All,
I heard this phrase over the weekend. Stinking Rich . That got me thinking where does it come from? Have again forgot the meaning.
A quick look at www.etymonline.com suggests we may have.
Originally O.E. stincan "emit a smell of any kind" (class III strong verb; past tense stonc), from W.Gmc. *stenkwanan (cf. O.S. stincan, O.H.G. stinkan, Du. stinken), from the root of stench. O.E. swote stincan "to smell sweet," . So smelling of much was (and still is!) a good thing.
Although I found an excellent idea or theory on a webpage of the word detective:
I'd like to know the meaning behind the phrase "stinking rich." I was told several years ago (while touring a church in Belgium) that it came from the fact that poor people were buried outside the church. The rich were interred inside, in crypts, and when someone in their family died and was to be buried, the stone was rolled away and there was an awful smell -- hence the term "stinking rich." True or false?
Happy Travels
A
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