This conversation happened the other night as I was sniffing milk, (a typical past-time of mine). Ben said "go ahead and toss that, it's long in the tooth." My confused expression must have been enough, as he then went on, "you should know this, you used to ride horses.."
So Ben, where does the phrase "long in the tooth" come from?
Horses' teeth grow longer as they age and so the length of their teeth is a pretty reliable way of telling how old they are. This is also where the phrase "don't look a gift-horse in the mouth" comes from. So, that means that if someone says that you're a bit long on the tooth, they not only saying you're old; they're also calling you a horse. Fortunately this means that it's acceptable to kick them in the head and/or poop on their shoes.
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