Having a cow

Question

What does the expression 'having a cow mean?' as in:

My husband is having a cow now. Our eletctric bill was $375 for the month, and it was mostly because I turn up the air conditioning to keep the house cool.

I can guess it must mean something like having a fit...also how did the phrase originate?

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

Yes, having a fit; being loudly angry/upset. I suppose that a cow makes a lot of noise with the pain of calving; or at least, that's what the anonymous coiner imagined.

Danyoo · Answer

Thanks MM.  But then it begs the question...why not 'having a calf?'

Mister Micawber · Answer

Coiners of slang are often uneducated?

Danyoo · Answer

MM, I searched the internet and it looks like the phrase was made popular by Bart Simpson (the icon of uneducated!) but the third reference below indicates it predates the TV show. But no where could I find the origin.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/edu/2003/05/20/stories/2003052000110202.htm
What is the meaning of "have a cow"?
(S. Ganesh, Hyderabad)
You must be a great fan of the T.V show "The Simpsons". This informal expression is used quite often by Homer and the members of his family. When you tell someone "don't have a cow" what you are asking them to do is to calm down. You are telling them not to get excited. Here are a few examples.
*Anand had a cow because his daughter got her hair cut really short.
*My boss was having a cow because the project was getting delayed.
*Come on Sachi, don't have a cow!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don't_have_a_cow
"Don't have a cow" is a phrase spoken by Bart on The Simpsons meaning "Don't freak out."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Catch_phrase
This makes me think of another interesting point: how TV can turn an old expression into a brand new catch phrase. I'm sure there are many people who think "Don't have a cow" originated on The Simpsons and that "yada yada yada" was coined on Seinfeld, but both phrases predate the TV shows by many years: they didn't become catch phrases until they were used memorably on TV and repeated all over the place.

Mister Micawber · Answer

It was popular long before The Simpsons ever hit the small screen. Thanks for working at it, Danyoo-- that's the kind of thing I don't usually have time to do.

Anonymous · Answer

Danyoo Thanks MM. But then it begs the question...why not 'having a calf?'

It doesn't "beg" the question. It "raises" the question.

Anonymous · Answer

I remember using that expression as a young teenager back in the mid to late 1960's. But I have no idea where it originated

Having a cow

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions