Where did it come from?

[GENE EDWARDS]

Where did the saying Brand spanking new come from, does anyone know? The Brand new I understand, but where does spanking come in?Gene

 

[Dig]

From Yahoo : The original sense of brand is 'a burning piece of wood in or just taken from a fire'; other senses (e.g., 'a mark made by burning with a hot iron'; 'an identifying mark (of any sort)'; and 'a distinctive kind, class, etc.') all derive from this.

The expression brand-new literally means 'new as if fresh from the fire'. It is first found in the late sixteenth century. A semantically similar expression is fire-new, which is found in Shakespeare ("Your fire-new stamp of honor is scarce current"--Richard III) and elsewhere from the sixteenth century onwards.

Since someone is bound to ask about the phrase brand spanking new: This spanking, which is of uncertain though possibly Scandinavian origin, is a seventeenth-century word with such meanings as 'quick; vigorous'; 'unusually fine, large, striking, etc.'; and as an adverb 'exceptionally; strikingly'. There is also a much earlier (thirteenth-century) expression span-new (also, in combination with our phrase, brand-span-new), where this span is a word of Old Norse origin meaning 'a chip of wood'; span-new is now chiefly dialectal.

 

[Flintstone]

You city foke, just ant wiff it, back younder in them thar hills brand spanking new is when a woman has a new baby. The doc was feched to the houes an delived hay youngn and slap it on the ass to make it cry. now that is bran spanken new.

 

[GENE EDWARDS]

Well Dig, you answered that one so well, no one else can top that explanation. Now I gotta think of a harder question. Gene

 

[NEBeachcomber]

Here's another lengthy definition of Brand Spanking New found at this link:

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/brand-spanking-new.html

 

[hershey1]

It just overwhelms me at 4 a.m the knowledge I can gather on this forum. Good question Gene and great answer Dig. There is something about those Excall owners and users that is amazing. HH

 

[XT18000]

GENE I think you have been soaking in salt water to long!!!!!!!!

 

[briley59]

You city foke, just ant wiff it, back younder in them thar hills brand spanking new is when a woman has a new baby. The doc was feched to the houes an delived hay youngn and slap it on the ass to make it cry. now that is bran spanken new.

I have to go with this one here. Being from the country this is what it means to us also. Dig you are a level or two up there for us country folks. LOL BY the way Dig how is hunting going I have not heard much from you or Gene posting wise.

 

[Flintstone]

Hi brilley59, Where are you from, I am from the good old state of KENTUCKY, If 59 in your name is how old you are, i am 58 be 59 in Nov. 7. I lived in the big city's before,had to work, but back home now where i belong. I like to see big towns for a day or two,but then i love it when i get back to peace and quite. Good Luck Flintstone

 

[crabby]

When I was a kid my parents made sure I had a daily attitude adjustment.........thus.....

A brand new spanking everyday...

being slightly dyslectic, I would say I got a brand spanking new spanking everyday

 

[briley59]

Hi brilley59, Where are you from, I am from the good old state of KENTUCKY, If 59 in your name is how old you are, i am 58 be 59 in Nov. 7. I lived in the big city's before,had to work, but back home now where i belong. I like to see big towns for a day or two,but then i love it when i get back to peace and quite. Good Luck Flintstone

I live in Jensen Beach Florida and it is very quiet community. Clse to mahem if you desire it but far enough away you can leave it. I appologize for the delay as I have not read forum much lately. By the way 59 year I was born I am 51.

 

[GaBeachsweeper]

n/t