As I filled up my gas tank this morning, I told Brandon we’d have to start riding with Pat and Charlie if gas prices keep going up. He gave me the side-eye. Somehow he’s never heard of Pat and Charlie?!
Everyone knows them, though they might not realize it. These two guys are your feet. To “ride” with them means to walk. My mama used to say it to me all the time. I didn’t realize it was such a rare colloquialism until I tried Googling it. I only found a handful of sites that mention it, and not a single one could tell me where it comes from.
I never heard the phrase in the mountains – but I heard it a lot back on the coast. Y’all help me out: have you heard of Pat and Charlie?
I definitely grew up talking about Pat and Charlie. Meaning using one’s feet to walk somewhere. I also grew up at the coast. Everyone knew what Pat and Charlie was. I was at an informal meeting the other day, talking about sober living houses. I made the comment “using Pat and Charlie taught me so much, I was forced to slowdown and think about things that I wouldn’t have otherwise thought about”. Everyone looked so confused and no one had heard that before. I was shocked.