Winter zoomed into Milwaukee like a witch on a broom, and so did the expression "colder than a witch’s tit." I’ve heard it multiple times in recent days and decided to find out where this odd saying came from.
Personally, it never made sense to me since I imagine witches in front of cauldrons or bonfires, which, one would think, would make their tits quite toasty.
However, the expression most likely came from how witches are portrayed – cold blooded and green-skinned, which seems reptilian-y and cold to the touch. The metaphor could also be derived from the misguided belief that a witch is in alliance with Satan, so she presumably has no maternal feelings and is unable to suckle a child.
Regardless of its origin, the expression is an oldie but a goody, one that tends to fly around like snowflakes in the wind on a blustery Brew City evening.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
