where does the expression " don teach yr grandma how to suck eggs" come from?

Question

This one has always puzzled me and is something older people tend to say when you tell them how to do something but they already know how to do it. But why do they say it? and a. why would grandma already know how to suck eggs and b. why would grandma want to suck eggs in the first place to make her the expert she and millions of older people claim to be.
If anyone knows the answer to this i would be scratching my head less next time an old person says it to me.

Answer 1

damn never heard of that

Answer 2

Well I've only heard the phrase before in the "Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!" song from Ren and Stimpy.



But, and this is a long shot, according to me late granny, in the Ukraine they would create Easter eggs of incredible craftsmanship and geometric complexity (I've seen photos and wooden replicas, they're quite nice). Gorgeous stuff, took hours to complete. The more impressive ones were not really eggs, just the shells and they were used decoratively.



I suppose this came from artisans growing tired of people smashing and eating their masterworks or letting them get rotten.



To make these hollow shells you has to take an uncooked, use a sewing needle to pierce a hole at the top and bottom then suck on one of the holes to get the yolk and white flowing, after which you could let the egg drain off by itself.



I've never heard the expression used like that but I do know that my Ukrainian grandmother knew something about sucking eggs.

Answer 3

No, my neighbor used to suck eggs. Body builders often will "suck an egg" (or break them and then eat them raw) because they're high in protein. Years ago, people use to decorate Christmas trees with painted eggs. You use a needle to poke a hole at the top and bottom of the eggshell and "suck" out the egg. Phur

Answer 4

Came from a Spanish writer, Quevedo in 1707, although the saying might have been older. It probably refers to the way eggs were eaten at one time among the people, and the trick was to make sure that there were 2 holes, one to allow air to enter or you could be sucking till you're blue in the face and getting nothing. A young child might not know this.

Answer 5

Many years ago most older people didn't have teeth and a form of easy nourishment was to suck a raw egg by making holes in each end after shaking it up. Naturally your grandmother would be an expert in this managing to do it without breaking the egg. Thus the saying came about as meaning not telling an expert how to do whatever he/she is an expert in.

Answer 6

I'm still working on the whole throwing the baby out with the bathwater thing myself

Answer 7

think its just a saying, meaning i know more than you, and dont think i dont.



Kinda like ' you cant teach an od dog new tricks'



I may be very wrong here

Answer 8

ya i am interested in this one .........will be looking out for the best answer there