The list of things which I would quite like to have is very long indeed.
The list of things which I would very much like to have is a little shorter.
Shorter still is the list of items which I desperately yearn to have.
There is an odd little phrase for this. A thing which you absolutely pine for is often said to be something which you would "give your eye teeth for".
Now I don't know about you but my eyes don't have teeth. Neither do my teeth have eyes. So what on Earth does the saying mean?
Well it dates back to at least 1657 when it was used in "Nature's Cabinet Unlock'd" by Thomas Browne.
As to its meaning, it would seem that it refers to the upper and lower canine teeth for the simple reason that they are in line with the eye sockets, being positioned directly below them.
Well eye never.
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