where did this line came from? "i will build a willow cottage at your gate"?
337380
Shakespeare, Twelfth Night\n\nAct I, Scene IV\n\nViola:\n"Make me a willow cabin at your gate\nAnd call upon my soul within the house,\nWrite loyal cantons of contemnèd love,\nAnd sing them loud even in the dead of night;\nHallow your name to the reverberate hills,\nAnd make the babbling gossip of the air\nCry out ’Olivia!’ O, you should not rest\nBetween the elements of air and earth\nBut you should pity me."\n\nI was actually thrown off by the quote: "Then I will build a willow cabin outside your front gate"  Which is from an X-File fan fiction story.
17026
1. It comes from mythology. Witches, who often took the form of their familiars - cats, are supposed to have ridden the wind. Dogs and wolves were attendants to Odin, the god of storms and sailors associated them with rain.\n\nWell, some evidence would be nice. There doesn't appear to be any to support this notion.\n\n2. The phrase is supposed to have originated in England in the 17th century when city streets were filthy and heavy rain would occasionally carry along dead animals.\n\nThe idea that seeing a dead cats and dogs floating by in storms would cause people to coin this phrase is far fetched, but just about believable.\n\n3. Another suggestion is that it comes from a version of the French word, catadoupe, meaning waterfall. \n\nReturning to facts rather than idle speculation we do know that the phrase was in use in a modified form in 1653, when Richard Brome's The City Wit, has the line "It shall raine .. Dogs and Polecats".\n\nPolecats aren't cats as such but the jump between them in linguistic rather than veterinary terms isn't large. \n\nI like the idea of number 2, what do you think?
512753
"THE STORY OF THE BLUE WILLOW CHINA" \n  Long ago, in the days when China was ruled by emperors, a Chinese manderin,Tso Ling, lived in the magnificent pagoda under the branches of the apple tree on the right of the bridge, over which droops the famous willow tree, and in front of which is seen the graceful lines of the fence. Tso Ling was the father of a beautiful girl, Kwang-se, who was the promised bride of an old but wealthy merchant. The girl, however, fell in love with Chang, her father’s clerk. The lovers eloped across the sea to the cottage on the island. The mandarin pursued and caught the lovers and was about to have them killed when the gods transformed them into a pair of turtle doves. These are seen gazing into each other’s eyes at the top of the design.\n\n  A lengthy and old Staffordshire poem of the pattern concludes with the verse: "In the oft quoted plate two birds are perceived, High in the heaven above: These are the spirits of Chang and Kwang-se, A twin pair of ever in love".\n\n  Willow, in its present form was originated in the UK in 1790 by Thomas Turner at Caughley Pottery Works in Shropshire.
1015729
I remember a similar poem from Peter Opie’s The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren, published in 1959:\n\n"One bright day, in the middle of the night.  Two dead men got up to fight.  Back to back they faced each other, drew their swords and shot each other.  A deaf policeman heard the noise and came and shot the two dead boys.  And if you don't believe this lie is true, ask the blindman, he saw it too."\n\nalong with:\n\nOnce upon a time there were two skunks; one named In, the other named Out.  Now when In was in, Out was out.  And when Out was in, In was out.  Well, one day, Out was in and In was out.  The Mother Skunk said, "Out, go out and bring In in."  So, Out went out and brought In in.  The Mother Skunk asked, "How did you find In so quick, Out?"  Out replied, "In stinked.".
512777
Its a quote from a movie\n\nTommy Boy (1995)\n\nTommy: You better pray to the god of skinny punks that this wind doesn't pick up, cos I'll come over there, and jam an oar up your ass.
29654
The phrase was coined in the movie, "field of dreams" when a voice told the star of the movie, Kevin Costner, in his dreams to, "build it and they will come."  Kevin Costner's character doesn't know what he's supposed to build but then he builds a baseball field and the 1932 white sox show up and play baseball with him.
630472
Usually its "are you a friend of Dorothy?". Quite a bit outdated from when homosexuality was a criminal offence and you could be jailed. But it was code for those in the know, if someone was gay or not. And it was a Wizard of Oz reference.
1121506
It's from Horace - I will look it up for you...\n\nI found some translations, but since it it a poem, they have all taken some literary license.  The part you have put up is only the first two lines, and I have given you the first four.  Literally, it starts out, "You will live correctly, Licinius, neither always pressing while storms..."    altum means deep or high, but the word it modifies isn't given.\n\nYour life will be better by not pressing\nAlways out to deep sea, Licinius\nNor by staying too close to shore and guessing\nWhere rocks lie treacherous.\n\nYou better sure shall live, not evermore\nTrying high seas; nor, while sea’s rage you flee,\nPressing too much upon ill-harboured shore.\n\nYou will live more rightly, Licinius, \nneither by always pressing far out onto the deep sea \nwhen you are bold, \nnor by too closely hugging the unfriendly shore \nwhen you quake, wary of storms.\n\nSeek to live, Licinius, life more fitly,\nNeither pressing always to open seas nor\nSo afraid of storms that you steer too close to\nTreacherous shorelines.
292922
not so sure of the origin and history behind the phrase but if you find it ranining cat's and dogs be careful not to step in a poodle... i looked it up for you and yu can find the answer at the link below
973411
Sounds like it is from "War of the Worlds". Maybe the following:\n\n"Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of the beasts that perish, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us."
321894
The quote's from animaniacs; with the survey ladies at the mall.\n\nAnd yes, i did watch that movie; it's called "Rupert's Land", directed by Jonathon Tammuz (shameless plug).
906222
‘At the beginning of time, God was discussing the creation of the world with the Angel Gabriel. Leaning back in His golden throne, He told him of His plans for Scotland. \n“Gabriel,” said God “I am going to give Scotland towering mountains and magnificent glens resplendent with purple heather. Red deer will roam the countryside, golden eagles will circle in the skies, salmon will leap in the crystal clear rivers and lochs, and the surrounding areas will teem with fish. Agriculture will flourish and there will be a glorious coming together of water with barley to be known as whisky. Coal, oil and gas – all will be there. The Scots will be intelligent, innovative, industrious and …”\n\n“Wait a minute!” interrupted Gabriel. “Are you not being just a wee bit too generous to these Scots?”\n\nBut the Almighty replied, “Not really. I haven’t told you who their neighbours are going to be!”’
984043
i'm not that familiar with the story, except that it is about witch hunting in a town. this quote, whoever says it, is someone begging Thomas not to get involved in witch craft. is it his wife? that would make sense, that she's begging her husband not to get in it because the town (who was full of people paranoid about witch craft) would charge them with the crime.
319002
The above answer is correct except I always heard it differently. The last verse as I remember it is:\n\nDown came the good fairy who said\nYou've had three chances \nNow I'm going to turn you into a GOON!\n\nAnd the moral of this story is...\n\nHare today, goon tomorrow.
458592
As far as I know it comes from the theater, when the director would say "let the show begin". hope this helps
844063
Sorry , I cannot find where those lines come from. I have spent the last 20 minutes looking for you to no avail.\nIt might be from the book "I know why the caged bird sings", I am not sure.
250056
Yes, it is a reference to Erol Flynn.  Apparently, he was a pretty wild guy.  According to IMDB:\n\n"The phrase "In like Flynn," stems from his 1942 trial for statutory rape."