The Bee's Knees

[johnny.5]

is this now a racist term ?

[douglas9401]

Only if the yellow bits are blacked up.

[Mamyalynne]

https://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/idiom-day-the-bees-knees#:~:text=When%20you%20refer%20to%20something,are%20a%20number%20of%20theories.

[Buenchico]

Stomp out apiarism now!

[Mozz71]

Bee Hives Matter.

[Buenchico]

^^^ LOL!

Nice one, Mozz ;-)

[Hopkirk]

Do need have knees?

[Hopkirk]

Do bees have knees?

[Hopkirk]

(bloody autocorrect)

[sanmac]

Years ago, the Bee Gees were the Bees Knees in disco.

[Mamyalynne]

Bees, like all insects, have six sections to their legs: the coxa, trochanter, femur, tibia, metatarsus and tarsus. Each is connected by a joint and the one most like a knee is between the femur and tibia.

[Hopkirk]

Thanks Mamy

[Mamyalynne]

Welcome.

Tempted to ask why this question (OP) came about, but fear I won't like the answer ;-)

[sunny-dave]

I represent Mr Dogzbitz and feel that the bees are taking work from my client in the Metaphorical Animalian Parts sphere of operations ...

[gness]

Dave couldn't have said that if he'd had another glass of wine... in fact I'm surprised he could type it.......;-)

[douglas9401]

What, B Pee'd?

[johnny.5]

just a theory but how does all good fake news begin ?
perhaps we need to ask Boris

theory :-
it's from Italian immigrants to the UK/US pronouncing 'the business' (important, good). This sometimes happens where natives imitate non-native immigrant phrasing and it gets absorbed. .

[Mamyalynne]

It gets circulated on the webbernet thingy and grows like Topsy, ignore it.

[Mamyalynne]

Actually the 'business' is understandable - but calling it racist is the daft bit.

[Peter Pedant]

oh dear some of the comments are a bit - - - waspish
yeah checked not had that one yet

[jno]

there were lots of such sayings a century ago: the monkey's nuts, the cat's pyjamas (or whiskers).