I encountered the phrase in a John Dickson Carr mystery, and decided the explanation was worthy of a separate post. Herewith an excerpt from
Friends of Cama's Blog.
"That's another pair of sleeves" is a colorful expression that we use in
Italian to describe something that is about a completely different
thing with no connection to a previous one.
The expression comes from
the Medieval and Renaissance use of interchangeable sleeves in men's and
women's dress...
The interchangeable sleeve tradition in the Renaissance was also part of
the lover's cup tradition of giving an engagement token of love to
one's beloved for their wedding. Interchangeable sleeves could be so
valuable that they were kept in safes.
So the next time I'm tempted to say "another ballgame" or "another kettle of fish" I'll substitute this phrase.
this posting is a horse of a different color!
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Does this relate, in any way, to the song "Greensleeves"?
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