paul (11/30/82)
"Folk entymology" not only corrupts things like cop and posh, but also expressions like "burning the candle at both ends." This usually is used to describe fast livers, pushing the limit, etc. Its origin is around the 17th century, and it described the waste of precious (especially in the colonies) candle wax, by burning the candle at both ends -- of the day. Workaholics would start reading and writing before dawn and continue after dark. The Puritan communities frowned on this because the candlelight sometimes illuminated loafing around, drinking, etc. and possibly that is where the current day connotation comes from. Just trying to further confuse an issue. Paul Killey University of Michigan Ann Arbor