By the time this article appears in print, most schools, if not all, will have already been in session since August. That being said, most of us here in SaddleBrooke probably returned to school after Labor Day.
Labor Day, the national holiday, is generally celebrated by outdoor barbeques or picnics at parks. It ostensibly represents the unofficial end of summer.
The holiday was made official by Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, on June 28, 1894. But the holiday had an arduous history.
Post-Civil War, working conditions in the United States were appalling, with grim and difficult working conditions in mines, mills, factories and railroads. Employees, including children, were required to work at least 12-hours per day. Unventilated and dirty places of employment provided either sweltering or dank environments. There were many protests and strikes in the years after the Civil War; and thanks to labor leaders the first Labor Day parade was held on September 5, 1882. Thousands of people took unpaid work time and marched on many cities around the country. The day came to a crescendo with speeches, fireworks, picnics and dancing. While Labor Day today has lost some of its illustrious meaning it is still recognized as the day that fêtes the spirit de corps of trade and labor unions. Its signature celebrations are the Labor Day parades that take place around the country.
So, do you recall these animal idioms from your post-Labor Day school days?
She was a Book Worm
This term hails from the 1600’s and, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest that this term appeared was in 1580! Meaning a “person devoted to study,” the idiom actually is derogatory in nature to describe a person who studies or reads above and beyond what is required. Bugs that inhabited books were called bookworms, hence this wonderful idiom.
He was an Eager Beaver
Beaver facts:
>It is a rodent! And
>It is very efficient and an animal architect.
Meaning to be very productive, the idiom became popular in the 1940’s, but peaked in the mid-1950’s. Nice saying—because of the rhyme quality of the idiom! (Ed: No relation to the T.V. show Leave it to Beaver!)
I was Teacher’s Pet
This description has evolved to describe a teacher’s favorite student. The term is “attested” from 1890 but the first known use of it was in 1914. The description portrays a teacher’s favorite student and is usually used by others to describe a student derogatorily, as the student generally would be treated better than the other students.
Never be a Copycat
According to Slate Magazine, this term was first used in 1887 in a quasi-memoir Bar Harbor Days, by Constance Cary Harrison, an American author— “Our boys say you are a copycat if you write in anything that is already been printed.” Copycats come in many forms: children in school, authors, heads of state, and even haute couture designers! Note: It’s really not Hoyle (according to rules) to be a copycat!
Aldi is opening its first Tucson grocery store
