What Does A Bushel and a Peck Mean?

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

what is a bushel and a peck meanHere 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!

i love you a bushel and a peck meaningIn 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

A Bushel And A Peck

Summary

The phrase a bushel and a peck and some in a gourd means very much or very many.

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