(colloquial)have a lot of special reasons of one's own for being involved in something. This expression is from a story entitled "Who'll Turn the Grindstone?" first published in 1811. It purports to relate an incident in the boyhood of the author: One morning a man with an ax over his shoulder greeted the boy most pleasantly and asked if his father had a grindstone. When the boy said, "Yes," the man complimented him upon his good looks and intelligence and asked if he might borrow the use of the stone. The boy, flattered by the attention, was sure that he could. The man then remarked that the boy appeared to be unusually strong for his age. The lad fell for all this flattery, and before he knew it he had been tricked into turning the stone until the very dull ax was as sharp as a razor. Just then the school bell was heard to ring; the man's manner changed abruptly, and without a word of thanks or a coin, he berated the boy for being a sluggard and ordered him to be off instantly so as not to be late for school. —PDC Volume 5 Approved Glossary