Edumicate me please...

Where did this wonderful little saying come from?  To whom do I owe a thank you for this versatile and oh so effective phrase? I enjoy telling people to "Pound Sand" as much as telling them to Fuck off.   I first read it in the forums here, I repeated it once to my boss... He now uses it daily in his phone conversations with various factories and clients. (As factory representatives, we have to tell people to "Pound Sand" and are often told in not so many words by factories to "Pound Sand" on a daily basis concerning lead times, shortages, etc. etc.)  These words seem to be universally understood by all that hear them.  I enjoy the hell out of the term, and was just curious as to who I could thank.

I'll start by thanking all at ARFcom who have used it and continue to do so, but am curious as to how it is interpreted by the board and where it originated. AFAIK, it could be telling someone to masturbate in a camel spider's den, to literally put in some grunt time marching, or to simply FO in politically correct terms.... Or should I ask DU if it is in fact a deragatory anti-islam/muslim-rat term... Which if it is, I would then immediately be forced to change my log in name to "Pound-Sand". (I'll bet that'll be taken by tomorrow.) Could this phrase in effect replace the all versatile F-Bomb?

Pound Sand, it's for the children!

TIA.

Sly

Pound Sand
The origin of the expression go pound sand is from a longer expression, not to know (have enough sense to) pound sand down a rathole. Filling rat holes with sand is menial work, and telling someone to pound sand down a hole is like telling them to go fly a kite. The expression dates to at least 1912 and is common in the midwestern United States.

www.wordorigins.org/wordorp.htm

Google is your friend.

hmmm, and this whole time I thought "pound sand" was the same as "beat face"

Yes I googled it, but I came up with a bunch of crap and the most relevant piece I found was this from a discussion of phrases:

: : : It's driving me crazy! What is the orgin of this phrase? "Go Pound Salt." I've heard it used primarily : : : in the same way you would say "Get Lost" or "Go play on the Freeway." Were there salt pounders? : : : Was this an endless task? Please email me if you know... thanks, : : The longer form is "go pound salt up your ass" which sounds decidely unpleasant. Why salt? Why "pound"? I haven't a clue. : Because "pounding" (rather than gently packing) would add to the pain of salt insertion. Like pouring salt on someone's wounds only more so. My husband, who obviously hangs out with ruffians when he isn't painting still lifes or reading the New Yorker, has heard "Go pound sand" as well as this one.

But even at that, it's obvious that it is a versatile phrase.... Wouldn't want a coach to tell his players that they did really well pounding sand would you??? (That's to say "way to work hard"...) Especially when someone else within ear shot feels that it might mean something a bit more risqué`....

Yes, "Google is you friend" but I don't hang out at Google...

ETA: sniperx, I've heard Army Soldiers usually referred to as "Gound Pounders" but I suppose when in the sandbox it would be more fitting to refer to them as "Sand Pounders".

Sly

My dad, a WWII vet, refers to his fellow infantry soldiers as gravel agitators. This must be a forties era term, since I have never heard used anywhere else.

"Pound Sand"   I always thought it was short for "Go Pound Sand up your Ass!" Or words to that effect.

I thought it was "Go pound sand up your ass"

A pound of sand weighs, well, a pound.

"Pound Sand" I always thought it was short for "Go Pound Sand up your Ass!" Or words to that effect.

me too

Me three.

Huh.

SG