keen as mustard

K

as keen as mustard

Meaning

  • Very excited and enthusiastic.
  • Awaiting eagerly.

Example Sentences

  1. Little kids are always as keen as mustard to learn new things around them.
  2. She is as keen as mustard to get her hands on the new toys that her mother promised her.
  3. The class was as keen as mustard to begin the 4 day trip.
  4. She went to Europe for a vacation and came home as keen as mustard to go back.
  5. I am as keen as mustard to live rest of my life in Surrey, Canada.
  6. Why you are as keen as mustard to open my parcel? It’s something secret I am not going to show you.

Origin
Roast beef, which is a popular English meal which in the olden times would gather long queues in order to get the Sunday lunch. Richard Leveridge described this enthusiasm in his song ‘Roast beef of Old Engand’ in the year 1735. Mustard being an accompaniment was soon associated with this enthusiasm.

Mustard has a reputation to cure fevers and colds too and was a popular home remedy in the 19th century. The phrase in use today was first used by William Walker in 1672 and again by F. Smith’s in his work ‘Clod-pate’s Ghost’ in the year 1679 which clarified the meaning of the phrase.

A speculation of the popularity of the phrase also goes to Keen and Sons who used to manufacture mustard since 1742 but they did not use the phrase for their operations.

Share your opinions1 Opinion

I thought it was from the company called “Keen’s” that make mustard.

‒ Gabriel Latham August 26, 2022

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