Comments on: Out of the woods/woodwork http://www.word-detective.com/2011/01/out-of-the-woodswoodwork/ Semper Ubi Sub Ubi Fri, 01 Oct 2021 20:35:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.1 By: Nick http://www.word-detective.com/2011/01/out-of-the-woodswoodwork/comment-page-1/#comment-835349 Tue, 31 Dec 2019 02:06:07 +0000 http://www.word-detective.com/?p=4690#comment-835349 I have a really hard time believing the first usage of the “…woodwork” idiom was the mid 1960s. If I had to make a cold guess I’d say more like the mid 1860s (or before) when both literal woodwork and insects/rodents were far more common in the average home than 100+ years later. In fact, for one example, I’m certain I read the phrase in an H.P. Lovecraft story (maybe “The Rats in the Walls”?) which would put it no later than 1937. Lovecraft was known for his use of archaic language and outdated turns of phrase even then, so wouldn’t be surprised to learn it was much older.

I think, with all due respect for you run a great site, this one needs a bit more research. The OED, as great as resource as it may be, has in my experience not always been right.

]]> By: Mike http://www.word-detective.com/2011/01/out-of-the-woodswoodwork/comment-page-1/#comment-41271 Wed, 27 Jun 2012 08:59:02 +0000 http://www.word-detective.com/?p=4690#comment-41271 “It crawled out of the woodwork” was the title of an original outer limits episode that aired december 9, 1963…

]]> By: Mark Klein http://www.word-detective.com/2011/01/out-of-the-woodswoodwork/comment-page-1/#comment-27721 Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:23:01 +0000 http://www.word-detective.com/?p=4690#comment-27721 I recently heard a similar mis-quote of this common phrase on a conference call with work. Our project has had considerable trouble yielding the required results; senior leadership has gotten involved to get the team into shape. We recently had preliminary good news, and one of the team members said, “We’re not out of the woodshed yet.” Clearly, the team members felt they had been “taken to the woodshed” for their poor perfomance, and that the preliminary results didn’t mean “we were out of the woods yet.” This is now my new favorite saying; mix-up in the subconscience mind to come up with a real truth: “We’re not out of the woodshed yet!”

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