Meaning:
Living well; fed by abundant crops.
Background:
The first citation of the phrase in the `land' version we now use is the
Bible, Genesis 45:17-18 (King James Version), 1611:
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye: lade your
beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan; And take your father and
your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land
of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.
- www.phrases.org.uk [edited]
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No fish seemed stupid enough to swallow our bait and Tim and I turned to
crabbing. Our gears consisted of a sturdy good-sized trap with four openings, a
lure cage fastened on the bottom, a long line attached to the top, and a plastic
pail. We used to bait the trap with chicken quarters, drive to the San Francisco
Municipal pier, find a scenic spot, and cast the assembly down. Every 20
minutes, we'd hoist the trap up, check its content, remove the big ones into the
bucket, and throw the rest back into the bay.
We were too lazy to study the tide but still, once in a while, would hit a
bumper catch, e.g., over a dozen 6"+ rock crabs. We would keep them and that
evening live off the fat of the land.
