[General] hold one's potato

[vil]

Dear teachers,

Would you be kind enough to tell me whether I am right with my interpretation of the expression in bold in the following sentence?

Now let me beg of the gentlemen to hold his potato.

hold one’s potato = take it easy, be patient

Thanks for your efforts.

Regard,

V

 

[Tullia]

That's not an idiom in common use; can we have some context please?

 

[vil]

Hi Tullia,

Thank you for your kindness.

The sentence in question is from a long and boring Congressional Records, January 27, 1892. DAE)
The key phrase was easy assimilated by my "knowledgeable" mind and now is quick in uptake in my everyday social life.;-)

Regards,

V

 

[Tullia]

Well it's certainly not in common Br Eng usage. We would probably say "hold his horses" with that meaning. Perhaps an American user could comment on its use in the States?

 

[Tullia]

The only meaning that I can get out of it has to do with a hot potato. A hot potato (an issue or a problem) is something that is passed from person to person since there is little chance of anyone making it work. I guess if someone was asked to hold his potato it might mean that he is being asked to not push the problem off onto another person.

That sounds plausible. If so, then vil's interpretation would seem to be wrong, but without context (which means more than just mentioning a source) it's of course nigh on impossible for us to work that out.

 

[SoothingDave]

This is not a common American phrase.

 

[joham]

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of Idioms:
Hold your horses! and Hold your tater! Fig. Inf. Wait!
Tom: Let’s go! Let’s go! Mary: Hold your horses. Hold
your tater, now. Where did you say you are going?


tater (slang) = potato

 

[vil]

Hi Joham,

I’m very happy to feel your undivided and convincing support in corroboration of my interpretation of the phrase “hold one’s potato”. Now I’m parched with thirst to hear the twisting justifications from the great English experts.

Thank you again for your empathy.

Regards,

V.

 

[Tullia]

I think you will find that it's McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Idioms that he is referring to. The difference is crucial.

I will further note that you can find many words and idioms listed in dictionaries that are not in common usage anymore.

You will of course note that I did in fact offer the Br Eng idiom used for that meaning already.

I will comment again that you are expecting people to work miracles by providing us with hundred year old, no longer in common use idioms, yet failing every time to provide any form of meaningful context we could use to help you.

Frankly, I am beginning to think your primary motivation in posting is to be as insulting and boastful as possible.

 

[TheParser]

Dear teachers,

Would you be kind enough to tell me whether I am right with my interpretation of the expression in bold in the following sentence?

Now let me beg of the gentlemen to hold his potato.

hold one’s potato = take it easy, be patient

Thanks for your efforts.

Regard,

V

********** NOT a teacher **********

Hello, Vil.

(1) Thank you for teaching me a new idiom.

(2) I, of course, googled it and discovered an article from

Never Enough Words by Mr. Jeffrey McQuain.

(a) He says that it was, indeed, a 19th century

expression meaning be patient.

(b) He says that there used to be many potato expressions,

including:

Tell it to the potatoes. = expressing incredulity. (I guess that means

something like: I do not believe that.)

THANK YOU

 

[vil]

Hi TheParser,

Thank you for your decisively backing.

In my humble opinion it is better to add to our knowledge and to extend our vocabulary that go to a goat for wool.

Unfortunately there are in English-speaking world many people with itching ears.

Thank you again for your kindness.

Regards,

V.

 

[cubezero3]

Reading this phrase, I natually have a picture in my mind in which a bloke speaking in from of a huge crowd is standing on the stage, excited and probably half expecting dozens of tomatos to be thrown at him soon.

Perhaps people could use hold your eggs in the same sense as well?