# "He don't lick that off the grass!" quote query **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 27, 2017, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-dont-lick-that-off-the-grass-quote-query/783149 "2017-03-27T16:49:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davey77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@davey77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davey77)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-dont-lick-that-off-the-grass-quote-query/783149/1 "2017-03-27T16:49:11Z")
Am I the only person in the world who understands this expression? I have fought and pleaded with people (my EX, especially!) to get the gist of this quaint, old-timey phrase and **nobody** seems to “get it” except me and members of my Appalachian family. I’ll eventually post what I think it means, but what say you? Please reaffirm my sanity! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-dont-lick-that-off-the-grass-quote-query/783149/2 "2017-03-27T16:51:13Z")
I’ve never even _heard_ that expression before. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-dont-lick-that-off-the-grass-quote-query/783149/3 "2017-03-27T16:55:56Z")
I’ve understood it as meaning the person in question didn’t just get his behaviors from nowhere; he got it from the way he was raised, the type of people he grew up around, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-dont-lick-that-off-the-grass-quote-query/783149/4 "2017-03-27T16:58:27Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I’ve never even _heard_ that expression before. Ditto. And I served for 23 years with people from all over the country. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-dont-lick-that-off-the-grass-quote-query/783149/5 "2017-03-27T17:34:47Z")
It’s a new one to me. I don’t get its meaning. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-dont-lick-that-off-the-grass-quote-query/783149/6 "2017-03-27T17:40:14Z")
Making it nearly unanimous, so far. I never heard that expression before and I don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-dont-lick-that-off-the-grass-quote-query/783149/7 "2017-03-27T17:41:22Z")
never heard it before. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-dont-lick-that-off-the-grass-quote-query/783149/8 "2017-03-27T17:43:04Z")
Nope. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-dont-lick-that-off-the-grass-quote-query/783149/9 "2017-03-27T17:59:53Z")
New to me. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-dont-lick-that-off-the-grass-quote-query/783149/10 "2017-03-27T18:06:40Z")
Sorry, me neither. I’m assuming it means he didn’t pull that out of thin air? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-dont-lick-that-off-the-grass-quote-query/783149/11 "2017-03-27T18:10:36Z")
I’m in the UK and have no idea what it means. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-dont-lick-that-off-the-grass-quote-query/783149/12 "2017-03-27T18:20:59Z")
Virginia, never heard it. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-dont-lick-that-off-the-grass-quote-query/783149/13 "2017-03-27T18:22:04Z")
Texas, never heard it before. ---
**Author:** ![bobtimusprime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/94ad74/32.png) [@bobtimusprime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobtimusprime)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-dont-lick-that-off-the-grass-quote-query/783149/14 "2017-03-27T18:27:13Z")
Google says it’s an Irish saying. Anyone from Ireland who can confirm that? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-dont-lick-that-off-the-grass-quote-query/783149/15 "2017-03-27T18:28:08Z")
> [@davey77](#): > > Am I the only person in the world who understands this expression? > > I have fought and pleaded with people (my EX, especially!) to get the gist of this quaint, old-timey phrase and **nobody** seems to “get it” except me and members of my Appalachian family. > > I’ll eventually post what I think it means, but what say you? Please reaffirm my sanity! Where do you hail from, and from who did you hear it? ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-dont-lick-that-off-the-grass-quote-query/783149/16 "2017-03-27T18:31:03Z")
Grew up in Valdosta GA as a kid. Parents from other parts of Georgia. Never heard the expression. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-dont-lick-that-off-the-grass-quote-query/783149/17 "2017-03-27T19:48:57Z")
Makes even less sense to me than “May a moody baby doom a yam?” Midwest. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-dont-lick-that-off-the-grass-quote-query/783149/18 "2017-03-27T20:01:02Z")
Not familiar with it - Minnesota [A Way with Words](https://www.waywordradio.org/lick-that-off-the-grass/) take on the phrase. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-dont-lick-that-off-the-grass-quote-query/783149/19 "2017-03-27T20:04:29Z")
Never heard it, and can’t figure out what it might mean. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-dont-lick-that-off-the-grass-quote-query/783149/20 "2017-03-27T21:00:28Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Makes even less sense to me than “May a moody baby doom a yam?” Midwest. Go hang a salami. I’m a lasagna hog. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-dont-lick-that-off-the-grass-quote-query/783149.md?page=2)