Whistling and bad debts

Posted by The Fallen on February 12, 2002

In Reply to: Charge it to the ground posted by ESC on February 12, 2002

: : This was a saying I've heard since I was a little kid. Whenever someone was owed money, and needed it paid by someone, they would always (sometimes) say, "Charge it to the ground and let the rain settle it." Maybe I'm trying to make too much out of this. What does it mean?

: It means the person owed wasn't getting his money back. He had about as much chance of getting his money from the ground as from the debtor. I hadn't heard that phrase. It's a keeper.

Again a slight sideways shift. In the UK, if someone has no intention of ever paying a loan back, he might well brazenly say to his creditor "You can whistle for it". Is this phrase multi-national in English-speaking nations?

• Not in NY Word Camel 02/12/02
  • Whistle for it (U.S.) R. Berg 02/12/02
    • Whistle for it (U.S.) masakim 02/12/02