The alt.usage.english FAQ   

• "the bee's knees"

  (Phrase Origins)
  
  

  
     A bee's "corbiculae", or pollen-baskets, are located on its
  tibiae (midsegments of its legs).  The phrase "the bee's knees",
  meaning "the height of excellence", became popular in the U.S. in
  the 1920s, along with "the cat's whiskers" (possibly from the use
  of these in radio crystal sets), "the cat's pajamas" (pyjamas were
  still new enough to be daring), and similar phrases which made less
  sense and didn't endure:  "the eel's ankle", "the elephant's
  instep", "the snake's hip".  Stories in circulation about the
  phrase's origin include:  "b's and e's", short for "be-alls and
  end-alls"; and a corruption of "business".

  
  
  Source: [Mark Israel, 'Phrase Origins: "the bee's knees"', The alt.usage.english FAQ file,(line 4407), (29 Sept 1997)]
  
  
  
  

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