My parents (and, as far as I remember, their parents), from North Carolina, Maryland, and Mississippi all used this phrase.
I heard my former boss use this phrase, but I always thought he said “I’m off like a hurt old turtle”. I’m from Southwestern Ontario, but English is my second language, hence the mistake.
“Certainly I heard of turtles, you dope. Any fool knows a turtle when he sees it.”
(Wondering how many people will get this.)
Never herd it.
Philadelphia area, 57 years old - never heard it.
“Look at that bunch of cows.”
“Herd.”
“Wha?”
“Herd of cows.”
“Of course I’ve heard of cows!”
“No, I mean a cow herd.”
“What do I care what a cow heard? I didn’t say anything I shouldn’t have!”
I think I read that when I was 6.
Isn’t there some guy–Partridge, just thought of it–who has a book on origins of American slang?
Maybe we should all chip in and have somebody buy the damn thing already.
I saw a herd of turtles yesterday. Must’ve been thirty of them all snuggled together on the shore of a pond, but they weren’t going anywhere. They would be off like themselves into the pond if anyone would approach them, though- I’ve seen that before many times.
Isn’t that either Abbot & Costello, 3 Stooges or from one of the Road To movies with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope?
[though I am leaning more towards Abbot and Costello]
I’ve got a two foot shelf of slang dictionaries. It’s not slang, just more of a phrase. And I already posted that it starts about 1940 or so.
I don’t think it’s regional.
There’s even a song about them. (youtube didn’t exist when this thread was started.)
I’ve certainly heard it in Albuquerque a few times. It even gets distorted to “Off like a turd of hurtles!” on occasion.
sam, you da man. I’ll be calling your name out when stuff like this comes up, ok?
I live in Texas and I’ve heard that phrase (and used it) since I was in grade school back in the 60s.
Must be an East Texas thing.