did he 'cotton on'

gibbonsh | 21:14 Thu 25th Nov 2004 | Phrases & Sayings

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what is the origin of the phrase above?

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It's from the cotton mills - if you didn't cotton on... you wouldn't spin

Click http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20010312 for a web-page that deals basically with 'cotton to', but - if you scroll down to the final paragraph - you will find a reference to 'cotton on'.

One can see a connection of sorts between the idea of taking a liking to something and getting to grips with it in the sense of understanding it.

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