Rough as a corn cob

Once again, I was in my car on my way to work.  My radio was set on my favorite drive time radio station 104.7 and I was listening to the Bob and Sheri show. a woman called in and said that she was talking to some people and she had used the expression "rough as a corn cob".  She was met with quizzical looks and began explaining the phrase’s meaning. But by the time she finished, she realized it was probably best left unsaid.

Having lived first Long Island than Maryland, I had never heard that expression myself. That saying just wasn't in our phrase book.  Lamar one of the cohosts, who has become more vocal on air since Bob Lacey's decision to retire a few months ago, started to explain. 

Apparently, corn cobs played an essential role in rural American households with outhouses. I guess but I cannot swear to this never having grown up in an outhouse environment that the Sears Catalog was used to wipe oneself after a "Go".  If the Sears catalog was gone, corn cob husks, conveniently stored in a bucket near the door, were used.  According to Lamar the Sears catalog was a preferred, smoother option. But when that rean out, corn cob husks were the next best thing.  All I could think is how much it would hurt to use a corn cob husk on one's bottom.  Although if the husk was not really dried out, it might be softer than you think.

Anyway, using a corn cob husk is certainly a much better solution than not using anything at all so congrats to the person who first thought to use it. I love learning new things and I found this use of something usually eaten and then discarded was a very interesting piece of Americana.