Grew up in the northeast, and yes indeed, I heard it as a child--I always thought it was an Irish expression!

Born and raised in NE Florida and have never heard this saying!

Oh and almost forgot! I do call a grocery cart a buggy!

Nobody in my family has ever lived anywhere outside of New England, and I know I've heard my mom use this expression. Like Sylvia, I probably assumed it was of Irish origins.

I've never heard the expression (Montana), and when I saw the thread title my first thought was, "Uh oh, a Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes thread is inevitably going to be pulled today."

Born in Michigan and I've spent most of my adult years in New Jersey. I've never heard this expression before. But I heard a ton of expressions from my Michigan relatives. For example, it's as cold as sin, or, slower then molassas in January.

Growing up in Rhode Island, I've heard the expression fairly often. Somehow, I thought it had originated in a turn of the century songwriters lyrics!! You know, along with "the man on the flying trapeze"!

Ok, I was watching "Family Feud" at lunch yesterday and one of the catagories was "name a famous Kate or Katie" (Katie Holmes, Katie Couric, Kate Smith, etc.) and heading off to commercial, the host said "Katie, bar the door". Small world.

I recognize the phrase, but it's not in my everyday usage.

Growing up in Scotland, we learned about Catherine Douglas's heroism in School. I've never heard anyone use the phrase.

I use a grocery cart and take purchases home in a paper bag, rather than using a buggie and a sack. Also, I take or drive my neighbor somewhere rather than carrying them. To me, if the sky is darkening, it's going to rain or about to rain, but my Southern friends say it's fixing to rain. I press the buttons on my phone to "dial" a number -- or I just "dial" it (even though I haven't had a dial phone in decades), but some I know mash the buttons. And I tell my Southern friends I'll get together with them or meet them tomorrow, but they say they'll get up with me then.

It's even more fun to finish phrases like "hot as..." or "dumb as...." -- that latter can be "dirt," "a thumb," "a post," "a sack of stones," and so forth.

Very odd. I figured between my southern husband and DIL who both knew it so well, that it was a Southern expression, but obviously, reading these--that's not the case at all.

Slow as molasses, yes--probably used everywhere. Another that many people attribute to just their area, &quot;if you don't like the weather, wait a minute and it will change&quot;, I heard as a child in New England, then again living in LA, then GA, TX, and FL. <i>Everyone</i> says it...well, maybe not AZ. :)

We should change this expression to &quot;Fodor's: bar the door!&quot; and use it in the trolls' posts.

Faina Barred the Door...or did she bare the bar? :-?

Kal, I'm going to bar the gates... the Golden Gates... and all bridges - next October - so you can't bare your tattoo :-p

F2,
It will say &quot;Welcome to San Francisco-Have a nice day&quot;...for those who know that joke. ;)

Just hope it's not cold or it may just say &quot;Way&quot;.

It's funny how things like this catch your attention once someone brings the subject up. If anyone was listening to Bob Brinker's financial radio show today, he used &quot;Katie, bar the door&quot; three separate times over the course of an hour discussing the US national debt.

Definitely would have heard Bob's declarations of &quot;Katie bar the door&quot; if that darn CalBears game hadn't preempted it here in the Bay area. Is Bob predicting impending disaster or what?
:-o

I'm a 4th generation Californian and my Grandpa used to say it all the time. Usually when a big gust of wind would blow during a storm or if all the family dogs ran into the house at once.

I was in a meeting once where the leader (from the south) was describing a situation and ended with, &quot;He was on him like a duck on a June bug!&quot; Some people laughed, but those of us who reside west of the Rockies all looked at him blankly and said, &quot;A whut on a WHUT?!&quot;

I love Southern expressions. Two of my favourites are these -- someone said of a certain baseball pitcher that &quot;He could throw a porkchop past a wolf&quot; and I think it was Bill Clinton who said he'd be with us &quot;...till the last dog died&quot;.

I think for Canadians, the most picturesque language comes from Newfoundland. Any Newfies out there to back me up?