On Wed, 24 Feb 1999, Deborah Wisti-Peterson wrote:

>
[snip..]
>
> in short; keep your pecker up, dennis!
>

In the 60's one of my professors, who was an Anglophile
big time, used this expression to the chargrin of some
members of the class... after the requisite pause, he
explained that the little swing out plastic directional
signals in the old Morris Minors and other British cars
were called "peckers" and when you put on your directional
signal, they swung up out of the car body (they were located
up high near the roof between the front and back doors)
and were illuminated and flashed the direction you were
going to turn (one on either side of the vehicle)

Hence, "keeping your pecker up" was a metaphor for
keeping one informed of your intentions... it was also
used in the sense of "keep your chin up", but not
as accurately.

Tom