The worms were biting
It was mid-afternoon and the worms were biting. It was too early for supper, but something was required to allay the hunger pangs.
A bap, sliced in half, with lettuce, and cheese, satisfied me. I put a slice of Quorn in Barry’s bap, as well as lettuce and cheese. Quorn is a sort of ersatz ham, made from mycoprotein. I can’t tolerate mushrooms, so avoid it. We don’t buy ham or any other processed meat because it’s not good for kidney disease.
The dogs watched closely, hoping for titbits. I dropped the heart of the little gem lettuce, when I was making the snack, which Roxy enjoyed, but Gilbert missed out, poor starving boy!
‘The worms are biting’ is an old English colloquialism that means that someone is feeling very hungry, as if little worms are nibbling daintily at your innards.
It, and similar sayings, date back to the mid-1700s.
It is also used in fishing circles to enquire if the fishing is successful.
A rather unpleasant story, purported to be true (but who knows?) tells of a young boy who was fishing. When asked one day if the fish were biting, he replied that they weren’t, but the worms were. His father, on hearing that, blanched and rushed to find his son, but he was dead. When digging for bait, the boy had mistaken a nest of baby rattlesnakes for worms.
Baby rattlers are born with the fully developed ability to use their fangs and inject poison. However, they are less dangerous than adults, as they carry much less venom. Therefore, the story is probably apocryphal.
That is a sad story but the saying I remember from days of old, my old that is. I've never heard of Quorn, maybe I have and just forgot. I do love a nice fresh bap with lettuce and cheese. Thanks for another interesting post.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have rattlers in my area.
ReplyDeleteSuch an enjoyable post!
ReplyDeleteI liked how you tied hunger to the old saying and then into folklore.
That rattlesnake tale gave me goosebumps.
Nice post. The story of the boy, though might be apocryphal, is sad.
ReplyDeleteYikes on that story about the boy and snakes. I've never heard that term about the worms biting. Thank you for this interesting post.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was little and we were hungry but Mum thought we'd had enough she always worried that we had worms!
ReplyDelete