Does any 1 know where the phase" clever clogs "came from?

I can tell that you%26#039;ve never seen clog dancing as practiced up North. It is a bit like tapdancing but with industrial clogs.





Any of those Northern lasses that can move about as if they are wearing bedroom slippers are right %26quot;clever clogs%26quot;.





Don%26#039;t let anyone fool you that it has got anything to do with Dutch Clogs.

Does any 1 know where the phase%26quot; clever clogs %26quot;came from?
Crossing the water from the Netherlands to England. In middle ages the English language spoken was double dutch - somethings are still noticable today - old numbers like %26#039;three and twenty%26#039; means %26#039;twenty three%26#039;.


Doubling up like this was not an easy task for most people so an Englishmen trying to speak in the same manner were said to be called %26quot;clever clogs%26quot; if they could speak in the same manner and understand what was being said.





Hope this helps.





There are plenty of similarities in the English language today that reflect back to that time. It works both ways too - in Holland people speak very good English though in UK no-one speaks Dutch..except me of course..hehe!
Reply:Some Dutch smart a ss?
Reply:Dutch being so clever and used to wear clogs ............. lol
Reply:beaver cleaver
Reply:Hi - can%26#039;t find a really definitive answer.


The Bloomsbury Dictionary of Contemporary Slang says


%26quot;a know-all, smarta--e or overachiever. A now common colloquialism probably originating in the North or Midlands where clogs were until recently part of working-class folklore%26quot;



credot