Shaking sticks..

[mindyerown]

Where does the saying "I've got more ??? than i can shake a stick at" come from?

[Quizmonster]

It is often believed to refer to a shepherd in the olden days counting in his flock by flicking his crook (stick) as each one passed. So, any really big number would be difficult to count in that way.

[Quizmonster]

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[VS Prasad]

To shake a stick at:

The phrase is fairly old. Its first recorded appearance is found in The Lancaster (Pennsylvania) Journal in 1818: "We have in Lancaster as many Taverns as you can shake a stick at." The sense then, as now, was "a lot" or "too many to count."

http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/5/mes sages/481.html

A large quantity, more than one can count, as in Our town has more banks than you can shake a stick at. This idiom presumably refers to brandishing a stick as a weapon, but the precise allusion is unclear. [Colloquial; c. 1800]

http://www.answers.com/topic/more-than-one-can -shake-a-stick-at

more something than you can shake a stick at (old-fashioned):

a very large number of something. "I don't know why she wants more shoes - she's already got more pairs than you can shake a stick at".

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/shake+a+st ick+at

A LOT, Many, tons, too many

"At the protest there will be more hippies that you can shake a stick at".

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term =more+than+you+can+shake+a+stick+at