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Lead up the garden path

Posted by Victoria S Dennis on March 16, 2009 at 19:03

In Reply to: Lead up the garden path posted by Brian Rosete on March 16, 2009 at 16:55:

: 'Lead up the garden path'. I was always told that it was when the p'pig was taken away from the house for slaughter, possibly because they make a lot of noise during the process.

I can't see that being the origin, because:
(a) Why would the pig be led up the garden path for slaughter? "Out of the yard" or "down the street", yes; "up the garden path", no.
(b) When we say that somebody is being led up the garden path, we don't mean they are squealing and protesting; just the opposite - we mean they are so lulled by falsehoods and distractions that they barely notice where they are going. (VSD)

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