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[magic_general]

Where did this phrase, "over-the-counter" come from

Comments

[thisbequeerchik]

you are so not alone in being confused by the phrase "over the counter". I never really understood that one either, 'cause it makes SO MUCH more sense for 'over the counter' to refer to prescription medicine.

As for 'from scratch', I always thought that was when you put something together yourself, like cake 'from scratch' would mean you mixed the eggs, flour, sugar, etc. yourself, rather than just mixing eggs with the cake mix.

[jetaimerai]

Oh wow, I totally thought this post was on linguaphiles at first. xD;; But that's a really good question, actually. I'm sure someone from the aforementioned community could help us with the answer. :D

And eh? "from scratch" to me has always meant creating something not already pre-assembled, so like not using cake mix from a store, but creating the mix yourself. I think the phrase can also be used in other areas besides cooking, like "I built this chair from scratch" makes sense to me. I have no idea at all where the phrase actually originates from though. xD

[crash_in2_me_87]

yeah, it's pretty much what the other people said. and pointless entries can sometimes be the most amusing ones. there are a lot of phrases and things that makes absolutely NO sense. it's confusing and it makes me wonder who comes up with shit like that. it doesn't make any sense! and whoever came up with it should just get smacked in the head.

.. speaking of food and baking. i definitely need to go make myself some muffins. or maybe. a miniature cake. bc i'm really not in the mood for a whole one. and now i'm really hungry.

[mischeviousgrin]

my secret: I say "from scratch" even when i should say "just add water." It makes my boyfriend more likely to eat it and not be a picky bastard. XD

[kc724]

Classic! Right up there with how many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop?