When Push Comes to Shove

Wherein the writer breaks every writing rule in the book, and never say “never” or “every.”

by Donna Poole

Not to overuse the idioms or anything, but when push comes to shove, you want someone in your corner you can count on.

My husband, John, knows a thing or two about pushing, shoving, yanking, and pulling when it comes to his yard equipment. His senile push mower, chain saw, and weed whip conspire in the shed all winter and behave worse every spring and summer. They refuse to start on the first or even the twenty-first pull.

In the evenings, back in the shed, they have a heyday.

“I made him sweat like a pig!”

“Oh yeah? That’s nothing! I made him double over and gasp for breath!”

“You pilgrims! I scared his wife so bad she called the squad! They diagnosed…wait for it…whip lash!”

Then they all laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and slap their personified or is it anthropomorphic knees.

The ancient rototiller contributes to John’s woes with its baby-bottom smooth tires and uncooperative “you can’t tell me what to do” attitude. Even after he puts chains on the tires, John struggles to force it to dig into the heavy clay soil.

And the doddering old man riding mower? Its favorite trick is getting stuck in the ditch. After pushing, shoving, and muttering, John must quite often swallow his pride and pull the thing out of the ditch with his truck. And don’t even get me started on the antique truck!

Inside appliances aren’t John’s friend either. All the beastly old things conspire to break down, but at least they usually do so one at a time. His most recent fix was the furnace. Before that it was the washer.

John doesn’t give up easily. Someone asked a famous old preacher; I forget who, his secret of success. He replied, “I can plod.”

John can plod; he has what it takes; he can stay by the stuff!

My man’s no spring chicken; he’s pushing seventy-four, but when push comes to shove, I can count on John to give a situation his best, whether the breakdown is the yard equipment’s, the appliances’, or mine. John is in my corner; he always has been, and I’ve always known it.

My fascination with idioms sends me down a rabbit trail. Want to come?

Grammarphobia says “when push comes to shove” means “when action must back up words.”

“It originated in 19^th century African American usage…. The expression wasn’t recorded until the 1890s…, but no doubt it was used conversationally for years before it ever showed up in print.”

You probably know that “in your corner” is a boxing term. If I’m in your corner, I’m the one to encourage you in the fight, patch up your wounds, and make sure you and your boxing gloves are ready for the next round.

A “real” writer knows not to overuse idioms lest the reader groan, slap a virtual forehead, and slam shut book, computer, or phone. Obviously, I’m ignoring that rule of thumb.

Rule of thumb originated…oh, never mind.

If you have someone, a human, you know—a being with skin on—in your corner, be grateful. If you don’t, how about trying to be there for someone else when push comes to shove?

If you’re a long time reader, you knew I’d get around to this eventually. If you belong to God, He’s always in your corner.

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.” –Isaiah 41:10, 13

You can count on Him when you’re in dire straits, at your wits’ end, facing a catch—22, or grasping at straws.

And now I’m going to type the end, because even I am sick of these idioms. It seems to have become a vicious cycle.

The End

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You can find my books on Amazon:

Corners Church: https://amzn.to/36ImxOj

If the Creek Don’t Rise: Corners Church Book 2 https://amzn.to/3jqarv2 The Tale of Two Snowpeople: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09GJKG83R

When John and the mower were both a few years younger