klsaurian    651279 Fri, 28 Nov 08 10:24 AM I am translating a text from English and i met an expression that i dont understand What does "shake the lots" mean? in the sentence "When we shook the lots, to me fell the hoary sea, that I should dwell therein for ever" related to the Iliad. The expression also appears in "Now shake the lots for all, the first to the last man - w'll see who wins" klsaurian Sentences, Countries, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Languages

	Einde O'Callaghan    651282 Sat, 29 Nov 08 08:54 PM "I am translating a text from English and i met an expression that i dont understand What does "shake the ... also appears in "Now shake the lots for all, the first to the last man - w'll see who wins"" I know teh phrase "to draw lots" relating to dividing things up, but I've never heard of "shaking lots". However dice are sometimes used (i.e. shaken) when drawing lots to decide the order in which the participants take their share, perhps we've got a mix-up of two different idioms here. Entering "shake lots" doesn't reveal any instances of this usage in the first hundred hits, neither does "shaking lots". Regards, Einde O'Callaghan Einde O'Callaghan Regards, Idioms, Countries, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Usages, Arts, Languages

	stan vincent    701165 Fri, 24 Apr 09 02:21 AM in thailand in buddhist temples people put numbered sticks in a tube shaped container and shake the tube till one of the sticks falls out.that is their lot so to speak and they then go and look up the box with that number which contains religious pronouncements about that persons life. stan vincent Writing, Asia