A Bushel and Peck Meaning
Definition: A lot; a great amount.
This expression is used to emphasize large amounts. Usually, people use it to say they love someone very much. It sometimes appears in the longer forms: a bushel and a peck and some in a gourd and a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck.
Origin of A Bushel and a Peck
It is unclear exactly when this expression first became popular as another way to say a lot. However, it comes from units of measurements.
Pecks and bushels are standard forms of dry measurements. A peck is about two gallons. A bushel is four pecks.
These measurements are not as common now as they once were. Some in a gourd likely was added onto a bushel and a peck as a way to add even more emphasis.
Examples of A Bushel and a Peck
Here is an example of two coworkers talking about their children.
Regina: Do you have any children?
Ginny: Yes, I have two little boys.
Regina: How old are they?
Ginny: The older one is five years old, and the younger one is three years old.
Regina: How cute! My daughter is three years old as well.
Ginny: Three is such a cute age.
Regina: I know. Every night before I go to bed, my daughter tells me that she loves me a bushel and a peck!
Ginny: That’s so sweet!
In this example, two friends are discussing one of their romantic partners.
Kevin: Are you still dating Krista?
Steve: I’m not sure. I’m not really ready for a serious relationship.
Kevin: So? Just take things slow.
Steve: I was trying to, but last night she told me that she loved me a bushel and a peck and some in a gourd.
Kevin: I guess you weren’t ready to tell her you loved her back?
Steve: Definitely not.
More Examples
This expression is much more common in spoken English than written English. However, here is an example of the expression from a website. The author of this article about global food really loves strawberries a lot.
- How much do I love a good strawberry? A bushel and a peck and some in a gourd. –The Displaced Nation
In this second example, a man reviewing a book uses the expression to say how much he enjoyed reading the book.
- I liked this book a lot, or as we say in the mountains, ‘a bushel and a peck and some in a gourd.’ –University of Georgia Press
The variation a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck was also in the lyrics of a popular song, as shown below.
I love you a bushel and a peck
A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck
A hug around the neck and a barrel and a heap
A barrel and a heap and I’m talkin’ in my sleep
Summary
The phrase a bushel and a peck and some in a gourd means very much or very many.
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