He Swore by the Toenails of Moses

DESCRIPTION: "And he swore by the toe nails o' Moses That he'd like all who dared to oppose us"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1914 (Greig/Duncan8)
KEYWORDS: nonballad
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Greig/Duncan8 1894, "He Swore by the Toenails of Moses" (1 fragment)
Roud #13563
NOTES [108 words]: The current description is all of the Greig/Duncan8 fragment. - BS
Just in case you were wondering, there are no Biblical references to Moses's toenails -- nor to anyone else's, really. Even the word "toes" occurs only 13 times in the King James Bible (several of them perhaps inaccurately). The closest approach is in Leviticus chapter 8, where blood is placed upon the big toe in a ritual sequence. Also, women are to trim their nails in a purification ritual in Deuteronomy 21:12.
Perhaps the reference is to Exodus 3:5, where Moses is commanded to take off his sandals in the presence of the burning bush. Or, more likely, it's just a joke. - RBW
Last updated in version 3.5
File: GrD81894

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