Expert: Cassandra - 10/2/2009

Question
QUESTION: Would you please tell me what the origin is of the saying "there must be something in the water"?

ANSWER: Not really an urban legend, rather just a folk saying.

When a group of people that live or work together are affected by a common occurrence the implication is made that perhaps there is 'something in the water' (an impurity of some kind) that causes the people to be more susceptible to that occurrence.
This saying is most often used when several women in a working environment or social group fall pregnant at the same time.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for the timely answer, but I need a bit more.  Where and how did this saying *start*?


Answer
Spyder,

Sorry, that's outside my expertise.  (The original question was, but I figured I'd help where I could.)

You'll need to contact a linguist, etymologist, or other language expert for more information about how this saying got started.  Your local library may also be able to help, the Oxford English Dictionary in particular often covers origins of words and phrases.

Good luck with your search!

Cassandra