• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

WCF

History, politics, and culture articles and forum discussions.

You are here: Home / Topics / Origin of the phrase, "Katie, bar the door"

- By

Origin of the phrase, "Katie, bar the door"

Home › Forums › General History Chat › Origin of the phrase, "Katie, bar the door"

  • This topic has 3 voices and 3 replies.
Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • October 17, 2014 at 3:28 pm #3834 Reply
    Phidippides
    Keymaster

    I saw an article about the Ebola outbreak and it mentioned, “Katie, bar the door”. I hadn’t heard that saying before so I looked it up, and it seems to have its origins in the story of Catherine Douglas and her role protecting against the assassination of Scottish King James I in 1437 (as recounted by Dante Gabriel Rossetti in 1881).

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Douglas

    It’s good to know. Maybe I’ll use that phrase in conversation/writing in the future.

    October 19, 2014 at 6:48 am #30257 Reply
    scout1067
    Participant

    You had never heard that phrase before?  I am shocked, but then maybe I just know it because my mother is English.

    October 19, 2014 at 7:12 pm #30258 Reply
    Phidippides
    Keymaster

    Maybe I have heard it before but I didn't know if was a popular saying, so I didn't really think of it.  I am not really sure why some bits of knowledge resonate with certain people and not others. In my dealings with adolescent students, I will sometimes assume they know the meanings of words that I think they would know, only to find out they do not.  Then, just the other day I was remarking how I didn't know any movies one particular actor was in (Paul Rudd), and the others who I was with proceeded to rattle off several movies that I had heard of but which I had not seen.I guess knowledge is like the ocean: its ebbs and flows will cover most shores, but on occasion there are small places that remain unaffected. 

    October 20, 2014 at 4:33 am #30259 Reply
    scout1067
    Participant

    , I will sometimes assume they know the meanings of words that I think they would know, only to find out they do not. 

    I run into this all the time.  It actually amazes me how rudimentary most peoples vocabulary is these days.  One would think that with the internet and the huge amont of information available that people have to read to grasp that the average vocabulary would be lager.  I find that talking to most people under the age of 25 or so is like a constant game of “Stump the Chump” because I never know which word I use is going to elicit the deer in the headlights look from them.deer-in-headlights.jpg

    October 20, 2014 at 2:48 pm #30260 Reply
    Aetheling
    Participant

    Catherine, bar the door: Cernunnos is back!  :-[

  • Author
    Posts
Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
Reply To: Origin of the phrase, "Katie, bar the door"
Your information:




Primary Sidebar

Login

Log In
Register Lost Password

Blog Categories

Search blog articles

Before Footer

  • Did Julian the Apostate’s plan ever have a chance?

    Julian the Apostate stands as an enigmatic figure among Roman emperors, ascending to power in 361 AD …

    Read More

    Did Julian the Apostate’s plan ever have a chance?
  • The Babylonian Bride

    Marriage customs in Ancient Babylon Ancient Babylonia was a society, which, although it did not …

    Read More

    The Babylonian Bride
  • The fall of Athens

    In 407 B.C. and again in 405 B.C.. the Spartans in alliance with their old enemies, the Persians, …

    Read More

    The fall of Athens

Footer

Posts by topic

2016 Election Alexander Hamilton American Revolution archaeology Aristotle Ben Franklin Black Americans Charles Dickens Christianity Christmas Constantine Custer's Last Stand Egypt email engineering England forum security Founding Fathers France future history George Washington Germany Greece hacker Hitler Industrial Revolution Ireland James Madison Jewish medieval military history Paleolithic philosophy pilgrimage Rome Russia SEO Slavery Socrates spammer technology Trump World War I World War II Year In Review

Recent Topics

  • Midsummer Night: June 25th
  • Testing out a new feature
  • Did Julian the Apostate’s plan ever have a chance?
  • Release of the JFK Files
  • What was the greatest military advancement of all time?

RSS Ancient News

Recent Forum Replies

  • Going to feature old posts
  • What’s new?
  • Testing out a new feature
  • Testing out a new feature
  • Testing out a new feature

Copyright © 2025 · Contact

Insert/edit link

Enter the destination URL

Or link to existing content

    No search term specified. Showing recent items. Search or use up and down arrow keys to select an item.