What does it mean to be sad under the collar?

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I walked into my apartment building feeling a little sick, because I haven't eaten for a while, yesterday afternoon. some old man asked me, "Whoa! What's wrong? You look like your sad under your collar!"

I've never heard of it, maybe it's a older English expression? I know that my mom's fiance still says weird hippie phrases from when he used to be a hippie *shudders*

Never heard it before. Maybe he was making it up?

(How do people improvise? I'm a pretty good performer, if I do say so myself, but I absolutely cannot make up stuff on the spot.)

I've heard of the phrase "hot under the collar" but not this one. Maybe he got his words mixed up.

Ha ha maybe he was getting a couple of things mixed up together, you did say he was old. Maybe was intoxicated too or was he was having a senior moment?...................I find that very funny.

Did you hear him properly? Maybe he meant to say "wet under the collar" which means young and innocent so that really makes even less sense LOL or maybe "grey around the gills" which means sick looking. I don't know but I'm certainly laughing now.

It reminds me of one time my school friend and I were driving along with her very proper English grandparents. Taking them to a coastal holiday spot about 3 or 4 hours from were we lived. We eventually drove past a cemetary and the grandmother shouted at the top of her lungs "hold on to your buttons" I almost jumped out of my seat with fright because of how loud she said it. Then she said almost frantic "we are going past a cemetary hold on to your buttons" I noticed she was holding on to hers for grim death. My friend and I just started laughing so hard, then each time we looked at each other we would start again for the whole trip. I still have no idea what that was all about. But each time I spoke to my friend on the phone after that, when I was saying good bye I would say "and don't forget to hold on to your buttons" It would always result in fits of laughter.

CR If you see that old man again can you please ask him what he said and what it actually means. Then post and let us know. I would be very interested to know.

Whenever I hear some metaphor involving "clothes" and "sad", it reminds me of the old wrinkley jeans joke...they're depressed.

all google finds is relating dog collars , so maybe he thinks u had collar on u ?