Meaning:
Very enthusiastic.
Background:
The Olde England of folk-memory conjures up pictures of ale-quaffing yeomen
tucking into sides of roast beef. That may be fanciful, but the long-standing
enthusiasm for the Sunday roast was real, as reflected in the words of
Richard Leveridge's 1735 song Roast beef of old England:
When mighty Roast Beef
Was the Englishman's food,
It ennobled our brains
And enriched our blood...
Mustard was an essential accompaniment to beef. It became associated with
vigour and enthusiasm because it added zest and flavour.
- www.phrases.org.uk [edited]
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The phrase first reminded me of what Jesus said about faith: that of the size of
a mustard seed is enough to move mountains. I haven't heard of anybody who has
done it and therefore can only bemoan the scarcity of faith.
I've long been interested in making my own mayonaise and found recipes mixing
eggs and olive oil. After tasting homemade, one wouldn't want to touch the
commercial stuff loaded with additives and preservatives, I was assured. These
artisan products, however, had blithely used the store-bought Dijon mustard, a
third key ingredient. A fly in the ointment, I thought.
Had I been as keen as the yellow paste, I would've discovered it earlier but
last week, I finally learned that it is made of ground brown or black mustard
seeds and vinegar. I felt one step closer to my goal, if only in my mind.
