Saturday, February 12, 2011

Elbows

Do we still keep our elbows off the table, or has that bit of etiquette gone away? There was a rhyme that we were subjected to as children
John, John, strong and able
Keep your elbows off the table
This is not a horses' stable
But a proper dining table.
Looking it up, the last line has minor variations, and you were supposed to zip in the name of the offender instead of "Mabel" in the first line. It seems to have been used at summer camps a lot, but we had it at home. I never got the part about people putting their elbows on tables in barns - children are very literal that way. I got the point that it was supposed to be ill-bred and not refined, but I still thought stables must actually have something to do with it somehow. Couldn't figure out why, as stables didn't necessarily have tables at all. But if they did, you stood at them instead of sitting, and were doing some unclean work, and your elbows might touch that table...

In browsing, I found a wonderful Etiquette Is The Height Of Rudeness post.
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5 comments:

  1. Gringo12:09 AM

    My recollection:

    Off the table
    You must go
    You must go
    You must go
    Off the table
    You must go
    You are crazy.

    This is not a hick's saloon
    But a proper dining room.

    Off the table
    You must go
    You must go
    You must go
    Off the table
    You must go
    You are crazy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. karrde10:41 AM

    I heard this version from my parents:

    Johnny, Johnny, if you're able
    Keep your elbows off the table
    This is not a horses stable
    But a respected dining table

    We had no 'Johns' in the family, so it was other names. But it was always the diminutive-name, with the "-y" ending.

    I didn't get the horses stable reference either.

    My parents were quick to point out the probability of spills and other messes that came from eating with both elbows planted firmly on the table.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dubbahdee12:13 AM

    A recent topic of conversation at our dining table.
    Rather more to the point, how many families are dining together at table with any regularity?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Texan996:13 PM

    I'm not a very polite eater in most ways, I'm afraid, and I really have to make an effort not to put my elbows on the table when I'm trying to fit into a civilized setting. Most of the time I feel I'm doing well just to keep my feet off.

    ReplyDelete
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