Nothing to sneeze at

[Dawnie]

I hear this term used this morning on Howard Stern. I think I'm having a fetishy day because just hearing my boy, Howard, say "sneeze" tripped my trigger a wee bit. So I decided to do a google search and looked up one of many definitions for this term. This particular one caught my eye.

"The original expression was "not to be sneezed at," but the phrase has undergone various revisions over the years. Here is the best explanation I have found for the origin of the phrase:

NOT TO BE SNEEZED AT – “…People in older times imagined that a sneeze cleared the mind. It certainly gave them a feeling of exhilaration. Suddenly, 17th century Europe caught a craze for sneezing. It was considered the right thing to do in good society. Indeed, the more you sneezed, the more you proved yourself a member of the privileged class. To build up this new status symbol, all kinds of devices were used. It was soon realized that snuff caused sneezing. Therefore everyone who was someone carried with him a little box, containing a mixture of sneeze-producing herbs or tobacco. By drawing an ample pinch of it into the nostrils, a hearty sneeze resulted in no time. Of course only the rich and idle had time to sneeze or could afford snuff. Hence the self-induced sneeze became synonymous with aristocratic living. If you were able to sneeze ‘on call,' you showed audibly your status in society. But one matter had still to be decided. Just to sneeze haphazardly was not good enough. There had to be a special occasion. Soon sneezing became part of men's conversation. You indulged in it whenever you wanted to show your disapproval of anything said or, even more so, your lack of interest in the matter discussed. A sneeze was an unmistakable way of saying politely ‘you bore me.' Consequently and logically, anything ‘not to be sneezed at' was something really worthwhile.” From “How Did It Begin?” by R. Brasch (Pocket Books, New York, 1969)"

[mochii]

so we're actually upper class aristocrats

:3

i like it.

[*GOR*]

Wow Dawnie, when I was at work this morning I actually said this phrase to someone,

someone: "Well he runs the pub now"

me: "well thats nothing to be sneezed at"

I actually made myself feel quite uncomfortable, because if you have read my last post on here, I said someone may have caught me on the forum, well it was the same someone!

[Sneesee]

I love that you looked up where it came from! So awesome! This guy I find highly attractive from work said that to me the night of our Christmas party, and because it was loud, and well, I wanted to hear him say it again, I said, "You can say that again," and he DID! The phrase itself is sooooo cool!

[Spider Sneezes]

That is... just... hilarious. Thank you for telling us! If my history class had more fun facts like that, I might have actually paid attention.

At least the world's most boring conversations would have been entertaining for us, eh?

[Honkytonklagoon]

I hear this term used this morning on Howard Stern. I think I'm having a fetishy day because just hearing my boy, Howard, say "sneeze" tripped my trigger a wee bit.

Now I'm thinking about that trigger of yours.

[Lynne]

Joel, keep it age-appropriate, please Personal innuendos, especially of that nature, are generally best left to PM.

[Jorm]

*Mental Note* Must make time machine and travel to 17th century Europe disguised as an aristocrat...

Brilliant find!