Where did the expression colder than a well diggers butt come from?

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asked Nov 13, 2018 in Words & Wordplay by Roseiti (240 points)
Where did the expression colder than a well diggers butt come from?

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answered Nov 13, 2018 by SarahC8 (2,790 points)
In the old days before modern equipment and well drilling rigs water wells were dug out by hand and shovel to deep depths in the earth.

The men would get down into a hole and dig out the well with a shovel and buckets and the men who dug wells put there butts on one side of the hole and there feet on the other side of the hole so that they could dig down below them.

This caused the well diggers butts to get cold and wet hence the saying colder than a well diggers butt.

Right now it's 10 F outside really and I would say that it's colder than a well diggers butt.

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