COLLOQUIALISMS are: TO MAKE A LONG ARM = to exert oneself; AS LONG AS ONE’S ARM = very long; TO WORK AT ARM’S LENGTH = to do awkwardly; ONE UNDER THE ARM (tailors’) = an extra job; IN THE ARMS OF MURPHY (or MORPHEUS) = asleep: see MURPHY.
c. 1836. EDGEWORTH, Love and Law, I. v. You’re no witch if you don’t see a cobweb AS LONG AS MY ARM.
1884. Daily News, 26 Jan., 6. 2. Monkeys … MAKING LONG ARMS … for stray beans or sweetmeats.
