The Chicago Tribune had an editorial about neckties, entitled "Fit to be Tied"...which was quite timely because we were talking about ties on our last chat. They say that people are sick of the casual dress in offices and that suits and ties are making a comeback. They then talked about how ties can be used to make different statements about yourself...their terminology was, "A tie is a way to let the inner peacock shine." They talked about Reagan's red power ties and Bush's solid, textured ice-blue ties, showing he wasn't afraid to break tradition.
Which all made me wonder...what is the etymology of "Fit to be tied." I tried all my usual places for phrases, Quinion, Word Detective, and Phrase Finder...with no luck. Does anyone know?
I considered that, Arnie, but I thought there must be more to it than that. It seems to be used frequently and understood across regions and English-speaking countries.
The OED Online says that fit once meant "inclined, disposed."
quote:
Inclined, disposed. Now chiefly colloq. and dial. in stronger sense: Angry or troubled enough to (do something desperate or violent); exhausted enough, ‘ready’ to (sink to the ground, etc.). Also, fit to be tied (slang), extremely angry, hopping mad.
1580 BARET Alv. F603 Fitte..inclined, disposed, accomodatus. 1585 ABP. SANDYS Serm. (1841) 308 When men are heavy laden with grief and sorrow, then are they fittest to call for and to receive refreshing. 1728 DE FOE Syst. Magic (1840) 251, I am fit to hang myself because I can't find it out. 1787 BURNS To W. Creech 50 And Calvin's folk are fit to fell him. 1821 CLARE Vill. Minstr. II. 24 To look at things around he's fit to freeze. 1848 J. H. NEWMAN Loss & Gain 11 He..keeps you standing till you are fit to sink. 1856Knickerbocker Oct. 433 Then she laughs fit to kill. 1866 ‘OLD STAGER’ Stage Reminisc. vii. 92 The smoke and fumes..came up through the chinks of the stage, fit to choke a dozen Macbeths. 1878 [i]Cumberld. Gloss., ‘They war fit to feyt about her.’ 1894 SOMERVILLE & ‘ROSS’ Real Charlotte II. xxviii. 177 The old devil was fit to be tied. 1916 E. F. BENSON David Blaize v. 101 Cruikshank's awfully pi: fit to burst. 1922 JOYCE Ulysses 754, I was fit to be tied. 1938 R. FINLAYSON Brown Man's Burden 30 The roundabout with its hurdy-gurdy shrieking fit to raise the dead. 1953 ‘E. FERRARS’ Murder in Time xxi. 189 Mad at you. Fit to be tied. 1956 C. SIMAK Strangers in Universe(1958) 193 It threw the place into a tizzy... The boss is fit to be tied. When he gets hold of you...
quasi-adv. 1808 in Spirit Pub. Jrnls. (1809) XII. 301 It made us laugh fit to kill ourselves.
Note that the first quote cited using "fit to be tied" was from 1894.
Victoria S Dennis says Cassell's Dictionary of Slang says it originated in the mid-19th century, meaning "so hysterically furious that they need to be tied down." She says this coincided with the common use of straitjackets to restrain mental patients and suggests that was the meaning.
"Tied" in this case refers to being bound as in a straight jacket. The need for being tied is to control ones actions to prevent from acting on the anger.
TinmanThis message has been edited. Last edited by: tinman,
