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Author Topic: upon reading "The short end of the stick" once again...  (Read 657 times)

anewaname

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upon reading "The short end of the stick" once again...
« on: January 23, 2018, 10:56:07 pm »
I noticed this phrase in a sig and had a need to look for the phrase's origin... The ~10 sites I checked were a waste of time. So I thought about it, while I was playing DF of course, and came up with "hunters and haulers, two people working together to carry something slung on a staff or a pole...the guy on the short end of the stick is usually carrying the heavier burden."
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
If you went into the woods with your little brother or son and you killed some wild pig, you would haul it back on a stick and the stronger guy would carry the shorter end of the stick so that he carries a larger percentage of the weight. Or if a couple of guys spend hours moving goods onto boats or wagons using a stick, the banter might revolve around one guy griping about having gotten the short end of the stick.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

What do you guys think? Do you have any other ideas on what the origin of this phrase is?
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Quote from: dragdeler
There is something to be said about, if the stakes are as high, maybe reconsider your certitudes. One has to be aggressively allistic to feel entitled to be able to trust. But it won't happen to me, my bit doesn't count etc etc... Just saying, after my recent experiences I couldn't trust the public if I wanted to. People got their risk assessment neurons rotten and replaced with game theory. Folks walk around like fat turkeys taunting the world to slaughter them.

hops

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Re: upon reading "The short end of the stick" once again...
« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2018, 03:16:28 am »
Huh, I always assumed it was something to do with drawing straws.
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anewaname

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Re: upon reading "The short end of the stick" once again...
« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2018, 08:42:56 am »
That is "drawing the short stick/straw", meaning you got picked by the random selection. The "short end of the stick" commonly means that you were shafted in an agreement or trade, getting the worse end of the deal.
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Quote from: dragdeler
There is something to be said about, if the stakes are as high, maybe reconsider your certitudes. One has to be aggressively allistic to feel entitled to be able to trust. But it won't happen to me, my bit doesn't count etc etc... Just saying, after my recent experiences I couldn't trust the public if I wanted to. People got their risk assessment neurons rotten and replaced with game theory. Folks walk around like fat turkeys taunting the world to slaughter them.