Language

In the first draft of his 1851 song “The Old Folks At Home,” Stephen Foster’s river was the Pedee. But that didn’t work so he searched an atlas and found the Suwannee River, which he shortened to Swanee. In 1919, Gershwin and Irving Caesar reused the name in the Jolson classic and made the Swanee … Read more

A friend in need could be someone in trouble who needs your help and indeed becomes your friend in order to get it. But the phrase is usually interpreted as meaning a friend who stands with you during a difficult time. But if you accept that “in deed” is two words instead of one, it … Read more

The noble expression about how you play the game is a Greek historian’s fifth-century B.C. reference to the Olympians. He wrote, “Tis not for Money they contend, but for Glory”. The phrase resurfaced in 1927 when the great sportswriter Grantland Rice wrote, “For when the great scorer comes to write against your name, He marks … Read more

The nursery rhyme in which “Humpty Dumpty has a great fall” dates back to 1493 and refers to King Richard III of England. Richard had a hump on his back and had been dumped by his mount in the thick of battle when he cried, “My kingdom for a horse” before being slain. The last … Read more

The children’s nursery rhyme “Mary, Mary, quite contrary” is about Mary, Queen of Scots, and emerged during her struggle for power with Queen Elizabeth I. The “pretty maids all in a row” were her ladies in waiting, the Marys: Seaton, Fleming, Livingston, and Beaton. The cockleshells were decorations on an elaborate gown given to her … Read more

To be “between the Devil and the deep blue sea” has largely been replaced by being “between a rock and a hard place,” which came out of Arizona and originally meant to be bankrupt. The Devil is the seam of a sailing ship’s hull, which was reinforced to support cannons and was where a board … Read more

The expression “The pot calling the kettle black” first entered a dictionary in 1699 with the explanation, “When one accuses another of what he is as deep in himself.” When kitchen stoves were fired by wood and coal, both the kettle and the pot would become black through time, so both were equally tarnished. Another … Read more

The phrase “Every cloud has a silver lining” originated in a poem written in 1634 by John Milton. Milton tells of a young woman who becomes lost and alone in the woods after being separated from her two brothers. As night falls, her terror is lifted and her prayers answered when she sees a dark … Read more

During the time when the entire family, beginning with the eldest, used the same bathwater, you had to be careful that a child wasn’t still inside when it came time to throw out the dirty water. But the phrase was introduced in 1909 by George Bernard Shaw, who wrote, “Like all reactionaries, he usually empties … Read more

The expression “fast and loose” was a medieval street game played by tricksters in much the same way as a shell game is played today. A coiled belt was laid out on a table with what appeared to be a knotted loop in the center. Then a mark was invited to stab a knife in … Read more

When William Cowper wrote, “Variety’s the very spice of life” in 1785, he was reflecting on the ever-changing fashion of clothes. The idea had been first expressed by ancient writers in different ways, but it was the genius of Cowper that caused “variety is the spice of life” to become an English proverb. Other common … Read more

In 1571 the Church of England introduced thirty-nine articles which clergymen of the church were required to accept before their ordination. An 1872 publication of the British humor magazine Punch suggested that reading these catechisms was tedious and that their meaning could be missed: “If a man, after reading through the thirty-nine articles were to … Read more

Like the stitches in sewing, those in the side from both running and laughing all come from the verb stick. The expression “to stick someone” is over a thousand years old and means “to stab” or “to prod.” The stabbing or sticking of a needle through cloth in sewing is thus called a stitch. And … Read more

In Britain, the phrase “off color” has always indicated that someone might feel under the weather because the color of their skin has changed from its normal hue to pale. In America the expression “off color” has a related but different meaning. When someone says something that is considered sexually shocking or impolite, it will … Read more

The expression “one fell swoop” was introduced by Shakespeare in Macbeth. When Macduff learns that his wife and children have been murdered he exclaims: “What, all my pretty chickens and their dam / At one fell swoop?” Metaphorically, Macduff compares his wife and children to chickens and their murderer to a bird of prey. During … Read more

During the 1930s, the BBC broadcast soccer, or football, games on the radio. As an aid to listeners they published a map of the playing field, which was divided into numbered squares. The commentators would mention the square number of the action after each description of the play. Square one was near the goaltender, so … Read more

Snuff, of course, is a pulverized tobacco that is inhaled through the nostrils. During the eighteenth century in Ireland, it was a common custom to place a dish of snuff inside the coffin so that those at the wake could enjoy a pinch while they said their final farewell. One woman loved the tobacco smell … Read more

The phrase “marking time” is a military command for soldiers in close-order drill to stop their forward progress but to keep their feet moving in precision so they can quickly resume marching on command. Marking time means that although your progress has been temporarily stopped you are fully prepared to continue when the time is … Read more

The phrase “cut and dried” means it’s a finished job and comes from the lumber industry. The two processes for preparing wood for sale are to cut it and then dry it. The same industry gave us the expression “hit a snag,” meaning we’ve got a problem. A snag is a tree trunk stuck on … Read more

First Nations tribes told their history through the elaborate carvings of creatures on tall totem poles. But the idea that the bottom image on the totem pole was the least important is wrong. It originated with comedian Fred Allen, who, in 1941, wrote, “If humorist H. Allen Smith were an Indian he’d be low man … Read more

Years ago, manufacturers of felt hats used mercury to treat the wool, which made it easier to pound the fibers into felt. Mercury poisoning attacks the nervous system, which caused many hatters to develop tremors and then madness. In Alice’s Wonderland tea party, she met not only a Mad Hatter but also another descriptive expression, … Read more

If someone doesn’t care one iota, they don’t care very much. Like the letter “i” in English, an iota is the ninth and smallest letter of the Greek alphabet, and because the English letters “I” and “J” were often confused, iota became jot, with both words meaning something very small. That’s why to “jot something … Read more

If a relationship or a career is going to pot, it means its glory days are over. The expression originated in 1542, long before refrigeration, and came from the urgency to save leftovers from a substantial meal before they went bad. As a metaphor, “going to pot” means that like the leftovers from a great … Read more

Since the dawn of the industrial age, anything that is unspectacular yet functional has been called “run of the mill.” When a raw product is to be mechanically processed, whether through a gristmill or the mill of a mine, it emerges in bulk before the different sizes and qualities have been separated by value. Worth … Read more

Going from “pillar to post” means moving from one bad situation to another. The expression comes from the Puritans of New England, who punished those who strayed from their strict moral code by taking them to the pillory where, in public view, their hands and feet were tied until they repented. If they refused to … Read more

To be drunk as blazes comes from a feast day created by the Orthodox church to honor a sainted Armenian bishop named Blais. Blais was beheaded by the Roman Emperor Licinius for refusing to deny his faith in 316 A.D. The excessive drinking on St. Blais’s day caused the revellers to be referred to as … Read more

To be left in the lurch means to have been put in an embarrassing or difficult position. It is most commonly used when either a bride or groom fails to show up for a wedding. Lurch was originally spelled lurche and was the name of a card game now known as cribbage. The first player … Read more

In the sixteenth century, bootstraps were leather loops sewn into the top, sides, or back of high-fitting boots. These boots were so difficult to put on that it required the help of a device with a handle and a hook and the procedure took some time. The vivid image of people lifting themselves up during … Read more

“On the nose” didn’t come from horse racing, it came from radio. Several common hand gestures came from the early days of radio broadcasting, when elaborate productions required the director in the studio to be able to communicate without speech, and so they used hand signals. For “cut” a forefinger was slashed across the throat. … Read more

Marionettes are puppets controlled by strings and were popular at the courts of the French monarchy. The puppet shows satirized gossip and could be embarrassing to anyone involved in scandal. When money was slipped to the puppeteer to keep him quiet, or to influence him to embarrass someone else, it was said that the person … Read more

The expression “making ends meet” means to balance what you make with what is required to live, especially in difficult times. The phrase comes to us from the sixteenth-century farmers of England. The saying refers to the beginning and the end of a year,or from the end of one year to the end of the … Read more

Both “rough and ready” and “rough and tumble” are expressions that came from the sport of boxing. Rough still means “crude,” so “rough and ready” meant a semi-pro or amateur who, although unpolished and perhaps not as well trained as he should be, was still considered good enough to enter the ring. If a contest … Read more

“Getting into a scrape” means to be in a difficult situation and is as old as England itself. When that country was a primeval forest, it was overrun with wild deer. To avoid hunters, these deer would use their sharp hooves to scrape deep gullies into the ground, where they would huddle for cover. In … Read more

Joshing means joking or kidding around, usually at someone else’s expense. It comes from the writings of the great American humorist Josh Billings, whose caustic humor took on the establishment big shots during the nineteenth century. As America’s first best-selling author, he was so widely read that his name became synonymous with deflating pompous egos. … Read more

“Let her rip” is an expression we use when we are apprehensive about the outcome of a new venture but determined to see what happens. Its origin is the tombstone inscription R.I.P for “rest in peace,” and the phrase came into use as a pun for embarking on a new and unknown adventure. Because to … Read more

Supplies that are gradually diminishing are said to be “petering out,” and someone exhausted is “all petered out.” The expression was used by both Abraham Lincoln and Mark Twain. It is derived from a very old mining term used to describe a vein of ore that splits into branches and then gradually runs out, leaving … Read more

If something “fills” or “fits the bill,” it’s satisfying, whether it’s a good meal or a job well done. The expressions come from the days when theatrical advertising was done through handbills or posters. “Filling the bill” meant adding acts to pad a weak program. But if a single star could pull in an audience … Read more

Today, “this neck of the woods” would mean this specific neighbourhood. The phrase comes from the very beginning of European settlement in North America. It’s from the Anglo adaptation of the Algonquin Indian word naiak, meaning a narrow strip or corner of wooded land, usually protruding into water. The Algonquin naiak was interpreted by white … Read more

Saying that we have learned something “by heart” means, of course, that we have committed it to memory. It more than likely involved a process of repetition, called learning by rote. Rote is from rota, the Latin word for wheel, meaning that to memorize something we turn it over in our minds many times before … Read more

To be at someone’s “beck and call” means to be standing by and prepared to immediately respond to that person’s needs. The expression comes from the rules of servitude, when a beck was a silent signal, such as a nod of the head or a hand gesture, used to summon a servant. If this subtlety … Read more

Among tribal warriors, including those native to North America, a feather was awarded for each enemy killed in combat. These were worn as a headdress and eventually on armored helmets. Like today’s campaign medals, the most decorated warriors stood out as heroes. Women began wearing feathers in their caps as a signal of betrothal after … Read more

In the early 1900s, a radical workers’ union used a song called The Preacher and the Slave to blame the church for suppressing the poor with promises of rewards in heaven. The song included these lines, and from them, “pie in the sky” took the meaning of a false promise. You will eat, by and … Read more

Jack Robinson was a London social climber during the early eighteenth century. He made it his business to appear at as many gatherings as possible, where he would often present his card and have his name announced, then leave for the next function before meeting his hosts. This scandalous behavior made its way into a … Read more

The word bolt has many uses, but all suggest surprising quickness and all originated as a reference to an arrow from a crossbow. The word “thunderbolt” for lightning first appeared in the sixteenth century. While the word “blue” as a description of a clear sky appeared about a hundred years later. Since nothing could be … Read more

The expression “Having your back to the wall” comes from street fighting and means you’re in a desperate situation. And although there is no room to retreat you might still win if you fight off the attack with renewed energy. On the other hand, “going to the wall” means that although you are in an … Read more

During the Revolutionary War, a prominent New Jersey jurist, Judge Imlay, hadn’t yet committed to either the revolutionaries or the loyalists. So when Washington encountered one of Imlay’s slaves he asked him which way the judge was leaning. Washington was so amused by the response that he retold it enough times for it to become … Read more

The meaning of the expression “all hanging together” is that our only hope is to combine our resources because we are already doomed as individuals. It’s a quote from John Hancock, who was the first to step forward and sign the American Declaration of Independence. He said to those gathered, “We must all hang together; … Read more

The use of harping, as in repeating the same annoying statement or sound, comes from the repetitive and irritating noise made from tuning each string of a harp. If you tell the person harping on one string to “pipe down,” you are using a naval term. On early naval vessels, the boatswain’s final function for … Read more

To be “on the skids” means to be down on your luck and still falling. In the early twentieth century, skids were greased wooden runways used on dirt roads by the forest industry to make it easier to move logs from the bush to the river or the sawmill. The depressed street these skid roads … Read more

By the eighteenth century, wealthy young men had turned feasting into an art, and at the core of the elaborate ritual was the drinking of wine. It was the custom to offer a toast to someone present with every new glass during dinner. When they tired of toasting themselves they would lift a glass in … Read more

Being driven to rack and ruin is sometimes expressed as “wreck and ruin,” but either way you’re in big trouble. Rack was the original reference and first appeared in the fifteenth century as a torture machine which encouraged victims to “rack their brains” to come up with the answers the inquisitors desired, otherwise they would … Read more

“Gun it” comes from early aviation and auto mechanics, who coined the phrase as an instruction to get more speed by pulling out the full throttle. This sudden injection of fuel caused a minor explosion in the combustion engine, which sounded like the firing of a gun. Stops are on a pipe organ for control … Read more

Mind your Ps and Qs means watch the details, and there are two popular explanations. The first is that because a lower case p and q are mirror images of each other, printing presses had to pay close attention to which one they used. The other, and more likely, explanation is that English pubs marked … Read more

The “moment of truth” is what the Spanish call that instant when a bullfighter chooses to make the final thrust of his sword. The phrase was introduced into English in Ernest Hemingway’s 1932 novel Death In The Afternoon. The timing of that final move by the bullfighter is critical for both the matador and the … Read more

To have cold feet means to lose your nerve when facing danger; it began meaning cowardly more than a hundred years ago. This is a bit harsh, because everyone’s bodily extremities, including the hands and feet, become cold when terrified because under the circumstances, the body draws blood away from these areas to fuel vital … Read more

The nick is a cut or notch made on a piece of wood. During medieval times, long before punch-in time clocks or other methods of modern tabulation, attendance, especially at schools and church services, was registered with a nick on a personalized stick of wood. If someone failed to show up on time, no nick … Read more

The expression “hurry up” caught on during a time when most eating establishments had a dining room on the main floor and a kitchen in the basement. To hurry of course means to increase your pace. So “hurry up” became a specific order shouted by the headwaiter to speed the food up from the basement … Read more

If a teacher or a foreman tells someone it’s time to buckle down, they mean “Quit fooling around, this is serious business,” and they’re using an expression from the days of knighthood. When preparing for combat, knights required their squires to attend to their armor by oiling it, laying it out, and then buckling it … Read more

The expression “won’t hold water” comes from the legend of Tutia, a Roman Vestal Virgin who was accused of having lost her innocence. To prove herself not guilty she had to carry a sieve full of water from the Tiber River to the Temple of Vesta. If the sieve held the water she was innocent, … Read more

Radio comedian Fred Allen once said that a good joke should have the same impact as a punch in the belly. The “punchline” is the twist that makes a joke funny, and the term was in use long before Fred Allen. It first appeared in Variety in 1921, but its use as the end of … Read more

When bear cubs are born, like many other newborn animals, they are covered by an amniotic membrane. To ancient people who observed the birth from a considerably safe distance, these cubs looked shapeless until their mothers would lick away the membrane to reveal the perfectly shaped body of the baby bear. Dating from Roman times, … Read more

Running amok metaphorically means that someone is in some way dangerously out of control. An elephant that breaks free at a circus might also be described as running amok. Amok is a Malaysian word meaning “a state of murderous frenzy.” Sixteenth-century explorers said that it was terrifying to see someone running amok, a condition brought … Read more

Both “going against the grain” and being “on the level” are expressions from carpentry. When a bladed instrument is used to smooth a wooden surface it only works when applied with, or in the same direction as, the grain, otherwise it’s a mess. A level ensures the precision of a frame alignment. Someone that is … Read more

A tinker traveled from town to town repairing tin pots, kettles, and pans and got his name from the noise he made while working. His equipment included clay from which he made a mold to hold melted solder for refastening handles and joints. He called this mold a “dam,” and because it was only good … Read more

A pedigree is a lineage of heredity and must be traced to determine if a horse is a Thoroughbred. A Thoroughbred is a direct descendant in the male line from three Arabian stallions brought to Britain and Ireland in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and bred with local mares. Thoroughbreds are considered a “hot-blooded” horse, … Read more

The expression “dyed in the wool” describes someone whose thoughts on politics or religion just can’t be changed. The original meaning of the phrase was applied to the dying of raw wool, which, if done in bulk before being combed or woven, holds its color much longer than wool dyed after processing. Today, the phrase … Read more

To ride roughshod over something means to have done something without regard or consideration for finesse or good manners. Roughshod refers to the once common practice of leaving the nails stuck out of a horses’ shoes to keep the animal from slipping if it were going across country or through the bush. If roughshod horses … Read more

Entire communities used to gather in a festive mood to build churches or to help neighbors building a barn or a home. These events were called “bees” because the number of people swarming around the task was similar to a busy hive of bees. The spelling bee is the lone survivor from this era and … Read more

In the sixteenth century a papal bull or bulla was a decree from the Roman Catholic Pope. It was sealed with a stamp bearing the likeness of St. Peter accompanied by the cock that crowed three times before the crucifixion. After the reformation, Martin Luther issued bulls of his own that contradicted the Vatican. His … Read more

The phrase “cold turkey” had the folk symbolism of stark circumstances without the trimmings before it first appeared in print as a reference to drug withdrawal in 1921. An example, an unadorned sandwich made from the leftovers of a feast as a symbol of having seen better times. The expression gained credence from the withdrawing … Read more

The word cuckold is a centuries-old metaphor for a deceived husband and is taken from the habits of the European cuckoo bird. In the spring, the cuckoo bird lays a single egg in the nest of some other bird to be hatched and then fed among its own chicks by the unsuspecting host. When a … Read more

A “turkey” can describe any person or endeavor that doesn’t live up to its promise, but is most commonly used to describe a bad play. In the late nineteenth century, the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas was the busiest season for the opening of new plays, just as it is now for movies. This hurried … Read more

Most families have at least one embarrassing loafer who is referred to by the others, and sometimes by himself, as the “black sheep.” A black sheep is considered worthless because, unlike the majority of sheep, its dark wool cannot be dyed. Although it takes as much time and nurturing to raise a black sheep as … Read more

A person on a high horse is probably presuming to be more important than he truly is, or pompous. In medieval times the height of your horse told of your rank in society and on the battlefield. Knights rode high on horses bred large and strong enough to bear the weight of the man and … Read more

A poke has the same origins as pocket and pouch and is a small bag within which a young pig could be packaged after being sold at a farmers’ market. In 1540 it was recorded that unscrupulous farmers would sometimes replace the pig with a cat and advise purchasers not to open the bag until … Read more

The expression “to eat crow” came from an incident during the War of 1812 when the Americans invaded Canada. A hungry New England soldier who strayed across enemy lines had shot a crow for food when he was discovered by an unarmed British officer who managed to get hold of the American’s rifle by pretending … Read more

The word neat, although dated, is often used to describe something pleasing. It is also used to order a shot of alcohol straight from the bottle without any mix or ice, and it’s within this context that the word became popular. The original meaning of neat was to describe anything clean or undiluted, without any … Read more

Although a yen is also a type of Japanese currency, that meaning has nothing to do with an overwhelming urge. Instead, the yen in question is from the Cantonese Chinese yin-yan. Yin means opium, and yan means craving. Brought to America in the mid-nineteenth century the word entered English slang as “yen yen” and eventually … Read more

Gross began as a prejudicial reference to those who are overweight, during the 1950s. Gross is from the Latin grossus, meaning thick or large, which in the fourteenth century gave us the word grocer for a wholesale merchant who bought and sold in large quantities. To an accountant, gross means “without deductions.” To “gross out” … Read more

In the sixteenth century, the first nightgowns appeared as loose-fitting, full-length unisex garments for warmth in bed. In the eighteenth century the negligee became a lounging garment for women while, the nightshirt with loose-fitting pants called pyjamas replaced the long gown for men. Pyjamas were modeled after harem pants and were imported from Iran, using … Read more

It takes a lot of people to play a lottery or there won’t be enough money to make the prize worthwhile. Lot is from the word lottery, a very ancient practice from a time when people cast marked pebbles into a pot and then selected a winner through a draw. To “throw in your lot” … Read more

Haywire is used on farms to hold together bales of hay. It’s tightly bound and when cut will sometimes whip around in a dangerous, erratic manner. But more than this, because haywire is often used as a temporary repair on machinery that has broken down, or to hold together any equipment that’s falling apart The … Read more

Being forced to say “uncle” after losing a fight is a man thing and dates back to the late nineteenth century in the United States. In today’s terms picture a chauvinistic Republican defeating a Libertarian in some form of physical combat. To the chauvinist, the highest order of submitting to decency is believing in the … Read more

In the average adult male body, there are forty-five pounds of bone compared to sixty-five pounds of muscle. The average female is 15 percent less. We call them muscles because when a Roman physician saw how they rippled under the skin when flexed, it reminded him of the skittering of a small mouse, or musculus, … Read more

The reason a cheap joke is called “corny” comes from mail order seed catalogs from the early twentieth century. In an effort to make reading about seeds interesting, the publishers mixed in cartoons, jokes, and riddles throughout the crop and garden book. These inserts were of desperately low quality and were known as corn catalog … Read more

“Bulldozer” is a metaphor that originated in the Deep South during Reconstruction. A “bull-dose” was a dose of the bullwhip and was used by American terrorist groups to inhibit freed black slaves from using their new mandate to vote. In 1925, when a machine appeared that could change everything in its path through sheer force, … Read more

The word shoddy is used to describe both poor workmanship and poor character, while fluff means of little value. The word shoddy is derived from shode meaning “shed” or “thrown off,” and refers to the excess tossed from the good cloth during the process of weaving. This fluff is re-spun and used to make similar … Read more

Dope is from the Dutch word doop, meaning a thick sauce, and became a drug term from the semi-liquid form of opium smoked by drug addicts. The use of dope meaning “stupid” came from the retarded behavior of someone under the influence of the drug. The use of “the real dope” as information came in … Read more