# Brit Dopers: origin of this phrase.....

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-origin-of-this-phrase/137987>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 21, 2002, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-origin-of-this-phrase/137987 "2002-11-21T18:36:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-origin-of-this-phrase/137987/1 "2002-11-21T18:36:05Z")

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In romance novels, primarily the Regencies, there is a phrase that I know what it means, but I want to know exactly where it came from and all my searches have come up dry.

\*\* To stick one’s spoon in the wall \*\* : means to die, but…well…I don’t get it.

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**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-origin-of-this-phrase/137987/2 "2002-11-21T19:19:24Z")

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[According to bartleby.com](http://www.bartleby.com/81/15998.html):

> [@](#):
>
> Stuck his Spoon in the Wall.
> 
> Took up his residence. Sometimes it means took up his long home, or died. In primitive times a leather strap was very often nailed to the wall, somewhere near the fireplace, and in this strap were stuck such things as scissors, spoons for daily use, pen-case, and so on. In Barclay’s Ship of Fools is a picture of a man stirring a pot on the fire, and on the wall is a strap with two spoons stuck into it.

But it’s using _Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable_ as its source, and I’ve been told off for using that before now on these boards.

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**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-origin-of-this-phrase/137987/3 "2002-11-22T01:57:56Z")

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Thanks, everton.