Pretty much everybody knows about "manna from heaven." Does the term "grousing" (as in "complaining") derive from that Bible passage?
Being semi-self-sufficient, I realize I can investigate this myself. But, I figure, if someone knows off the top of his head, why not give the Ricochet Intel button a whirl?
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Tom Lindholtz: Don't know, but I saw a funny line using that term. In a pub in England, with a very low doorway -- maybe 5'10" -- there was lettered on the beam above the doorway, "Duck or Grouse."
R. Craigen: I don't know. But since they were quail, perhaps not.
On that point, let's assume that "quailing" does not derive from that passage.
Arahant: According to my dictionary the verb was first spotted in 1887, origin unknown. According to dictionary #2, originally British Army slang. (This is where I would wonder if it started as rhyming slang.)
Dictionary #3 notes the resemblance to "grouch."
Dictionary #4 is much like #3.
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