According to Partridge:
Piggy (occ.pig) in the middle. A person 'caught in the middle' of a
dispute, yet obliged to make some decision; since ca. 1960. Sir Edward
Playfair cites The Times, 1st and 27th Sep 1977. Ex the game played by
three in a line, in which the middle one has to intercept a ball tossed
between the players on each end.
This seems a bit late to me though, I'm sure that the phrase was in use when
I was at school in the fifties.
Roger.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Patrick McManus" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2003 6:39 AM
Subject: Re: boundaries and catagories/ apologies
> dear Dave pig in the middle-is from a children's game(dict of
> idioms -wordsworth)in which ywo people throw a ball etc from one to
another
> and a third tries to intercept it-------------
> cheers pig's ear patrick mc manus
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: david.bircumshaw <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > line-breaks etc. My inclination is towards agnosticism in these matters,
> > which gives me a delightful position of the proverbial
pig-in-the-middle,
> > btw, could anyone, wake up Robin, give me an explanation of the
provenance
> > of that phrase, such as why it is a pig, what it is doing in the middle
> and
> > of what is it in the middle?
> >
> > All the Best
> >
> > Dave
> >
> >
> > David Bircumshaw
> >
> > Leicester, England
> >
> > Home Page
> >
> > A Chide's Alphabet
> >
> > Painting Without Numbers
> >
> > http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/index.htm
>
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