Abstract
Have you heard the old sayings, "that puts my teeth on edge" or "by the skin of my teeth" or "long in the tooth" and ever wondered where they came from? And who invented the "tooth fairy"? There are many interesting colloquialisms about teeth that evolved across hundreds of years, some appearing in literary works and individual discourse even before Shakespeare's day. This brief article reviews the etymology of some of these sayings and their history.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 16-18 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Generations |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| State | Published - Sep 1 2016 |
Keywords
- Tooth aphorisms
- Tooth etymology
- Tooth fairy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geriatrics and Gerontology
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Life-span and Life-course Studies