Language

The expression “to catch a Tartar” means to have a bull by the tail; to stir up a hornet’s nest, or, in plain English, to take something that one expects to be advantageous and find it to be an unpleasant attachment that one cannot be rid of, like marrying a woman for her money and … Read more

The phrase “the apple of one’s eye” literally means the pupil of the eye. In ancient times it was called an apple because it was thought to be a solid globular body. But even by the time of King Alfred, that is, in the ninth century, because injury to the pupil would render one blind, … Read more

According to the. Bible (II Samuel x), Hanun, to whom David had sent his servants as a mark of respect for Hanun’s father, who had just died, was persuaded that they were actually spies; he had them seized, half their beards shaved off, and then sent them back to their master in derision. The servants, … Read more

The same expression or one closely allied to it is common to many languages. In the second century the Greek equivalent was “out of the smoke into the flame”; the Italian and Portuguese, “to fall from the frying pan into the coals”; the Gaelic, “out of the cauldron into the fire,” and the French, from … Read more

One must remember that “turtle” applies, scientifically speaking, to the marine member of the family, and that “tortoise” should properly be used to describe the land or fresh-water member. The sea beastie is the one most highly prized for food, nowadays chiefly appearing on the menu as “turtle soup.” Our English-speaking ancestors, however, called both … Read more

In present day American use, one who is made “to walk the chalk” must walk a line of rectitude and sobriety, not deviating a hair’s breadth, or he must obey the rules closely. The significance is alleged to have been of nautical origin, a straight chalk line drawn along the deck, or a narrow lane … Read more

The expression “to spill the beans” means to upset the plans; to relate something fully or prematurely; to let the cat out of the bag; to upset the apple cart. This American saying came into general use early in the present century, and, of course, the incident that gave rise to it, whatever it may … Read more

The word “berth” came into the language early in the seventeenth century from sources unknown. It was a nautical term employed to mean roomway for a ship in which to operate. The early phrase was “to give a good (or, a clear) berth to,” which meant, literally, to avoid, or to keep well away from, … Read more

The expression “to lead apes in hell” was common in the times of Shakespeare and is found in The Taming of the Shrew in the lines where Katharina says to her father, “Nay, now I see she is your treasure, she must have a husband; I must dance bare-foot on her wedding day and for … Read more

The phrase “to bark up the wrong tree” means to mistake one’s course of action; to be on the wrong course; to have one’s attention diverted from the intended object. Literally, this American phrase referred to a hunting dog used in the pursuit of raccoons. When this nocturnal animal takes to a tree, the dog … Read more

When one is left holding the bag he is being made the scapegoat, he has been left in an awkward predicament not of his own devising, or blamed for or punished for all the faults committed jointly by himself and others. George Washington may have been familiar with the saying during the Revolutionary War, for … Read more

“Fauvel” was the name of a fallow-colored horse, in the fourteenth-century allegory, Roman de Fauvel, a horse used to symbolize fraud and cunning. The allegory achieved great popularity in France as well as in England. Perhaps in ironic jest, a person who indulged in fulsome flattery was said “to curry Fauvel,” meaning that he sought … Read more

There are no ands, ifs, nor buts in the statement of one who “comes out flat footed”; you know exactly what he means and where he stands. We picture him as planted firmly on both feet, with an air of defiance, daring one to try to shake him from his opinion. The expression originated in … Read more

This is what we say in America; the British equivalent is “to go off half cock” or “at half cock.” Either way the meaning is to speak or do something hastily, without adequate preparation, prematurely. The original reference, back in the middle of the eighteenth century, was to the musket which, if the hammer was … Read more

“Not a Chinaman’s chance” means having no chance at all; afforded no opportunity whatever. In the early days of the California gold rush something over forty thousand Chinese came into the United States, most of them staying in California. They were not popular in the gold camps, for they were willing to work for almost … Read more

“Punch” is the chief character, the hump-backed clown, in the comic puppet show, Punch and Judy. The dialog differs, probably, with every showman, but invariably “Punch” is a pompous vainglorious character who in the end lords it magnificently over his shrewish wife, “Judy,” and is conspicuously pleased or proud over his ultimate victory, thus giving … Read more

Strangely enough, we have had the expression “upside down” only since the time of Queen Elizabeth. Before that, when one wanted to say that a thing was overturned or in a state of disorder, he said it was “upsedown,” or, with the same meaning, “topsy-turvy.” From a variety of evidence, the early form of upsedown … Read more

The expression “within an ace of” means about as close as possible; on the very edge of. At dice, an ace is the lowest number, and ambsace, literally, both aces, from the Old French, “ambes as”, is the lowest possible throw, hence the epitome of bad luck, almost nothing. Thus, “ambsace” very naturally came to … Read more

The explanation of this American saying appears in the first printed account of its use. This was in the Oregon Weekly Times in 1854: “A boy said to an outsider who was making a great ado during some impressive mortuary ceremonies, ‘What are you crying about? It’s none of your funeral.’” The boy meant, of … Read more

Unlike “flat-footed” in the phrase, “to come out flat-footed,” one is caught flat-footed when undecided or unprepared. It is likely that the term came from the American game of football, for it applies most pertinently to the player who, having received the ball on a pass, is caught by an opposing player before he has … Read more

The expression “to steer between Scylla and Charybdis” means to steer a mid-course between perils. Scylla, according to Homer’s Odyssey, was a fearful monster that dwelt in a cavern on the face of a high cliff that overlooked a narrow channel of the sea. She had six heads, each on a long neck, and from … Read more

The phrase “best bib and tucker” means one’s best clothes. The expression as a whole dates from the late eighteenth century. The bib was an article of attire similar to that worn by children then and now, but also formerly worn by girls and women, and extending from the throat to the waist. The nicker, … Read more

The phrase “all beer and skittles” occurs more generally in British literature than in American. Dickens used it (with “porter” instead of “beer”) in Pickwick Papers, in the scene in which Mr. Pickwick, convicted of breach of promise, is introduced to Fleet Prison as a debtor. His conductor has shown him that other debtors manage … Read more

The phrase “to fly the coop” is American slang, apparently twentieth century, though it is likely that it was criminal cant originally and may date back to the nineteenth century. “Coop” is slang for prison, jail; the original meaning was, therefore, to escape from prison. By later extension the phrase has come to mean to … Read more

In these days, one engaged in the occupation of splitting hairs might very likely be engaged in some profound scientific work, trying, perhaps, to find some microscopic cause for the dividing of long hair at the ends. But three hundred years ago when the phrase was coined there was no thought of scientific research; it … Read more

The phrase “to know the ropes” means to be familiar with all the details. There have been differences of opinion about the origin of this saying, for it so happens that the earliest records make it appear that the phrase was first used by the gentry of the racetracks, and, because of that, some hold … Read more

The expression “to blow hot and cold” means to be inconsistent; to vacillate. We are indebted to one of Aesop’s fables for this meaning. A satyr, he tells us, came upon a traveler in the winter who was blowing upon his fingers. “Why do you do that?” asked the satyr. “To warm my fingers,” replied … Read more

“To kesten kang eien upon yunge wummen,” was the Old English way of expressing the same thought, “to cast sheep’s eyes at”. In modern words, that would read, “to cast wanton eyes upon young women,” to gaze upon them amorously. John Skelton, who was decidedly a humorous versifier of the early sixteen century, softened those … Read more

The phrase “once in a blue moon” means extremely infrequently, so rarely as to be almost tantamount to never. From literary evidence the unusual tinge to the face of the moon which led someone to call it a “blue moon” was not observed until after the middle of the last century; nevertheless it is highly … Read more

Who started it and just when is not on the record, but there is little doubt that the “amen corner” was familiar in some American churches, probably Methodist, early in colonial history. Some little church, very likely, began it by placing a bench for the deacons in a corner up toward the front of the … Read more

In order to produce the harmony desired by the composer of an orchestral piece, someone must be willing to play the violin of lower tone, or second violin, while another plays the first violin and the leading part. Hence, metaphorically, we speak of anyone who occupies a subordinate position, especially of a person who steps … Read more

In ancient times, back when it was thought that a crocodile wept after eating a man, it was also the belief that a swan, unable all its life to sing like other birds, would burst forth into glorious song when it felt the approach of death. According to Plato, Socrates explained the song as one … Read more

A faithful Achates; a steadfast friend. The saving comes from Virgil’s Aeneid where Achates is described as the friend who accompanied Aeneas on all his wanderings.

The expression “to have one’s heart in one’s shoes” is no more than the current version of a very old saying that describes extreme fear. An ancient humorist, wishing to imply that his heart sank lower with fear than another’s could, wrote, in the early fifteenth century, that his heart fell down into his toe. … Read more

The expression “attic salt” has nothing to do with anything that may he found in one’s attic, but refers rather to Attica, the ancient kingdom and republic of Greece. The people of this country, especially of its capital, Athens, were noted for the delicacy and refinement of their wit. It was so nobably piquant or … Read more

In the United States, one raises Cain when he causes a disturbance, or, perhaps, when one gets so angry that he loses his temper. The saying is generally believed to refer to the first child of Adam and Eve, Cain, who killed his brother, Abel, through jealousy and whose name has always been synonymous with … Read more

The phrase “to paddle one’s own canoe” was probably used in nothing but its literal sense until the appearance in Harper’s Monthly, in 1854, of a song by Dr. Edward P. Philpots. Since then, however, it has been more frequently used to mean, to show one’s independence. The refrain of the song ran: Voyager upon … Read more

“An Achilles’ heel” means a vulnerable spot. In the Iliad, Homer’s marvelous legend, Achilles, the hero of the story, was the son of a king, Peleus, and of the sea-goddess, Thetis, and a great-grandson of no less than. Zeus himself, The account that Homer gives of the boyhood of so remarkable a being is reasonably … Read more

You can read about Thomas D. Rice in the encyclopedia. He was a comedian of a hundred years ago, turning to Negro minstrelsy almost at the outset of his theatrical career and rapidly attaining especial eminence in this field. He introduced a number of popular songs of that period, one especially, about 1835, with the … Read more

The phrase “through thick and thin” means through evil times and good; through foul weather and fair; steadfastly. The expression may be traced back to “Chauncer’s The Reeves Tale” where, in the escapade of the clerk’s horse, we read: And whan the hors was loos, he gan to goon Toward the fen ther wilde mares … Read more

“A bolt from the blue” is a bolt of lightning from the clear, blue sky. Such a phenomenon is, at least, unexpected and is also startling. Thus the news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was a bolt from the blue, in the figurative sense. Literary record of the use of the saying dates … Read more

“Between the devil and the deep sea” means on the horns of a dilemma; between Scylla and Charybdis; facing equally perilous dangers. William Walker, in 1670, when compiling his “Phraseologia Anglo-Latina”; or “Phrases of the English and Latin Tongue”, included this expression in his list, probably finding it used by some earlier writer of Latin; … Read more

Why the phrase “the lion’s share” always means the greater part in any allotment, especially the part that one gives to the “boss” or that, in serving the dessert, mother apportions to father, takes us back to one of Aesop’s fables. Two versions have conic down to us, which is not surprising, for old Aesop … Read more

Actors get the bird when the performance is so bad that audience rebels, by hissing or booing, or, in more recent years, executing the Bronx cheer. The expression “to get the bird” was the forerunner of getting the raspberry. It dates from about the middle of the nineteenth century, being first recorded in Hotten’s Dictionary … Read more

A dilemma, in logic, is a form of argument in which a participant finds himself in the embarrassing predicament of having to make a choice of either of two premises, both of which are obnoxious. It is a trap set by an astute person to catch an unwary one, like answering yes or no to … Read more

The longbow was the type of bow said to have been used by Robin Hood; that is, a bow about the length of a man, as distinguished from the old short bow used at the Battle of Hastings, or from the crossbow. The longbow, as compared with either of the others, was greatly superior in … Read more

Although cows are always milked twice a day, mornings and evenings, the very old homely saying “till the cows come home” refers to the time that cows, with udders painfully full, come to the home gates for the morning milking. The saying, used as long ago as 1600, seems at first to have always indicated … Read more

It is the English river that is referred to, not Connecticut’s. But the saying “to set the Thames on fire” has been used of other rivers and with the same thought, in Ireland of the Liffey, in the United States of the Hudson, and in Germany of the Rhine. The German saying, Er hat den … Read more

Aesop, back about boo B.C., is said to have told his master about a dog which went to sleep in a manger full of hay. According to the fable, the ox, for whom the manger had been filled, came up to it for his rations, whereupon the dog, roused from his slumbers, snapped at the … Read more

The literal sense of the expression “to hold water”, such as applied to a sound pitcher or bowl, gradually acquired in the early seventeenth century a figurative meaning, as if testing a pitcher for soundness by filling it with water, if unsound, the water would leak out. Thus, figuratively, an unsound argument or fallacious reasoning … Read more

We use this nowadays to mean in a state of worry or anxiety, but the literal meaning alludes to the “mourners’ bench,” or seat especially assigned to those of a congregation who, affected by the exhortations of a preacher, have become anxious over their future state and seek repentance. The literal phrase was in use … Read more

To behave in a cowardly manner; to act pusillanimously. The expression comes from the cockpit, the arena or ring where gamecocks are pitted against one another to see which can vanquish the other. Cockfighting is one of the oldest of sports; it is recorded among early Chinese accounts and was practiced in ancient India, Persia, … Read more

When we use the phrase “to rain cats and dogs” we don’t refer to a gentle shower, but to a terrific downpour. Perhaps, because such rain is usually accompanied by heavy thunder and lightning, the allusion was to a cat and dog fight. As far as the records show, this form of the slight exaggeration … Read more

When Jeffie grabs the smaller Johnny by the collar and the seat of the pants, raises him until he must walk on tiptoe and hustles him out of the room, Johnny is “walking Spanish.” Later in life, Johnny may “walk Spanish” by himself by just tip-toeing cautiously out of a place where he may decide … Read more

The purely American expression “to acknowledge the corn” means to admit the losing of an argument, especially in regard to a detail; to retract; to admit defeat. It is somewhat over a hundred years old, one account of its origin giving it the date of 1828. In this account, plausible, though unverified, a member of … Read more

Our present figurative use of the phrase “to break the ice” came, of course, from the maritime necessity of breaking up the ice upon rivers and channels for the navigation of ships and boats in winter. The early extended sense, indicating preparation of a pathway for others, did not arise until late in the sixteenth … Read more

“To go scot free” means to be exempt from payment, punishment, or penalty. Except in this expression, and in the somewhat rare “to pay one’s scot,” this meaning of “scot” is almost unknown in America. But it comes straight from Old English; it then meant, as now, a payment, or, especially, one’s share in the … Read more

The phrase “to sweat blood” means to perform such arduous toil or to be in such physical agony that the sweat in which one is bathed seems to be one’s blood draining away. The allusion is to the agony of Jesus on the Mount of Olives: “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: … Read more

The current American equivalent of the expression “”to cony coals to Newcastle” is “to sell refrigerators to the Eskimos.” The idea is of doing something that is the height of superfluity. In explanation, Newcastle, or Newcastle upon Tyne, to use the official name of this ancient English city, lies in the center of the great … Read more

Perhaps because hot water is so easily obtainable these days, we think of the figurative hot water, meaning a trouble, a scrape, or a difficulty, as being a modern expression. No, indeed! People first got into trouble thousands of years ago, though English-speaking people didn’t refer to it as “hot water” until about the beginning … Read more

Until comparatively recent times the sin of heresy was, in many countries, punishable by death. In England, during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, one found guilty of departing from the creed and tenets of the church might be condemned to death by burning. Thus, the earliest uses of this expression, back in the sixteenth century, … Read more

The term “wet blanket”, one might have supposed, is certainly an example of recent American slang, but it was used in Scotland more than a hundred years ago, and with exactly the meaning in which we use it today, one who puts a damper on anything, especially upon any jollity; one who emits gloom. The … Read more

A century ago, it would seem, the turkey was considered a pleasant bird, for when such expressions as “to talk turkey” or “to say turkey” were used, the allusion was to a pleasant conversation. A young man “talked turkey” to a good-looking girl, if he had the chance. Perhaps that was because a young man … Read more

Metaphorically speaking, we turn the tables upon another fellow when we put him in the predicament that we have been occupying, or into a similar one. There is no connection with “turning the other cheek.” The saying arose during the early 1600s, some three centuries ago, and seems to have been applied to some popular … Read more

The phrase “by hook or by crook” is so old that it has become a recognized part of the language. It appears in the writings of John Wyclif and of John Gower, both of whom were contemporaries of Chaucer. It meant then, as it does today, “in one way or another; by fair means or … Read more

A big shot is a person of importance. This slang use is quite recent, developed within the current century, but it is a lineal descendant of “a big gun,” dating from the middle of the last century, and which in turn sprang from the union of “a great gun the early nineteenth century.

To be kept waiting, as when you have a train to catch, but must see a prospective customer who keeps you nervously fuming in his outer office. The figurative meaning dates back to the early seventeenth century, and the phrase, though the evidence is scant, was apparently preceded by the more literal, “to cool one’s … Read more

Away back in the fourteenth century John Wyclif records that in a royal pageant persons of high rank were mounted on “high” horses, meaning that they rode the so-called “great horses,” or heavy chargers used in battle or tournament. Hence, the use of such a horse was presumptive evidence that its rider was, or considered … Read more

Even among the ancients the container often signified the thing contained; the Romans used olla, pot, many times instead of the meat within the pot, and so did our own forbears. Hence, when they said that they must keep the pot boiling, they meant that they must have something within the pot, which, when removed, … Read more

Anciently, a blush was a glimpse, a momentary view. This was the sense that we find in the late fourteenth-century poem, “Joseph of Arithmathie”: “Aftur the furste blusch we ne michte him biholden (After the first glimpse we could not behold him).” This sense dropped out of use during the sixteenth century, however, except in … Read more

The French is, etre assis entre deux chaises, literally, to be seated between two seats, and the meaning, as in English, is to fail through lack of decision. It cannot be determined, but the French is probably the older saying, the English no more than a translation. The earliest English record is in John Gower’s … Read more

If you have inadvertently insulted your employer’s best customer you must eventually “take the bull by the horns”, screw your courage to the sticking point, and tell the boss what happened; for we use the expression to mean, to face an unpleasant, difficult, or dangerous situation with such courage as one can muster and with … Read more

The expression “to feather one’s nest” means to provide for one’s comfort; especially, for comfort in later life by massing wealth. The import is to the practice of many birds which, after building their nests, pluck down from their breasts to provide a soft lining that will be comfortable during the long hours of setting … Read more

Success is so certain that applause only is lacking. Though the earliest appearance of the saying in print appears to be in the works of the Welsh writer on sports, Charles James Apperley, in 1842, to my notion the expression has the earmarks of American origin. I would infer that the real origin might have … Read more

Probably back beyond the days of Jacob, who gave his favorite son, Joseph, a coat of many colors”, it was known that if the wool were dyed before it was made up into yarn, or while it was still raw wool, the color would be more firmly fixed. The figurative sense, to have one’s habits … Read more

Anciently, the bowman who went forth to battle was ill prepared unless he carried two or more bowstrings. Otherwise he would be utterly useless if the one on his bow were to snap. Thus, probably long before Cardinal Wolsey recorded it in 1524, the expression “to have two strings to one’s bow” had acquired the … Read more

The phase “Hobson’s Choice” means the choice of taking what is offered or having nothing at all. Thomas Hobson, who died in 1630 at the ripe age of eighty-five or eighty-six, was a carrier, with his stables in Cambridge and his route running to London, sixty miles away. He was popular among the students of … Read more

The expression “to go woolgathering” means to be engaged in trivial employment; to indulge in aimless reverie. Though this expression has long had such figurative meanings, its origin was literal. People did actually wander in a seemingly aimless manner over the countryside gathering the fragments of wool left by passing sheep on bushes or fences … Read more

The phrase “root hog or die” means to get down to hard work or suffer the consequences, to shift for oneself. The earliest literary use so far reported goes back only to 1834, to Davy Crockett’s autobiography, A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett, written just two years before his death at the Alamo. … Read more

For the past two hundred years we have been using the phrase “spick and span” to mean very trim and smart, thoroughly neat and orderly, having the appearance of newness, but for the two hundred years preceding that, or from the middle of the sixteenth century to the middle of the eighteenth century, the phrase … Read more

“Hell-bent,” an American term, means so determined as to be regardless of the consequences, even hell itself. An article in Knickerbocker Magazine in an issue of 1835 describes a band of Indians as “hell-bent on carnage.” The present “all out” is a mild substitute for the same thing. But “hell-bent for election” means speed, speed … Read more

The expression “to put the kibosh on” means to put an end to; to stop; to dispose of. One thinks of this as being modem slang, in use only a few years, but readers of Dickens, if they remember Sketches by Boz, may recall the sketch, “Seven Dials.” This is a description of a squalid … Read more

The French have a phrase, coq-a-lane, literally, cock to the donkey, which they use in exactly the same sense as we use cock-and-bull; concocted and incredible; fantastic. A cock and bull story is one that stretches the imaginations somewhat beyond the limits of credulity. Many learned attempts have been made, both in French and English … Read more

The expression “not dry behind the ears” means as innocent and unsophisticated as a babe. A saying that came directly from the farm, where many others have also arisen, for it alludes to a newly born animal, as a colt or a calf, on which the last spot to become dry after birth is the … Read more

With success assured; all over but the shouting. The saying “in the bag” is new; that is, it has become generally known throughout America, where it originated, since about 1920. In card games or the like, the person doing the playing may use it when he wishes to free his partner’s mind from anxiety. An … Read more

We use the expression “to beat the tar out of” with the meaning, to beat, whip, or belabor without mercy. Though credited to the United States and with no earlier record of use than the twentieth century, we think it likely that the expression may have been carried to this country by some Scottish or … Read more

Wherever this is used the speaker means that he would be wholly unable to recognize the person of whom he speaks, probably a person once known but now forgotten. The source and antiquity arc wholly unknown, but it may be that we owe it to the ancient argument over Adam’s possession of a navel. Artists, … Read more

Maundy Thursday is the day before Good Friday, the Thursday next before Easter. To most persons not of the Roman Catholic or Episcopalian faiths the designation of this day is incomprehensible, for the term “maundy” now appears in no other connection. It originated from the thirteenth chapter of John, in which the Last Supper and … Read more

We are apt to look upon this as recent, forgetting that it was used by Dickens (Old Curiosity Shop) more than a hundred years ago with just the present meaning, to get along with or to like a thing or person. And it was not original with Dickens, for it was used more than thirty … Read more