This morning, I heard the story of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon and I probably should have been paying attention to the point of this Old Testament story, but all I could think about was how long it had been since I’d heard the expression “Queen of Sheba.”
When I was a kid, if someone were putting on airs, my mother might say, “She walked in like she was the Queen of Sheba.” And if I were putting on airs, she’d address me as “Madame Queen.” As in, “Oh, Madame Queen wants steak.”
I’m not sure where Madame Queen came from, but my mother used that expression till she died. Not so for “the Queen of Sheba”. That’s an expression that’s just sort of died out, though I suspect that if I said, “Who are you? The Queen of Sheba?” the Junior Halls would know exactly what I meant (even if they weren’t sure from whence the expression had come).
Anyway, that led me to thinking about Paul Harvey and my Muffin post today: The Rest of the (Revamp) Story.
Oh my word, I loved Paul Harvey and his Rest of the Story; the radio station where I worked carried the program around 5 or 5:30 but the feed came through at 3:00 and I–or my co-worker, George–had to be there to tape it. So we’d take a little afternoon break to listen as the feed came down, grab a Coke and have a smoke (I haven’t smoked in decades but I sometimes still smell a cigarette and think of old Paul Harvey and George). Invariably, when Paul would give the twist, we’d look at each other like, “WHAT?” We rarely saw the twist coming and that shock, that surprise, was so much fun.
I suspect old Paul (or his son, who wrote that program) influence my writing quite a bit; there is nothing I like better than a good, unexpected twist to a story. Which is not to say that my Muffin post today is completely unexpected; I’ve talked about all my thinking already so you won’t really get a true “Rest of the Story.” But it makes me smile, using that program format. It makes me a little sad, too, to think Rest of the Story is gone and expressions are dying out as well.
Though if you do read myMuffin post, I go on a bit in a somewhat la-ti-da manner and I wouldn’t blame you one bit if you thought, “Who does Cathy think she is? The Queen of Sheba?”
Image from Art Gallery of New South Wales [Public domain]
Cathy C. Hall Writes 
I remember that too. As I kid I remember wondering who the heck the Queen of Sheba was and why thinking someone was acting like her was such a bad thing. lol And now I’m off to the Muffin!
Lisa, I asked Youngest Junior Hall if he knew that expression or where it came from–I mean, this kid actually goes to church so I had hope–but nope. Totally clueless. But I call my daughter Madame Queen all the time and she knows exactly what that means. Hahahahaa!
Oh my! You took me back. My step dad used to call my mom the Queen of Sheba. I had to smile. heading over to the Muffin. I want a muffin!
Yep, it takes me back, too, Linda. Isn’t it funny how one expression can be so loaded with memories?
Yes, that was a phrase in our family. (“She waltzed in, like she was the Queen of Sheba.”) I didn’t know about Harvey’s “Rest of the Story” radio show, but I DID know of Paul Harvey. He had such a distinctive voice/way of speaking.
Oh, Sioux, you’ve got to listen to one of Paul Harvey’s stories. Today we call them “podcasts” and they ramble but Paul Harvey? He was a pro–tight, suspense, language, the whole package.
It been a while since I have heard that expression also! Guess I don’t get out enough! Hope all is well with you and your family!
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