Language

To accuse a person of lying in his teeth is the strongest of accusations, implying that the person is such a double-dyed liar as to be unfamiliar with truth. It is very old, traceable to the early 1300s, as in The Romances of Sir Guy of Warwick, “Thou liest amidward and therefore have thou maugreth … Read more

The term “apple polishing” is recent; the practice was known to your grandfathers and probably goes back to the Garden of Eden. Undoubtedly the wily serpent saw to it that the apple of the tree of knowledge looked attractive before offering it to Eve. The apple polisher of today is one who offers blandishments; one … Read more

In the figurative sense the phrase “to burn the candle at both ends” originally referred to the wasting of one’s material wealth, as when a husband and wife were both spendthrifts. We still use it with that sense, but our usual application is to the wasteful consumption of one’s physical powers, as when a person … Read more

There have been many terms devised through the centuries for flattery, many of which have been retained in the language. “Soft soap” came into vogue sometime during the early nineteenth century, probably in allusion to the peculiarly unctuous quality of the semi-liquid soap that is called soft soap. Its predecessor was “soft sawder,” or “soft … Read more

One may be feeling “on the burn” when he’s not OK physically. It is an American expression, dating back fifty years or so. George Ade was the first to use it in print, but it comes from a dialectal English use of “bum,” which for four hundred years has been a childish word for drink. … Read more

A round robin is a petition or the like signed by a number of persons in such manner that the order of signing cannot be determined, usually as if the signatures were spokes radiating from a hub. This method of submitting a petition is supposed to have originated among British sailors during the seventeenth or … Read more

Whether Latin or English, German (unter der Rose) or French (sous la rose), it means in strict privacy, utter confidence, absolute secrecy. This ancient expression it is said, came down to us from the Greeks who, seeing the Egyptian god, Horus, seated under a rose and, depicted with a finger at his lips, thought that … Read more

The expression “to take to the tall timber” is the twentieth century version of the nineteenth century “to break for high timber,” and with the same meaning, i.e., to decamp suddenly and without ceremony. The original notion, back in the early 1800s, seems to have been literal, to make a break for heavily timbered regions … Read more

The expression “catch as catch can” is what we say these days when we mean to catch in any manner that one can devise, by hook or by crook. But six hundred years ago when the expression was new our forefathers said, “catch that catch may,” or, in the quaint spelling then used, “cacche that … Read more

To abase oneself; be obliged to accept or do something extremely disagreeable. Though this homely American saying is not found in print prior to 1877, there is no doubt that it was in common use many years earlier. According to an account in an 1888 issue of the Atlanta Constitution, the incident which gave rise … Read more

The ancient Grecian sages, Pittacus and Thales, both of whom lived in the sixth century B.C., and the Latin writer of fables, Phaedrus, who lived in the first century A.D., all advised the ambitious person to seize the opportunity or the occasion at the moment it was presented, so this saying has been attributed to … Read more

The expression or proverb “to look a gift horse in the mouth” is so old that its origin cannot be determined. It has been traced to the writings of St. Jerome, one of the Latin Fathers of the fourth century, who then labeled it a common proverb. The expression, or a variant proverb, occurs in … Read more

The term “Black Mario” is the popular name for a police wagon or van, the vehicle sent from a police station to pick up or transport persons under arrest. The source of the name is altogether traditional, not known to be fact, but generally accepted. The name is said to be the familiar sobriquet of … Read more

Typical of American vaudeville since the 1870s have been performers who, coming upon the stage, open the act with a song and follow it with a dance. In theatrical parlance, such performers are called “song-and-dance artists,” and many stars of later life have been included among them. Because of the nature of the performance, however, … Read more

One who has seen a lamb shake its tail, can see that the saying “in two shakes of a lamb’s tail” means with no loss of time, for a lamb can shake its tail twice “before one can say Jack Robinson.” Usage appears to be entirely American, going back a hundred years or longer. The … Read more

The phrase “the goose hangs high” means things are propitious; all is well. This is sometimes regarded as a corruption of “the goose honks high,” on the supposition that, in fair weather, the geese fly high and honk as they fly. The editors of the Dictionary of American English, however, report that they find “no … Read more

This may he jocular or serious; one is sometimes taken for a ride when he suffers nothing more severe than being kidded, made the butt of some joke. But in a sinister and the original sense the person taken for the ride rarely returns. The expression was of underworld origin, coined in the United States … Read more

If all the truth were known, our ancestors probably knew and practiced more sales tricks than the sliest and most unscrupulous merchants ever heard of today. Elsewhere is told one reason why a n was warned not “to buy a pig in poke,” but, so it is said, was another more potent reason, one might … Read more

Gilderoy was an actual person. Just when he was born isn’t certain or important; but he died, unmistakably, at Edinburgh, Scotland, in June, 1636. His real name was Patrick MacGregor; the nickname “Gilderoy” came from his red hair, “Gillie roy,” a red-haired gillie, or red-haired laddie. But Gilderoy got into evil ways; he became a … Read more

The phrase “Garrison finish” means a spectacular success when defeat seems inevitable. The expression is usually applied to a race, but is often used in connection with a political campaign or the like in which a candidate whose chance seems hopeless makes a strong and unexpected last-minute effort that wins the victory. Edward H. Garrison … Read more

The expression “to whip the devil around the stump” means to evade a responsibility or duty in a roundabout manner; to get deviously around a difficulty. It may be that this old American expression is an offshoot of the familiar “up a stump,” which means in perplexity, in confusion, and which in turn came from … Read more

One who climbs or gets on or aboard the bandwagon, in the United States, is he who accepts or espouses a popular movement or cause that some leader has organized. It had a political origin, from the parades honoring a candidate for office and led by a loud band of musicians riding upon a large … Read more

The expression “from Dan to Beersheba” means all over the world; from one side of the world, or the country to the other. The expression comes from the Bible, Judges xx, 1, telling of the assembly of Israelites from one end of the country to the other to do battle against the Benjamites, from the … Read more

The phrase “to teach one’s grandmother to suck eggs” means to offer needless assistance; to waste one’s efforts upon futile matters; especially, to presume to offer advice to an expert. This particular expression is well over two hundred years old; it is just a variation of an older theme that was absurd enough to appeal … Read more

The expression “to do a brodie” has a variety of meanings, depending largely upon where and by whom it is used, and whether “to do” or “to pull” is the accompanying verb. In sporting circles, “to do a brodie” is, generally, to take a chance, sometimes a daring chance. In theatrical circles and in some … Read more

When Dionysius was ruler of Syracuse, back in the fourth century B.C., the courtier, Damocles, wishing to curry favor, began to praise the ruler one day. He exclaimed over the power that Dionysius wielded, extolled his great wealth, and admired, above all, the luxurious life that he led and the comfort with which he was … Read more

The bone, originally, was a bone of contention, some difference of opinion to argue about or to settle, thus resembling an actual bone tossed between two dogs to determine which should be the master. One has a bone to pick with one when one has an argument to settle or something disagreeable to discuss or … Read more

The phrase “to chew the rag” means to talk, or to make a speech; especially, to talk at length, to grumble continuously, or to rant. As with any slang expression, the parentage and time of birth of this cannot be positively determined. Records of written use are simultaneous in England and the United States, in … Read more

If small Johnny has taken the facecloth and lightly washed his mouth and cheeks, he has given himself a lick and a promise, about what the cat could do in one hasty swab of the tongue and a promise of a complete job in the dim future. We say that one who has worked half … Read more

A person with a stentorian voice and powerful build is said to be a “bull of Bashan.” The reference is to the Bible, to Psalms xxii, 12: “Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.” The … Read more

In some localities the “Catherine Wheel” type fireworks is called a pinwheel, because the smaller sizes may be pinned to a tree or post where they rotate merrily, giving forth showers of sparks. The large sizes used in big celebrations have the more exalted name. Little is definitely known of the girl or woman whose … Read more

Prefaced by some such adjective as fine, nice, or pretty, the expression “a kettle of fish” is an ironic way of saying a terrible mess. It was so used by the British novelists, Samuel Richardson, in Pamela, and Henry Fielding, in Joseph Andrews, back in 1742. The expression is assumed to have arisen from a … Read more

Today we would say “the whole works,” and mean the same thing as “lock, stock, and barrel”. The expression is of American origin and, though the earliest literary record appears to be in one of T. C. Haliburton’s “Sam Slick” stories, it probably goes back at least to the American Revolution. The three items of … Read more

The expression “to bury the hatchet” means to settle one’s differences and take up friendly relations. We in America are accustomed to think of this as an Indian custom; that it was a literal action, after the cessation of hostilities against the whites or a neighboring tribe, with considerable ceremony to bury a war tomahawk. … Read more

The phrase “to cook one’s goose” means to frustrate one; to ruin one’s schemes or plans. As far as can be positively determined, the expression with this meaning is no older than the middle of the last century. It appeared then in a doggerel current in England at the time when Pope Pius IX, sought … Read more

That large portrait of your wealthy Aunt Jane, given by her and which you loathe but do not dare to take down from your wall; that large bookcase, too costly to discard, but which you hope will be more in keeping with your future home; these, and a thousand other like items are “white elephants”, … Read more

In figurative use the “to bell the cat” means to undertake a hazardous mission that may cost one his neck or his job, as when acting as ringleader in telling the boss that the working conditions are unpleasant. It alludes to an ancient fable of mice and a cat. A family of mice, finding that … Read more

The phrase “halcyon days” refers to the seven days preceding and the seven days following the shortest day of the year, believed by the ancients always to be windless and calm; hence, any protracted time of peace and serenity, rest and rejoicing. According to Greek legend, Haleyone and her husband, whom she had found drowned … Read more

It is usually a lie, a canard, or the like that one, emphatically, “nails to the counter.” By this, the one who does the figurative nailing means that he declares or asserts publicly that the statement is false, definitely and wholly false. The allusion is to a former practice of storekeepers when taken in by … Read more

The homely American phrase “to swap horses in midstream” is just our way of saying “to change leaders (generals, presidents, or what have you) during the course of an engagement (or at the height of a crisis),” and the point is always stressed that such change may lead to disaster. As a matter of literary … Read more

The phrase “to play to the gallery” means to seek popular acclaim. The expression came from the theater, as long ago, at least, as the seventeenth century. Originally, the notion seems to have been a play that was written expressly for those in an audience thought to have been of lower intelligence and, hence, to … Read more

If your employer dismisses you, or if your boy friend ceases to call, or if the newcomer on the next street rejects your friendly advances, you are, in modern American slang, getting the brush off; you arc being put aside. The thought seems to be that one is likened to an undesirable piece of lint … Read more

The phrase “in the nick of time” means, of course, at the critical or precise moment; just at the instant when our hero was saved at the last moment from onrushing death, for example. The expression is about three centuries old, formed when someone added the redundant “of time” to the older expression, “in the … Read more

We use the phrase “plain as a pikestaff” now to mean thoroughly obvious, quite clear; but originally it meant bare and unadorned. The reference was to the metal shod staff or walking stick used by pilgrims or foot travelers during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. That staff was for service, rather than for show, and … Read more

When Bill, or even his sister, stays out too late, or drives too fast, or commits some other indiscretion which, we feel, requires stem reproof or threat of severe punishment upon repetition, we “read the riot act”; that is, we administer a severe scolding and a warning. The allusion is to the actual Riot Act … Read more

Gordius was the king of ancient Phrygia, in Asia Minor, during the times of Alexander the Great. He had, according to tea legend, tied the yoke of his chariot with an exceedingly intricate knot; so intricate that, by promise of the oracle, all of Asia would become the subject of whatever man could succeed in … Read more

We use the saying “to swallow a tale hook, line, and sinker” for a person so exceedingly gullible as to accept a yarn or statement, no matter how fantastic, at its face value. The allusion is to a hungry fish, so voracious as to take into its maw not only the baited fish hook, but … Read more

The expression “to turn the heat on” seems originally to have been underworld slang, probably a rough interpretation of “to be grilled” in its figurative sense. It means, to be subjected to a severe cross-examination, as by police officers in grilling a suspected criminal; but of course in ordinary use a youngster will say that … Read more

The phrase “to be hand in glove” mean to be on such terms of intimacy that the relationship is almost that of the glove to the hand. Literary usage dates back to 1678, but in those days and until late in the following century the phrase was “hand and glove,” a form rarely heard nowadays.

Though spelled and contracted in different ways, spit and image, spitting image, spittin’ image, spitten image, the intent is always the same, an exact likeness, a counterpart. It usually refers to an infant or child whose features and mannerisms strongly reflect those of one of its parents. The origin of the expression has been variously … Read more

“Tether” is the older word, but with either “rope” or “tether” the saying goes back many centuries. In original usage the expression “to come to the end of one’s rope” alluded apparently to a cow or other domestic animal, perchance a dog, staked for grazing or for protection by a rope attached to its neck. … Read more

In theater or show parlance, an “Annie Oakley” is a free pass to the show. The real Annie Oakley, born in 1860, was an expert American markswoman. During the years when William F. Cody, perhaps better known as “Buffalo Bill,” was touring the country with his Wild West Show, organized in 1883, one of his … Read more

One wonders why such a typical Americanism was not coined until early in the present century. We suspect that it must have come from the fertile imagination of Sime Silverman, the editorial genius and apt word-coiner who guided the theatrical journal, Variety, until his death in 1933, but if so, I find no proof. The … Read more

The expression “to come out at the little end of the horn” means to fail in an undertaking; especially, to fail after one has bragged about a result that promised large returns. Such has been the meaning of this expression for more than three hundred years. From the statement made by John Fletcher, in A … Read more

The expression “balled up” has been used, in the sense of confused, embarrassed, entangled, only since about 1880, if we allow seven or eight years of that puristic period for a slang expression to break into print. Really, however, the slang use is little more than a natural extension of the normal use of the … Read more

We saw elsewhere how “to let the cat out of the bag” was connected with the other familiar saying, “to buy a pig in a poke.” Proof is lacking, but it seems to me that the unfortunate wight who bought a pig in a poke and soon after let a cat out of the bag, … Read more

In its entirety, the phrase “the whole kit and caboodle” is American; it is a somewhat more refined expression than the earlier, “the whole kit and bilin’.” Both forms mean lock, stock, and barrel; the whole lot, omitting nothing. But “the whole kit” is plain English, the entire outfit; the whole lot, either of things … Read more

To ruin one’s carefully laid plans; to turn things topsy-turvey; to halt a procedure as effectively as a farmer would be halted if, on his way to market with a load of apples, his cart were to be overturned. The Romans had a similar saying, minus the apples, and with the same meaning: “Perii, plaustrum … Read more

There is no uncertainty about the source of the term “to pass the buck”. Poker. But, just as the origin of the American game of poker is shrouded in mystery, so is the origin of this phrase. Probably both the name of the game and the game itself come from an old German game, pochspiel, … Read more

Through some odd chance, the word “lick” in American speech acquired the meaning “a spurt of speed; also, a burst of energy.” This meaning found its way into print early in the nineteenth century. Our present phrase was derived from that sense and is graphically illustrated by the line from “Polly Peablossoin’s Wedding”, published in … Read more

The modern slang expression “to lay an egg” has no bearing whatsoever upon the output of a hen. It means, “to fail; to flop; to fail to produce an intended result.” The “egg” in the expression is shortened from the older slang meaning of “goose-egg,” which, in sporting circles, means a cipher, a nought, a … Read more

The American slang expression “to shoot the bull”, which originated in the gutter or, rather, the barnyard, now means to talk pretentiously, to talk wisely and freely upon subjects about which one knows little. It developed from the American institution known as a “bull session,” a gathering of men, usually young men, in which each … Read more

We use the phrase “to stab in the back” almost always figuratively, to deliver a cowardly blow, physically or against one’s character, and we usually use it with reference to such a delivery by one who was thought to be friendly, or at least not suspected to be inimical. The literal origin goes back to … Read more

The phrase “to take the cake” means to receive or merit a prize or honor; hence, to excel at something. This expression did not arise from the “cakewalk,” but the cakewalk got its name from the expression. Even two hundred years ago “cake” denoted an award or honor of some sort, and he who received … Read more

The expression “to jump the gun” is of racing origin, especially foot racing. A contestant so keyed up as to spring from the starting mark a moment before the starter fires his pistol is said “to jump the gun.” The expression is also used in hunting game, as when a pheasant “jumps the gun” by … Read more

The saying “to beat the band” has become so trite as to be employed for almost any element of amazement or of any superior accomplishment or achievement; as, Well, if that doesn’t beat the band! or, She cooks to beat the band; or, The baby yelled to beat the band. The expression isn’t very old; … Read more

We may as well take these together, for it is only the use of “salt” in these phrases that is interesting. Because of the origin of the word, one would expect to be able to find that either of the expressions could be traced to ancient Latin, but actually the first of them, the earliest, … Read more

It is proverbial that a crocodile moans and sobs like a person in great distress in order to lure a man into its reach, and then, after devouring him sheds bitter tears over the dire fate of its victim. Thus “crocodile tears” is synonymous with hypocritical grief, make-believe deep sorrow. Belief in the proverb is … Read more

It is the torch of love that is understood in this modern American term, though sometimes no more than the torch of loyalty, for the “torchbearer” is one who is loud in his praise of a friend. But the torch has long been an emblem of enlightenment and of burning devotion, and, in 1775, Richard … Read more

Young people of today think they are very up to date when they refer to a carnally minded man, young or old, as a “wolf,” but the fact is that they are, roughly speaking, some twenty-five hundred years behind the times. So anciently were such men known that Aesop, who lived in Greece about 600 … Read more

The phrase “out on a limb” means to be at a disadvantage, as one would be if actually upon the limb of a tree, hanging on for dear life and being pelted or shot at by an enemy. The expression is of American origin and dates from the latter part of the nineteenth century. Its … Read more

Though “Dutch courage” as a synonym for sham courage and “Dutch consolation” as a synonym for “Well, it might be worse,” date back to the days of rivalry in arms and commerce between the countries of Holland and England, “to beat the Dutch” is traceable only to late American colonial days. Under English rule of … Read more

The saying “not amount to Hannah More”, equivalent to “not amount to a hill of beans,” is a common way of telling a young person around Gloucester, Massachusetts, that he doesn’t show much promise. The saying was also current in some parts of England many years ago, but why the name of Miss Hannah More … Read more

These sayings, which express contempt, may go back to ancient Greece, to a region where figs were so plentiful as to have almost no value. But more probably we got the worthlessness of a fig from Italy, where a gesture, the thumb thrust between the fingers, said to have an indecent significance, is called a … Read more

Lewis Carrol popularized the Cheshire cat in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, in which the grinning cat disappeared gradually from Alice’s view and the last to vanish was the grin, but the saying is much older than this account. It has been traced back to the writings of John Wolcot, better known under his pseudonym, Peter … Read more

When you volunteer for something that may have a bad ending, when you enter an argument in which you may turn out to be a poor second, or whenever you deliberately take the chance of being hurt, literally or figuratively, you are sticking your neck out. The saying is modern American slang, an outgrowth of … Read more

The expression “rope of sand” means nothing could he less cohesive or less stable. With just such meaning the expression has been used through the past three hundred and fifty years, ironically describing a treaty, contract, or the like which has no force, as a “rope of sand” binding the two parties. As used by … Read more

The phrase “to sow one’s wild oats” means to indulge in dissipation, or to conduct oneself foolishly. The saying has been common in its present sense for at least four hundred years, for a writer of that period speaks of young men at “that wilfull and unruly age, which lacketh rypenes and discretion, and (as … Read more

One who no more than barely catches a train, who has hardly settled himself in a theater seat before the curtain rises, who in a moment more would have been too late for whatever the event might be, is said to be “just under the wire.” The expression comes from the racetracks. The winning horse … Read more

The phrase “to have bees in one’s bonnet” means to be slightly daft or crazed. The original saying, which dates at least to the sixteenth century was, “to have a head full of bees,” or “to have bees in the head, or in the brain.” That association of craziness with bees humming in the head … Read more

The English saying “to return to one’s muttons” is a direct translation from the French, revenon a nos moutons. The literal meaning in the French phrase is the same as the English, and the figurative meanings are also the same, to return to the subject under discussion or consideration. For the origin we must go … Read more

Not often is a phrase, coined for a particular occasion, immediately seized upon, and widely used. The phrase “iron curtain”, however, so aptly described a condition which was disturbing half the globe that it achieved immediate popularity. It was coined by Winston Churchill who, as prime minister of Great Britain during World War II, had … Read more

In America, as any country boy knows, the expression “to skin the cat” means to hang by the hands from a branch or bar, draw the legs up through the arms and over the branch, and pull oneself up into a sitting position. As we must abide by the record, we cannot say positively that … Read more

In America, extreme skepticism is indicated by one who says, “I’m from Missouri,” though actually the residents of that state are no more incredulous than are other Americans. The expression is said to have originated during the course of some extemporaneous humorous remarks by Willard D. Vandiver who was, at the time, a representative to … Read more

Someone who has listened to, but has taken no part in, a debate or argument, finally breaks his silence. “Another county heard from,” someone else is sure to remark brightly. The allusion is to the presidential election of 1876; Tilden and Hayes had had a neck and neck campaign; neither the Democrats nor the Republicans … Read more

Aunt Sally, if you remember Huckleberry Finn, got so upset when trying to count the silver spoons, sometimes making a count of nine, sometimes ten, thanks to Huck’s manipulations, that she seized the spoon basket, slammed it across the room, and knocked the cat “galley west.” It means that the cat was knocked upside down, … Read more

The expression “to make one’s mouth water” means to anticipate something with great eagerness. Literally, and the original sense, one referred to the actual drooling that one experiences over the prospects of sinking one’s teeth into a comestible that exudes a particularly delightful aroma, as a schoolboy from Boston might say. The experience must have … Read more

The expression “to stew in one’s own juice” means to suffer the consequences of one’s own act. This, or its variant, “to fry in one’s own grease,” is very old. In the latter form it appears in a thirteenth-century tale of Richard the Lion-Hearted, and there is a French equivalent, cuire dans son jus. It … Read more

This somewhat disgusting sound expressing contemptuous disapproval, the reverse of a cheer, a vibrating sound partly uttered through loosely closed lips and partly through the nose, seemingly owes its present name to the unusual skill displayed by the residents of the northern geographical section of New York City, or to spectators at athletic sports events … Read more

The modern expression “behind the eight ball” has come to mean in a hazardous position; in a state or condition of embarrassment or peril from which it is difficult or impossible to extricate oneself; hence, out of luck; jinxed. The expression originated from the game of pocket billiards or, popularly, Kelly pool. But, though the … Read more