What's the origin of the phrase "taking the mickey"?
by 
Daydreamer
ANSWERS: 1
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"take the mickey -- to mock, deride, poke fun at." Especially in a way that takes the target's bluster down a notch or deflates his ego. But who is Mickey? It's all from that bizarre Cockney Rhyming Slang Mickey Bliss- Piss, as in urine. Another English phrase was "all piss and wind" meaning a self important blusterer. And so another phrase, from at least the 40's, was "take the piss (out of someone)- the "out of "is usually implied "take the Mickey Bliss>Take the Mickey. It was a humorous transition but some people somehow thought it was more polite, and others didn't even know what it really meant.. Other people who did know and seeing the humor in the idea that it was "more polite" made it even more polite and more humorous by using the "formal" version Taking the Michael. " I know all this stuff and answered it along with all the other questions that receive my highly insightful, definite, and decisive answers, is because, as an extremely intelleg.......wait a minute! Exactly why did you post this on the bag where I would be sure to see it? And who told you my name was really Mickey?
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