Here’s mud in your eye!
idiom (informal)

- a humorous drinking toast

- sometimes said by people in a friendly way just before drinking an alcoholic drink together

Collins Dictionary / Cambridge Dictionary

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ORIGIN

Although sounding negative, “Here’s mud in your eye!” is a very positive phrase. It’s a way of wishing success or happiness to someone with whom one is drinking.

The phrase was heard in the muddy trenches of the 1st World War, but it did not originate there as some people believe. It was heard in U.S. saloons as early as 1890 and was popular in the English fox hunting and race-horse scene even before then, probably alluding to mud flying off horses’ hooves.

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IN VINO VERITAS

For all of you who are married, were married, wish you were married, or wish you weren’t married, this is something to smile about the next time you open a bottle of wine:

Sally was driving home from a business trip in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road.  As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride. With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car.

Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Sally.

“What in bag?” asked the old woman.

Sally looked down at the brown bag and said, “It’s a bottle of wine. I got it for my husband.”

The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two. Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said, “You make good trade.”

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SYNONYMS

- a common toast used when drinking in company:

bottoms up, cheerio, cheers, chin-chin, down the hatch, good health, good luck, here’s how, here’s to you, HERE'S MUD IN YOUR EYE, prosit, prost, salud, salut, skol, slainte, your health

And a clever wordplay toast:

“Here’s champagne for our true friends, and real pain for our sham* friends”

*sham = Schein-, vorgetäuscht

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

“Let’s now raise our glasses for a job well done,… HERE’S MUD IN YOUR EYE!”

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THANKS to Alex & Gloria for prompting today’s word.

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HERZLICHEN DANK to all readers helping me keep OWAD alive with single or monthly donations at:

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and,

Paul Smith, IBAN: DE75 7316 0000 0002 5477 40