Up before the beak

[mayennaise]

Where did this saying originate pse

[johnny.5]

its an dirivtive from
the early bird gets the worm
hence when trials start early for more serious offences
you have to get up with the larks or before the beak

[heathfield]

Scroll all the way down to 'Beak' for some possible explanations for this saying...(Paragraphs are in alphabetical order...)

[heathfield]

Oops..missed out the link. Doh!!...

http://www.businessba...om/clichesorigins.htm

[mike11111]

Beak is a slang term for a magistrate. To be up before the beak was to appear in court.

[boxtops]

here's another suggestion http://wiki.answers.c...a_judge_called_a_beak

[gt43]

Up before a judge or magistrate - so in court. "The Beak" is slang for a judge, but there are several opinions as to how that came about.

[gt43]

http://www.judiciary..../faqs_magistrates.htm

... at the bottom. There's also the fact that judges visiting prisons in the time of the Plague might wear a supposedly protective mask that looked like a beak.

http://www.google.co....num=1&ved=0CDIQsAQwAA

[bearsjungle]

What about up before the rooster crows ?