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Butt over teakettle is one of many variants of an expression meaning 'head over heels; topsy-turvy; in confusion'. The usual British version is Butt over tip (or tit), which occurs in James Joyce's Ulysses, among other works. This form also occurs in America. For instance, in The Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck has a character say "You jus' scrabblin' butt over tit, fear somebody gonna pin some blame on you."

The earliest known example of the phrase is in an 1899 book about Virginia folk exressions, which defines "butt over head" as "Head over heels; topsy-turvy." (Note that "butt over head" is a logical expression for a messed-up situation, as opposed to "head over heels," which would seem to be the natural order of things.) However, there must have been many different variants even at that time: a 1943 book about Indiana dialect in the 1890s lists "butt over appetite," "butt over applecart," and "butt over endways." The common "teakettle" variation is first found in a 1946 book about fighter pilots in WWII, in a euphemized form: "He displayed a rump-over-tea-kettle aggressiveness in seeking dog-fights."

Other objects include tin cups, teacups, and elbow.

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Q: Where does the phrase butt over tea kettle come from?
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Where did the phrase in over your head come from?

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The goat will butt you out the way.Scoot your butt over a bit would you?Dropping your cigarette butt on the floor is littering, which is an offence that will get you fined.


What does pot and kettle mean?

That is someone criticizing another for an action that he himself has done or for a characteristic that he himself shares. It refers a cooking container criticizing another cooking container for becoming blackened through use despite the first container being equally blackened.The phrase is used to point out somebody's hypocrisy.On old wood stoves the pot and kettle were usually blackened from soot, therefor if the Pot were to insult the Kettle by calling it black it would be insulting itself in the process since it was the same.Therefore when you accuse someone of doing something that you do yourself you are like the pot who calls the kettle blackThis idiom refers to a hypocrite or accusing someone of being hypocritical. If I am lying but call you a liar you could say, Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black. If you are overweight and yet tell me to watch what I eat, I could say, That's the pot calling the kettle black.example citation:"But how many conservatives who are targets of such slurs know these liberals are indulging in one of the greatest intellectual ruses in history? How many realize it's a matter of the red-faced pot calling the kettle black?"When someone accuses another of a fault like lying, sloth or greed this phrase is used to counter accuse. For example, if you were spying on your girlfriend's e-mails and she found out about it while she was spying on your e-mails her accusation that you didn't trust her could be countered with, isn't that the pot calling the kettle black, since she also has trust issues. This comes from a period when pots and kettles were both made out of cast iron, so both the pot and the kettle were black.The kettle calling the pot black, both are black, so it refers to a person who is telling another person that they are doing something wrong when they are doing the same thing. for example a smoker telling another smoker that they shouldn't smoke. a thief calling someone else a thief. etcThe Pot and the Kettle are both black. Is often used by a person condemning other people for something they do themselves. So if a person (the pot) is accusing someone (the kettle) of doing something they actually do. They are both actually the same (black) therefore the pot has not right to condemn the kettle without actually condemning themselves.


What is the noun phrase and the correct pronoun in that woman over there will help?

The noun phrase is: That woman over thereThe pronoun that can take the place of the noun phrase: sheEx: She will help.

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