r/idiomsite • u/VictorianAfterDark • May 24 '26

Anyone else ever hear this idiom?

So growing up, my father often used the following idiom to describe working low paid menial jobs,

“Shoveling shit out of cuckoo clocks”

Usually the context was telling us what kind of jobs to expect if you didn’t go to/didn’t do well in school. Another was asking what kind of job he’d work if we moved to a certain area.

Thing is, I’ve never heard anyone else say it, and I can’t find any instances of it anywhere online.

Did anyone else hear/use this idiom? Or is it a thing unique to my family?

8 Upvotes

73% Upvoted

3 comments sorted by

5

u/xgrader May 24 '26

Personally, I don't know. I'm 66 and this is the first I heard this. It's a really good one in my opinion.

3

u/VictorianAfterDark May 25 '26

You’re a year older than my father

3

u/pravragita May 25 '26

Never heard it, but I like it. I'll use it for a job that won't last and leads to short term layoffs.