Friday Funnies

Motorist putting the horse motor behind the cart car?

Most folks would just carry a spare tire.

Further curiosity about the expression putting the cart before the horse produced this explanation:

Reverse the accepted order of things; setting up steps out of order and working in a confused manner; putting things in the wrong order…putting something inconsequential before something more essential . . .

Sleuthing further produced more interesting (at least to me) background about the expression — putting the cart before the horse — and others:

• Putting on ones shoes and socks (Iris Murdoch)
• The tail is wagging the dog
• He is well and lives
• Bred and born
• Let us die, and charge into the thick of the fight (Aeneid of Virgil)
• I’m going to kill that magician . . . dismember him and then sue him (Woody Allen in New York Stories)

ALL are examples of a rhetorical device (figure of speech in grammatical terms) known as hysteron proteron in which the conventional order of words, actions, or ideas is reversed. This calls attention to the more important item by placing it first.
The term hysteron proteron derives from the Greek: ὕστερον πρότερον, hýsteron próteron defined as “latter before” and its first known use was in 1565.
And that, to borrow the famous signoff from late American broadcaster Paul Harvey is The Rest of the Story. (actually there is lots more info online IF you are interested.)
All that from a fun photo shot on a road trip!
ENJOY your weekend folks — we’re going on a 1-day road trip show to celebrate an upcoming special date.