Reply #40: Because red hair usually means you're Celtic or Jewish.

[pink-o]

I had 2 red-headed grannies--one of each ethnicity. The Irish one had the most gorgeous, thick auburn hair, and the Ashkenazi one was more strawberry blonde. In Jewish lore, it was considered bad luck for the family to have red hair--but I think the meaning is that the red-head is either not the child of the husband, who's being cuckolded, or is just a general outsider. Both ideas are stupid anyway.

But I doubt the phrase was put forth in the 21st century with anyone condoning a child's beating--red, blonde or brunette. It's just a stupid anachronism that needs to go away, but was said with no ill intent.

Hey, as a vegetarian I hate "Kill two birds with one stone", or "there's more than one way to skin a cat". But I understand it's not literal!