>>> marg_...@mindlink.bc.ca
>>
>> Interestingly, I was looking for the maple syrup in the fridge this morning.
>> when I found it, I exclaimed "Ah ha she said as she shook her wooden leg'. My
>> wife looked at me like I had 2 heads so I explained it. My dad said this(or
>> something similar, possibly the quote above) when something was remarkable.
>> My dad was born in 1914, died in 1985 and I never asked him where this was
>> from. I assumed it was something he learned in grade school. A poem or work
>> that they had to memorize. I googled the phrase and found this. So....Ah ha
>> she said as she shook her wooden leg. Im sticking with this version.
>
> Well done: an answer to a 21-year-old post.

A response, but not an answer. There was a much longer AUE thread on
this topic in 2004, but it didn't seem to reach any conclusion. Googling
for it finds only other people with the same question. Mudcat comes up
with seven suggested poems, none of which contain anything like the
phrase being asked about.

The best I could find on the subject is at
http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/queries/lostquotes/?id=56
but it doesn't have any convincing answers.

--
Peter Moylan http://www.pmoylan.org
Newcastle, NSW, Australia

[pipn...@gmail.com]

On Monday, 3 June 1996 08:00:00 UTC+1, Marg Meikle wrote:
> Hi. I am a radio presenter in Canada and attempt to answer listeners
> questions. I have been trying to find the origin of this phrase for a
> long time--all I have succeeded in doing is finding many many variations
> on it, some involving glass eyes rolling down her front and other
> bizarre notions. I'm guessing english parlour poetry or music hall
> song. Any ideas?
>
> Thanks so much.
>
> Marg Meikle
> marg_...@mindlink.bc.ca

my mother used to say "Aha she cried as she waved her wooden leg in the air" I think I will start saying it myself just to confuse the grandchildren, it will keep this thread going in fifty years time. It looks like no one will ever work out its origins now but I don’t mind life is better for a few mysteries

[RH Draney]

On 5/7/2017 10:15 PM, pipn...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> my mother used to say "Aha she cried as she waved her wooden leg in the air" I think I will start saying it myself just to confuse the grandchildren, it will keep this thread going in fifty years time. It looks like no one will ever work out its origins now but I don’t mind life is better for a few mysteries

Do people even *get* wooden legs any more, or is it all space-age
polymers now?...(saw a woman with a prosthetic tonight at the
supermarket; she was better than most of the two-legged types in the
same store at not blocking the aisle)....r

[Mark Brader]

> it will keep this thread going in fifty years time.

Well, we're almost up to 21 years already...
--
Mark Brader, Toronto | "Perhaps I should have done the posting and sleeping
m...@vex.net | in the other order." --Peter Duncanson

[Jerry Friedman]

On 5/7/17 11:27 PM, RH Draney wrote:
> On 5/7/2017 10:15 PM, pipn...@gmail.com wrote:
>>
>> my mother used to say "Aha she cried as she waved her wooden leg in
>> the air" I think I will start saying it myself just to confuse the
>> grandchildren, it will keep this thread going in fifty years time. It
>> looks like no one will ever work out its origins now but I don’t mind
>> life is better for a few mysteries
>
> Do people even *get* wooden legs any more, or is it all space-age
> polymers now?...

Maybe in the First World.

> (saw a woman with a prosthetic tonight at the
> supermarket; she was better than most of the two-legged types in the
> same store at not blocking the aisle)....r

--
Jerry Friedman

[Peter Moylan]

On 2017-May-09 01:09, Jerry Friedman wrote:
> On 5/7/17 11:27 PM, RH Draney wrote:
>> On 5/7/2017 10:15 PM, pipn...@gmail.com wrote:
>>>
>>> my mother used to say "Aha she cried as she waved her wooden leg in
>>> the air" I think I will start saying it myself just to confuse the
>>> grandchildren, it will keep this thread going in fifty years time. It
>>> looks like no one will ever work out its origins now but I don’t mind
>>> life is better for a few mysteries
>>
>> Do people even *get* wooden legs any more, or is it all space-age
>> polymers now?...
>
> Maybe in the First World.

There are probably areas where wooden legs used to be available before
all the trees were chopped down.

[Lewis]

In message <oeq1no$pod$1...@news.albasani.net> Jerry Friedman <jerry_f...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On 5/7/17 11:27 PM, RH Draney wrote:
>> On 5/7/2017 10:15 PM, pipn...@gmail.com wrote:
>>>
>>> my mother used to say "Aha she cried as she waved her wooden leg in
>>> the air" I think I will start saying it myself just to confuse the
>>> grandchildren, it will keep this thread going in fifty years time. It
>>> looks like no one will ever work out its origins now but I don’t mind
>>> life is better for a few mysteries
>>
>> Do people even *get* wooden legs any more, or is it all space-age
>> polymers now?...

> Maybe in the First World.

You can print a prosthetic on a 3D printer for pretty cheap. Like
1/100th the cost, or less, of a traditional one. Not sure about legs,
but certainly hands.

--
'But you ain't part of it, are you?' said Granny conversationally. 'You
try, but you always find yourself watchin' yourself watchin' people, eh?
Never quite believin' anything? Thinkin' the wrong thoughts?'

[Snidely]

On Sunday or thereabouts, RH Draney asked ...

Wooden leg included here:
<URL:https://www.facebook.com/ruth.peterson.562/videos/10211371127068090/>

I don't think you need a Facebook account to see that, even though this
was at _Sweet Adeline's Region 13_ competition.
(The post trophy probably came from a grocer)

/dps

--
Who, me? And what lacuna?

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Monday, May 8, 2017 at 11:07:27 PM UTC-4, Lewis wrote:
> In message <oeq1no$pod$1...@news.albasani.net> Jerry Friedman <jerry_f...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > On 5/7/17 11:27 PM, RH Draney wrote:
> >> On 5/7/2017 10:15 PM, pipn...@gmail.com wrote:
> >>>
> >>> my mother used to say "Aha she cried as she waved her wooden leg in
> >>> the air" I think I will start saying it myself just to confuse the
> >>> grandchildren, it will keep this thread going in fifty years time. It
> >>> looks like no one will ever work out its origins now but I don’t mind
> >>> life is better for a few mysteries
> >>
> >> Do people even *get* wooden legs any more, or is it all space-age
> >> polymers now?...
>
> > Maybe in the First World.
>
> You can print a prosthetic on a 3D printer for pretty cheap. Like
> 1/100th the cost, or less, of a traditional one. Not sure about legs,
> but certainly hands.

All you need is a gazillion-dollar 3D printer, an endless supply of the raw plastic,
an absolutely reliable source of electric power, and skilled programmers to shape
each piece to the anatomy of the user such as is routine for a woodcarving craftsman
dealing personally with patients.

[Lewis]

In message <slrnoh2cjd...@snow.local> Lewis <g.k...@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> wrote:
> In message <oeq1no$pod$1...@news.albasani.net> Jerry Friedman <jerry_f...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> On 5/7/17 11:27 PM, RH Draney wrote:
>>> On 5/7/2017 10:15 PM, pipn...@gmail.com wrote:
>>>>
>>>> my mother used to say "Aha she cried as she waved her wooden leg in
>>>> the air" I think I will start saying it myself just to confuse the
>>>> grandchildren, it will keep this thread going in fifty years time. It
>>>> looks like no one will ever work out its origins now but I don’t mind
>>>> life is better for a few mysteries
>>>
>>> Do people even *get* wooden legs any more, or is it all space-age
>>> polymers now?...

>> Maybe in the First World.

> You can print a prosthetic on a 3D printer for pretty cheap. Like
> 1/100th the cost, or less, of a traditional one. Not sure about legs,
> but certainly hands.

A friend of mine is in Africa and when he came back to the US he went to
a "maker space" and printed out a prosthetic hand/arm for a girl back in
Africa. He downloaded the plans for the prosthetic for free, spent $20
on the plastic for the printer (because he wanted to print it in pink),
and printed the hand/arm. There were some metal parts and some other
bits, so the total cost was under $200.

Not free, but a lot less than the $18,000 a medically approved prosthetic
would cost. Hell, buying a top-end printer would be much cheaper than
that.

--
I want a refund, I want a light, I want a reason for all this night
after night after night after night

[rodwa...@gmail.com]

My grandfather used to say : "Aha she cried as she waved her wooden leg and thru the pee pot out the window."
Said always with a humorous laugh!