Florida alligators never disappoint, especially when they’re hungry, frustrated, or apparently really inspired by artwork that features sea turtles. It seems like this gator was harboring a combination of all three when it attempted to dismount a plaque on the front porch of a Florida home this week.
<p>In a straight-up terrifying video shared by <a href=”https://www.facebook.com/25NewsKXXV/videos/1367778786740654/” style=”” target=”_blank”><em>25 News KXXV</em> on Facebook</a>, you can witness the gator using a bench on the home’s front porch for leverage. After several failed attempts to snatch the plaque, the gator gives up, thankfully. It does make you wonder just how desperate these guys/gals are for a nighttime snack.</p><p><br></p><div class=”rm-embed embed-media”><iframe allow=”encrypted-media” allowfullscreen=”true” allowtransparency=”true” frameborder=”0″ height=”587″ scrolling=”no” src=”https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2F25NewsKXXV%2Fvideos%2F1367778786740654%2F&show_text=1&width=476″ style=”border:none;overflow:hidden” width=”476″></iframe></div><p>The <a href=”https://www.facebook.com/25NewsKXXV/videos/1367778786740654/” target=”_blank”><em>25 News KXXV</em> post</a> does not reveal whose home the gator is trying to invade but we’re pretty sure the residents probably installed security cams for the sake of catching thieves trying to burglarize, not giant reptiles trying to chomp on their mounted artwork.<br></p>
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Got a special talent? If so, we’d like to hear from you, because we’re producing our own talent show. Next Southern Star, hosted by Leanne Morgan, aims to find the next It’s a Southern Thing star.
If you think you have what it takes, send us a video – no more than two minutes – of your talent by June 11th. Your submission must be original material.
We Southerners have many colorful ways to say someone is feeling ill (read an entire list here) but one unusual phrase we use – “under the weather” – is not limited to just the South. So where and when did the phrase originate?
It is now so common that we don’t even stop to think about what a strange phrase it is. Let’s take a look at its origins.
<p><strong>Usage</strong><br></p><p>You’ve likely heard it or said it plenty of times without thinking about it: </p><ul class=”ee-ul”><li>”Aunt Edna Earl can’t come to church because she’s under the weather.”</li><li>”Suzie will be absent from school because she’s under the weather.”</li></ul><p>It’s not until you stop and realize we are always technically <em>under the weather</em>, so to speak – because we consider “weather” to be in the atmosphere – that you wonder, why do we say that?</p><p>According to the 1995 book <a href=”https://www.amazon.com/Salty-Dog-Talk-Nautical-Expressions/dp/1472907981″ target=”_blank”>”Salty Dog Talk: The Nautical Origins of Everyday Expressions</a>” by Bill Beavis and Richard G. McCloskey, the expression originally meant “to feel seasick.”</p><p><strong>Origins</strong> </p><p>”Under the weather” is part of a nautical phrase that first appears in English language in the early 1800s,<a href=”https://grammarist.com/idiom/under-the-weather/” target=”_blank”> according to Grammarist.com</a>, but it initially had more to it. The Grammarist says the phrase began as “under the weather rail,” while the Farmers Almanac said the full phrase was “under the weather bow.”</p><p>”Salty Dog Talk” authors Beavis and McCloskey also claim “bow” was part of the original phrase, writing: “Originally it meant to feel seasick or to be adversely affected by bad weather. The term is correctly ‘under the weather bow’ which is a gloomy prospect; the weather bow is the side upon which all the rotten weather is blowing.” </p><p>Susan Higgins explained further on the <a href=”https://www.farmersalmanac.com/where-did-the-term-under-the-weather-come-from-21566″ target=”_blank”>Farmers Almanac website in 2015</a>: “On the high seas when the wind would start to blow hard and the water became rough, crewmen and travelers would go below deck and down to their cabins in order to ride out the storm and avoid becoming seasick. In this way they literally retreat to a location ‘under the weather.'”</p><p>Have you been curious about the origins of a phrase we commonly use in the South? Email me at <a href=”mailto:kkazek@al.com”>kkazek@al.com</a> and I’ll try to find the answer and, if I do, write about it here.</p>
<p>While Folsom did not get to walk across the graduation stage in a formal ceremony because of the coronavirus pandemic, he is still really excited the moment has finally arrived, telling <a href=”https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/duval-county/jacksonville-homeless-student-graduate-valedictorian-despite-pandemic/Z53E2H6GAVGUVH3KAINIBG4CR4/” target=”_blank”><em>Action News Jax</em></a>, “It means a lot, kind of gives me a sense of yeah, all I’ve done and all I accomplished was worth it.” He still got to wear the cap and gown, too.</p><p><br></p><div class=”rm-embed embed-media”><iframe allow=”encrypted-media” allowtransparency=”true” frameborder=”0″ height=”529″ scrolling=”no” src=”https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FActionNewsJacksonville%2Fposts%2F4009159209156535&width=500″ style=”border:none;overflow:hidden” width=”500″></iframe></div><p>Folsom also attributes his mother’s unwavering love and support as part of why he’s succeeded. <br></p><p>Read the full story and watch the <em>Action News Jax</em> segment interviewing Folsom, <a href=”https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/duval-county/jacksonville-homeless-student-graduate-valedictorian-despite-pandemic/Z53E2H6GAVGUVH3KAINIBG4CR4/” target=”_blank”>here</a>.</p>
This content was originally published here.
