Degrees of Familiarity

"We've howdied but never shook."

That saying delights me each time I read it. I wish I could remember who said it; I think it was in a chat room.

My first thought was to work from that saying into an exploration of degrees of familiarity. But there are enough versions of that sort of thing, from sociologists and anthropologists and psychologists and psychics. And nothing I write equals the simple charm of:

"We've howdied but never shook."

posted by Schaz @ 8/26/2005 09:58:00 PM