Where does the expression “with a high hand” come from and What does it mean?

where does the expression with a high hand come from and what does it mean

The expression “with a high hand” means: Overbearing in manner; arrogantly. In the Bible, Numbers xxxiii, 3, the chronicler used the expression in the sense of “triumphantly,” in the description of the departure of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage: “And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first … Read more

What does “itching palm” mean and Where does the phrase “itching palm” come from?

what does itching palm mean and where does the phrase itching palm come from

The phrase “itching palm” means: A wistful desire for money; a hankering for gain; avariciousness; readiness to receive a bribe. Other bodily parts were metaphorically said to itch, even before Shakespeare’s time, such as an “itching tongue,” a craving to repeat gossip; an “itching ear,” a craving to hear something new; an “itching foot,” a … Read more

Where does the phrase “getting down to grass roots” come from and What does it mean?

where does the phrase getting down to grass roots come from and what does it mean

“Getting down to grass roots” is something that politicians or office seekers repeatedly do, or do in their speechifying preceding an election. Grass roots, apparently, are rediscovered perennially at those times. Actually, this homely American phrase means nothing more than getting down to the underlying principles or basic facts of a matter, and may be … Read more

What does the expression “duck soup” mean and Where does the term “duck soup” come from?

what does the expression duck soup mean and where does the term duck soup come from

The expression “duck soup” means: Extremely easy; easy as rolling off a log; hence, a cinch. American slang of some twenty-five years’ standing. Probably derived from “a sitting duck,” namely one resting on the water, thus easily shot by a hunter; hence, figuratively, an easy mark, any person who lays himself wide open to ridicule … Read more

What does the expression “from hell to breakfast” mean and Where does it come from?

what does the expression from hell to breakfast mean and where does it come from scaled

We have little doubt that the original expression was “hell bent for breakfast,” cowboy slang of the past thirty or forty years, typifying the rush from bunkhouse to cookshack at the clang of the breakfast gong, automobile tire rim or triangle. In fact, some writers still have their characters say, “hell for breakfast,” though the … Read more

What does “on velvet” mean and Where does the phrase “on velvet” come from?

what does on velvet mean and where does the phrase on velvet come from

Although the Wardrobe Accounts of Edward II state that that British sovereign (1307-27) had “l couerchief de veluett” (kerchief of velvet), this material was still so rare and costly through the next two or three hundred years, so generally unfamiliar, as not to acquire any figurative application. Thus it was only about two centuries ago … Read more

Where does the expression “as clean as a whistle” come from and What does it mean?

where does the expression as clean as a whistle come from and what does it mean

Robert Burns, in his poem, “Earnest Cry,” used toom (“empty”) rather than “clean”, “Paint Scotland greetan owre her thrissle; Her mutchkin stoup as toom’s a whissle”, and other writers have had the whistle clear, dry, pure, or other adjective. The basic intent, however, is to indicate that, for a sweet, pure sound from a whistle … Read more

Where does the expression “double cross” come from and What does double cross mean?

where does the expression double cross come from and what does double cross mean

The expression “double cross” means: Betrayal; treachery; deception by double-dealing; or, as a verb, to bamboozle; to take one to the cleaners. Like any other slang expression this may have been current for many years before it received recognition on the printed page. Its formation, however, was a natural one: the adjective double in the … Read more

What does the term “trade last” (T. L.) mean and Where does “trade last” come from?

what does the term trade last t l mean and where does trade last come from

The term “trade last” means: A quoted compliment offered by one who heard it in exchange for a compliment; reciprocal praise; adulatory tit-for-tat. Although a contributor to American Speech (October, December, 1948) tells of a friend of seventy-odd who “has known trade last in Kansas as far back as she can remember,” the expression was … Read more

Where does the expression “to blow one’s own horn” come from and What does it mean?

where does the expression to blow ones own horn come from and what does it mean

The expression “to blow one’s own horn” means: To advertise oneself; boast of one’s own abilities; brag. In England, the same self-advertising is done by “blowing one’s own trumpet,” and there is every reason to assume that this saying, or variants thereof, was the source of the American phrase. Fleming, in A Panoplie of Epistles … Read more

Where does the expression “spit and polish” come from and What does it mean?

where does the expression spit and polish come from and what does it mean

The expression “spit and polish” means: Finical smartness or ornamentation; furbishment; trimness. But whereas in the early nineteenth century, and many years before, the British officer, naval and military, demanded such finicky smartness, as if by the application of much spittle and elbow grease with a polishing agent, by the latter half of that century … Read more

Where does the expression “to start from scratch” come from and What does it mean?

where does the expression to start from scratch come from and what does it mean

The expression “to start from scratch” means: To begin any enterprise, investigation, search, or other activity from the very beginning, often with no precedent as a guide; to begin at the beginning; to take the first step. Actually the expression is derived from the sporting world, from a race in which scratch designates the line … Read more

Where does the expression “in seventh heaven” come from and What does seventh heaven mean?

where does the expression in seventh heaven come from and what does seventh heaven mean

The expression “in seventh heaven” means: In a state of ineffable bliss or delight; having great pleasure. This, especially in Islamic beliefs, is the heaven of heavens, in its literal sense, the abode of God and the highest angels. A similar concept prevailed among the Jews in pre-Christian times, probably acquired from Babylonian beliefs. The … Read more

Where does the phrase “touch and go” come from and What does touch and go mean?

where does the phrase touch and go come from and what does touch and go mean

The phrase “touch and go” means: An uncertain, risky, or precarious state of things, a narrow escape; also, an immediate or rapid action. The expression arose in the early years of the past century, and both interpretations were in vogue from the beginning, probably because any narrow escape is averted through immediate or rapid action. … Read more

What does the expression “to trip the light fantastic” mean and Where does it come from?

what does the expression to trip the light fantastic mean and where does it come from

The expression “to trip the light fantastic” means: To dance. In full, the expression is “to trip the light fantastic toe.” It comes from John Milton’s “L’Allegro” (1632), from the early lines beginning: Haste thee Nymph and bring with thee Jest and youthful Jollity, and going on to: Sport that wrinkled Care derides, And Laughter … Read more

Where does the expression “taken to the cleaners” come from and What does it mean?

where does the expression taken to the cleaners come from and what does it mean

The expression “taken to the cleaners” means: Defrauded; despoiled; mulcted; flimflammed; stung; played for a sucker; also punished or severely defeated. This is merely a modernized form of the slang term “cleaned out,” used by some of our great-grandfathers in the early nineteenth century. The New and Comprehensive Vocabulary of the Flash Language, written in … Read more

What does the term “Indian sign” mean and Where does the phrase Indian sign come from?

what does the term indian sign mean and where does the phrase indian sign come from

Evidently Frederick Webb Hodge, editor of the Handbook of American Indians (1907), issued by the Smithsonian Institution and still regarded as the leading authority on Indian life and customs, did not foresee that movies, radio, and television would perpetuate, at least, among children, an interest in those first inhabitants of the continent. On the meaning … Read more

Where does the expression “Tom, Dick, and Harry” come from and What does it mean?

where does the expression tom dick and harry come from and what does it mean

The group of names “Tom, Dick, and Harry” signifying any indiscriminate collection of masculine representatives of hoi polloi was a more or less haphazard choice. It probably started with names common in the sixteenth century. Thus Sir David Lyndesay, in Ane Dialog betwix Experience and ane Courteour (c. 1555), has, “Wherefore to colliers, carters and … Read more