“You’d kick if you were hanging…”

Like most of us, at least I would like to think that I’m not the only one, I find some common expressions to be a bit confusing. Perhaps it’s that I put too much thought into these quick quips that have become common parlance, often used without much intentionality or even clear understanding. Regardless of the reason for my lack of understanding, the title for MTSB’s latest post is one such expression: You’d kick if you were hanging!

I can’t honestly remember the first time I heard the phrase (I’m tempted to call it a colloquialism), but I remember my dad saying it quite often. Typically the words were directed at me following my complaint about a trivial matter that had what I viewed as a suboptimal outcome. For example, coming up on the losing side of a sports game or even a mishit drive on the golf course. Come to think of it, the first time I heard it may have been after throwing a tantrum on the course and being told, “You throw fits”, then sent to the cart to sit out a hole by Grampy.

While I have to admit to being prone to complaining, or throwing fits at times, I never quite understood the phrase. I just took it to mean that I was whining about something when the complaining wasn’t helping the situation. As I was getting frustrated with something so unimportant that I can’t remember what it was specifically just the other day, I found myself muttering “You’d kick if you were hanging” and thought, I should really find out what that saying means…

Of course any internet search provides a plethora of information and this search for the origin of “You’d kick if you were hanging”, did not disappoint. I was confused after finding an alternative phrase, “You’d kick if you were hanging from a new rope” appear nearly as often. This more detailed phrase’s origin seems to be that hanging by a new rope would be more likely to end in a quick death while an older, worn rope could break making the already unpleasant event even more painful and possibly drawn out. Almost as if to say that if your executioners saw you worthy of a new rope you ought be grateful!  I guess every cloud has a Silver Lining indeed! But what about complaining (kicking) when hanging in general?

The more detailed version of this saying, with specificity that the rope is new, seems to make complete sense. You’ve found yourself in a tough, likely fatal situation, and the fact that things could be worse (ie. hung by a old, worn rope), doesn’t provide much comfort, I mean…I’d certainly kick! By omitting any detail about the rope, the expression better conveys the senselessness of complaints pertaining to situations with fixed outcomes which are completely out of ones’ control. Once again I’m, struck at how it seems most words of wisdom, be they common phrases, spiritual concepts, or even religious doctrine really say the same thing many different ways rather than concepts totally unique with differing messages…

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference