Language

In 672 A.D., the eventual St. Audrey entered a convent for a life of penance and prayer. As a young woman she had worn fine necklaces, a habit she now considered the cause of her terminal neck tumor, which she covered with a scarf. After her death, women honored her by wearing fine silk St. … Read more

The original meaning of the word gag was to prevent someone from speaking, either by covering the mouth or through a legal restraint such as a gag order. The jocular use of gag originated in the theater to describe times when an actor inserted an unscripted, and often humorous, line into a play. It was … Read more

About sixty years ago, when a group of railroad men complained about being unable to sleep on their hard bunks, the boss replied, “What do you want, feather beds?” At the time a feather bed was the warmest and coziest place to curl up and sleep. So companies began calling the union practice of creating … Read more

In the Christian calendar, Lent, a reverent and disciplined observance of Easter, begins on Ash Wednesday. In the Middle Ages the faithful were forbidden to eat meat during Lent. So the day before Ash Wednesday became known as Fat Tuesday, when everyone would overindulge in a Mardi Gras of what was about to be forbidden. … Read more

The word halo is Greek and literally means “threshing floor,” because it described the circular track followed by a team of oxen while threshing golden colored grain. The idea of the halo has pagan roots and wasn’t accepted by the Christian church until the seventh century. Its symbolism of heavenly authority is the reason monarchs … Read more

The word okay, or O.K., is American in origin and surfaced for the first time in the Boston Morning Post on March 23, 1839. It was a comedic use of “All Correct” and was deliberately misspelled as “011 Korrect,” which when abbreviated becomes the letters O.K. The abbreviation caught on around Boston and New York … Read more

A benchmark is a surveyor’s term and, beginning in the nineteenth century, meant a mark cut into a stone or a wall that established the exact level of altitude for a tract of land they were measuring. Today a benchmark is a high standard to strive for, but the surveyors took their meaning from the … Read more

To have been hoodwinked means to have been put at a disadvantage. The term “hoodwinked” derives from early children’s games like Pin the Tail on the Donkey and Blind Man’s Bluff, where someone was either blindfolded or hooded and required to complete a task without being able to see. Muggers also employed the hood to … Read more

An 1846 tombstone in Preston, England, has the inscription, “Beneath this stone are deposited the remains of Richard Turner, author of the word ‘TeeTotal.’” Turner emphasized the “T” to stress the first letter in total. Another group filled out pledges with a letter after their signature to reflect their positions: “M” for moderation, “A” for … Read more

The word fiasco is Italian for an ordinary flask or bottle and comes from the opera. There, audiences would greet a false note or a bad performance with the cry “Ola fiasco.” The logic was that they had come to hear perfection but were getting a second-rate performance. So just as a glass blower’s flawed … Read more

To be upstaged now means to lose due credit to a lesser person. In the theater, “upstage” refers to the back of the stage, which at one time was built higher than the front. This was because the theater floor was flat, and a slanted stage gave a better view of all the actors. Plays … Read more

“Masterpiece” suggests great art, but when the word first appeared in German as “meisterstuck”. It referred to a medieval standard of excellence expected from an apprentice before being allowed to join a guild of master craftsmen. After many years under the guidance of a master, the apprentice submitted a piece of work for assessment. If … Read more

The word right surfaced in English as riht and meant “straight.” To put things right is to straighten them out. Right took the metaphorical meaning of “good” or “just,” as in the Bill of Rights, because most people were right-handed. The suggestion that left is incorrect was understood, like in a “left-handed compliment,” which is … Read more

Early Norse homes were simply designed and often included a stable area for livestock under the same roof as the humans. In the winter, because the tightly shut doors trapped stale air and smoke from the indoor fires, they built holes high on the walls and in the roof for ventilation. They called these openings … Read more

When we strike our elbow, although it’s no laughing matter, we say that the tingling sensation is from our funny bone. In fact, the prickling discomfort comes from striking the ulnar nerve, and the term funny bone comes from some scholar with a sense of humor who turned the whole thing into a pun during … Read more

In 59 B.C. Julius Caesar introduced the first handwritten daily newspapers, which were posted in prominent locations around Rome. However, it wasn’t until long after Gutenberg’s printing press was invented that news became an industry. During the mid-sixteenth century, citizens of Venice paid to hear public readings of the news. The price for these readings … Read more

Asking for a stake means you need to see money to continue with a project. The expression comes from the early days of bare-knuckle boxing, when promoters often stiffed the fighters by absconding with the gate money before the count of ten. To ensure that they’d be paid, boxers insisted that their share of the … Read more

The Latin word historia entered English as history, meaning an account of significant events. By the sixteenth century the abbreviated word “story” took the meaning of an imaginative narrative. In the Middle Ages, by using sculpture and stained glassed windows, architects told themes from history on the fronts of large buildings, each being the height … Read more

In Italian, the word pope is an endearment meaning “father” or “papa.” The responsibility of the leader of the Roman Catholic Church is to build bridges between God and mankind. And the title Pontiff comes from the original Roman reference pontifex, meaning “bridge builder.” The Holy See is a corruption of the phrase “Holy seat,” … Read more

Shrift is an ancient word and comes from the act of shriving, which is the confessional process conducted by a priest. In his pursuit of forgiveness, a confessor seeks absolution for the sins of his soul through a process of penance administered by the priest. A short shrift refers to the brief time allowed with … Read more

We call the finger joints knuckles, but the word used to mean any joint in the body, including the elbows and knees. To “knuckle under” is left over from those days and refers to bending your knees or bowing, signaling submission. Kowtow is Chinese and means “to kneel and press your forehead to the ground,” … Read more

Ostracize comes from a Greek word meaning “voting tablet,” and the ritual of “blackballing” someone was a democratic process of elimination. A group decided if a suspect member would be banished or allowed to stay by dropping black and white balls into a ballot box. The word ballot means “little ball.” If the majority were … Read more

When someone recently mentioned in a conversation suddenly turns up we might say, “Speak of the Devil” as though our conversation has brought the subject into our midst. This is precisely what the expression means, because in the Middle Ages it was believed that any mention of the Devil would be an invitation for the … Read more

The ancient Jews believed that the highest heaven, or “heaven of heavens,” and the home of God and his chosen angels was the seventh heaven. The Muslims agreed that the seventh heaven was the pinnacle of ecstasy. “Cloud nine” was coined by the U.S. weather bureau and means “as high as clouds can get,” or … Read more

To be in limbo means nothing is happening, neither good nor bad. Because the Christian church believed that only those “born again” could enter heaven they needed an afterlife destination for the other good souls. Limbo is the rim of hell and the destination for the righteous who died before the coming of Christ as … Read more

The word reverend first appeared in seventeenth-century England and is derived from the Latin “reverendus”, meaning “worthy of respect.” Pastor is from the Latin word for shepherd, which is how Christ referred to himself. On the other hand, parson comes from New England, where because the minister was one of the few who could read … Read more

Before glass was introduced in 1300 A.D., manufactured mirrors were simply polished metal. Around 6 B.C., in much the same manner one would now use as a crystal ball, the Greeks began practicing fortune-telling from a subject’s reflected image in a bowl of water. If, during a reading, the bowl with the image fell and … Read more

For centuries, to be left-handed was considered evil. Ancient Egyptians drew all the good armies as being right-handed, while the enemies were lefties. Until only recently left-handed children were forced to learn to use their right hands in school. The word ambidextrous means two right hands. Getting up on the wrong side of the bed … Read more

The umbrella is an ancient African innovation and was intended as a portable shade against the sun. After entering Europe through Spain in the twelfth century it became more valuable as a protection from the rain. The superstition of bad luck if opened indoors came from the African belief that to open an umbrella in … Read more

If you believe that a black cat crossing your path is bad luck, you believe in witchcraft. Legend has its that in the 1560s in England, a father and son threw stones at a cat that had startled them on a moonless night. The wounded cat ran into the nearby home of a suspected witch. … Read more

Apollo 13 was launched on the eleventh of the fourth month in the seventieth year of that century. One plus one plus four plus seven plus zero totals thirteen. Liftoff was at 13:13 central military time, and the explosion that almost killed the astronauts took place on the thirteenth day of April. NASA claims no … Read more

Charlie Chaplin and Hitler were associated astrologically from birth. This is because both men were born within the same hour in the same week of the same year. The date connecting Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt with the German dictator is January 30th. January 30th is the date of President Roosevelt’s birth, Winston Churchill’s death, … Read more

The tone and lyrics of Auld Lang Syne seem to capture perfectly the emotions involved in the passing of the fleeting accomplishments and losses of one calendar year coinciding with the rise of hope in a new one. Auld tang syne is Scottish and literally means “old long since,” or, in modern language, simply “long … Read more

The Hope diamond is a steel blue, forty-four-and-a-half-carat, walnut-sized diamond that is supposedly cursed, because it was stolen from the statue of a Hindu god in 1642. Since then, its owners, including Marie Antoinette, have all had brushes with madness and violent death. It’s named after a British banking family who were financially ruined. The … Read more

The ritual of placing a baby tooth under the pillow to be replaced overnight with money from the Tooth Fairy is a compilation of several European customs. In Venice an old witch did the job, while in France the Virgin Mary traded money and sometimes candy for children’s teeth. Other cultures buried the tooth, or … Read more

If you realize that primitive societies couldn’t tell the difference between a rabbit and a hare, then you’ll understand this ancient logic as to why the rabbit’s foot is a symbol of good luck. Hares are born with their eyes open, giving them knowledge of prenatal life. The rabbit burrows underground and shares secrets with … Read more

The middle Dutch word “decken” meant “to cover or adorn” and came from “dec”, which originally meant any cover, such as a tarpaulin or a roof. It was borrowed into English as a nautical term in the fifteenth century. Although today a backyard deck might mean a wooden patio, a ship’s deck was not a … Read more

Two centuries before Christ’s birth, the Druids celebrated the winter solstice with mistletoe because it enhanced fertility and was a favorite of the gods. The Romans hung it prominently during orgies, which is how it became associated with kissing and also why the church banned it in the fourth century. The name mistletoe is from … Read more

No one knows the exact date of Christ’s birth, although May 30 is the most popular scholastic guess. December 25 was chosen early in the fourth century in an effort to convert those of other religions who celebrated the winter solstice. Holly was a prominent part of pre-Christian winter celebrations. It was used to bring … Read more

In 1643, the English Puritan parliament frowned on the pagan rituals of Christmas and banned its celebration after William Prynne published his anti-Christmas manifesto. Clergymen were imprisoned for so much as preaching on December 25. After several years of rioting against the ban, King Charles II arrested Prynne and had him pilloried then had both … Read more

Up until the nineteenth century, mincemeat pie was the common Christmas feast in both North America and Europe, with preferred birds being pigeon, peacock, guinea hen, and goose. Turkey was introduced from America to Europe by the Spanish in the sixteenth century. The bird caught on big time in 1843 after Ebenezer Scrooge sent a … Read more

With the rise of Christianity, the church decided that death days were the real birthdays because the deceased was being reborn in paradise. And so the date of a person’s demise was recorded as their birth, or rebirth, day. The birthdays of saints are celebrated on their death days. It was through this logic that … Read more

It took two hundred years after the pilgrims first celebrated Thanksgiving in 1621 before it became an annual holiday in the U.S. It was Sarah Hale, the author of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” who convinced Abraham Lincoln to create the annual celebration in 1863. Canada went along in 1879, but because of a shorter … Read more

A Christmas carol is a song of religious joy, but the musical form of a carol doesn’t have to include Christmas. Its main feature is the repetition, either musically or chorally, of a theme, as in a circle. The word carole entered English from the French at the end of the thirteenth century, but it’s … Read more

In early sailing jargon, by was “by the wind,” and when a helmsman was ordered to fill the sails he was told to steer “full and by.” This required great skill and was called steering small. A less experienced helmsman might have been told to steer large with the order “by and large,” which meant … Read more

If you ask for money to tide you over, you are using a nautical term to reassure the lender that repayment is inevitable. When a boat or ship wants to enter a river from the ocean at low tide, its way will be blocked by the accumulation of mud or sand that has been swept … Read more

During the time of wooden ships, sailors often referred to their sailing vessel as “the Boards.” We still use their language when we board a ship or are on board as part of a crew. Outboard is outside the boat, while inboard is inside. When a sailing ship’s mast was broken by enemy cannon or … Read more

Conditions on board commercial sailing ships were miserable. On long voyages, food and water went bad and hygienic conditions were lower than for animals in a stable. If they suspected that a ship was poorly prepared, it wasn’t uncommon for the crew to strike the main sail, making it impossible to go to sea until … Read more

Early in the eighteenth century, wives and girlfriends, as well as the occasional prostitute, were allowed to go to sea with the sailors during long voyages. When one of them became pregnant and was about to give birth at sea, a canvas curtain was placed near the midship gun where the birth would take place. … Read more

Today, Spick and Span is a trade name for a well-known cleaner. But the expression began in the fourteenth century as the nautical term “spick and span new,” to describe a freshly built or refurbished ship. A spick was a spike, while span was a Viking reference to new wood, but also means any distance … Read more

During the twentieth century, “chewing the fat” came to mean passing time with informal small talk. The phrase originated with the grumbling of nineteenth-century British sailors whose lean diet was often nothing more than the fat from barrels of salt pork. Their whining while chewing the tough meat would expand to include complaints about every … Read more

Since the eighteenth century, ships of the navy have used flags to communicate their status or well-being. The most prominent flag, of course, is that of the ship’s country, but there are dozens of other banners, which are called “colors.” The most elaborate use of this bunting is after a victory at sea, when a … Read more

To be “on the spot” means you’re in serious difficulty, and the expression comes from the pirates of the Caribbean. The “spot” is the ace of spades, a card that pirates ceremoniously showed to a condemned person indicating that he was about to be executed as a traitor. To be put on the spot has … Read more

A ship’s colours are raised or lowered to signal the ship’s status. “All flags flying” signals great pride, but flags could also indicate degrees between failure and conquest. These flags were once held in place by a system of pegs, so lowering them was done by taking down a peg. This was a shame to … Read more

The expression “lock and load” comes from American G.I.s during the Second World War and refers to loading the MI rifle for imminent combat. The phrase means to insert a full ammunition clip into the rifle, then lock the bolt forward, forcing a round into the chamber ready to fire. The original order was “load … Read more

A picket line, of course, is a group of union people exercising their right to protest. While a military picket is a guard on duty to protect the perimeter of an encampment. The word picket comes from the early French settlers, who made fortified stockades from sharpened tree trunks, which they called piquet, meaning “pointed … Read more

In the seventeenth century, when a ship’s mast was damaged at sea, a “jury mast” was rigged to hold the sail until the replacement could be found. Because this was a critical situation the repairs had to be done within a day, or in French un jour, which in this case is the origin of … Read more

Swashbuckler, a word we use for a pirate, was created from the archaic words swash, meaning “to make noise by striking,” and buckler, meaning “shield.” A swaggering brute yelling and banging his sword on his shield was called a swashbuckler. These bullies were given a “wide berth,” which in nautical lingo means to anchor or … Read more

Cape Canaveral was chosen as a launch site not only because NASA needed the booster rockets to fall harmlessly into the ocean. It was also, and more importantly, because the earth moves from west to east at 910 miles an hour. This Florida location allowed them to fire a rocket to the east with an … Read more

After Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, an American-led military force liberated the tiny country in 1991, but at what cost? There were 491,000 Kuwaiti citizens, who made up only 28 percent of the country’s population. The rest, or 72 percent, were immigrant laborers. Estimates are that 150,000 Iraqis were killed during the war, while 141 American, … Read more

Today it implies less danger, but to “sally forth” was originally a military term meaning to suddenly rush forward. The Latin derivation of sally is salire, meaning “to leap.” Castles and fortresses had closely guarded openings in the walls designed for mounting a quick counterattack against a siege. These were called sally ports, from which … Read more

In battle, to give no quarter means to take no prisoners. In this case, the word quarter has no numerical value but rather refers to the antiquated use of the word for a dwelling place or area, such as the Latin Quarter or a soldier’s living quarters or barracks. To grant or give quarter would … Read more

The phrase “Rise and shine” comes from a 1916 United States Marine Corps manual that instructed non-commissioned officers to enter the privates’ barracks in the early morning and use the phrase to wake the men. While rise means “get up,” shine means “make sure your boots and brass are ready for inspection.” The Royal Navy … Read more

When the hideous sport of cockfighting was legal, the birds were taken to a pit in the ground where they fought to the death. These fights were quick and bloody, and for this reason, the “cockpit” became the designated name of the room on a warship were surgeons attended the wounded and dying. During the … Read more

The dashing image of First World War fighter pilots wearing long silk scarves had nothing to do with fashion. The open-cockpit biplanes were very primitive with no rear-view mirror, so the pilot depended entirely on his own vision to avoid or mount an attack. The scarf was used to wipe grease from his goggles and … Read more

In 1917, the British intercepted a cable from the German foreign minister to their Mexican ambassador. It proposed an alliance whereby the Mexicans would reacquire Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico if that country would join Germany in an attack from the south on the neutral Americans. The British made the telegram public on March 1, … Read more

Before the modem era, rifle gunsights were aligned to hit a target at a known distance. Therefore, with the guesswork removed, any adjustment from a set position would be zero. The same principle applies to artillery batteries, which adjust their fire to a fixed point or “ground zero,” a term still used with satellite- and … Read more

“Toe the line” is the same as “toe the mark” and means “follow the rules or pay the consequences.” In many sports, such as foot racing, the athletes were required to stand with their toes against a scratched line to ensure a fair start. As punishment in the navy, no matter what the weather, young … Read more

One of the meanings of the word pitch is “to set things in order.” For example, when you pitch a tent, you are using a military expression for lining up the tents in rows. Unlike a skirmish or a surprise attack, a pitched battle was one in which the two sides lined up in formation … Read more

The word soldier is from the Latin word solidus, meaning a gold coin, because it cost money to raise an army of mercenaries. The word infantry is from infant, with a Latin derivative meaning “non speaking,” because, like children, well-disciplined soldiers never talk back or challenge orders. Curiously, another use of the word soldier is … Read more

The expression “face the music” comes from the military “drumming out” ceremony for disgraced soldiers. This ritual called for only drums to accompany the dishonored as he was stripped of his rank and colors in front of his assembled unit. For cavalrymen, this humiliation was enhanced by having the offender sit backwards on his horse … Read more

On a pioneer flintlock rifle the hammer struck a flint to create a spark that ignited a small amount of priming powder in what was called the pan. This ignition then set off the main charge of gunpowder, causing a small explosion that fired the bullet through the barrel. When the powder in the pan … Read more

When President Teddy Roosevelt called the reporters who exposed political and corporate corruption “muckrakers,” the term caught on and is now used to describe tabloid journalism. Muck is manure, and the word was borrowed from John Bunyons’s book Pilgrim’s Progress. A man, even though he had been promised a celestial crown, constantly kept his eyes … Read more

In ancient India, large pits were dug to collect the monsoon rains and were called tanken. In the seventeenth century the concept was brought home to Britain and was introduced in English as “tank,” a place to store water. In 1915, when the British designed a heavily armored combat vehicle, they built them under the … Read more

A triumph was a Roman celebration of a military victory over an enemy of the state. The victorious commander rode a chariot in a grand parade with his entire army and the booty and slaves he had won. An ovation was a less elaborate honor for a general who had won victory without bloodshed, perhaps … Read more

During the Watergate scandals, John Dean said that John Erlichman told him to shred some sensitive documents and then deep six the briefcase by throwing it into the river. “By the deep six” is a nautical term referring to sounding the water’s depth and means six fathoms, eleven meters or thirty-six feet. In the navy, … Read more

English monarchs used to write legal decrees on rolls of parchment and then bind them up with red silk ribbons. To give their work an important appearance, government bureaucrats copied the “red tape” practice. Not to be outdone, lawyers followed with ribbons of their own. The expression took hold after Charles Dickens described the frustration … Read more

“Bob’s your uncle” is a common British phrase and now means that you’ve accomplished something without much effort. It originated in 1887 when Prime Minister Robert Cecil appointed his nephew, Arthur Balfour, chief secretary for Ireland. The public was outraged at this blatant act of nepotism and began using “Bob’s your uncle” to describe any … Read more

Long before refrigeration, North American farmers kept supplies of salt pork stored in barrels, and the amount of meat on hand indicated the family’s prosperity. If the barrel was low on pork, it meant the possibility of disaster through starvation. When a politician sought and gained favoritism for his constituents, he was said to have … Read more

In ancient Rome, someone seeking election would appear in public wearing a white robe to symbolize his pure character. Candidate comes from candklatus, meaning a man wearing pure white. Not fooled by the white toga, the Romans said that politicians needed to make three fortunes while in office. The first to pay back the money … Read more

The word gymnasium is from the Greek word gymnos, which means “nude.” Thus, gymnasium literally means “a school for naked exercise.” The first Olympic event for the nude male athletes, or gymnasts, was a foot race known as a stade. It was also a Greek unit of measurement for the distance of the race, which … Read more

The game of chess, played by two players, each trying to capture the other’s king with a sixteen-piece army of horses, foot soldiers, chariots, and elephants, surfaced in India in around 500 B.C. The game was adopted first by the Persians and then by the Arabs, who introduced it to Europe during their conquest of … Read more

Lacrosse, “the little brother of war,” was considered good training for Native American warriors. Teams consisting of hundreds of players often involved entire villages in brutal contests that could last as long as three days. To the French explorers who were the first Europeans to see the game, the stick resembled a bishop’s ceremonial staff, … Read more

Like courtesy, the word court evolved from the Latin words cum, meaning “together,” and hortus, the derivative of horticulture. So a court was an enclosed garden where young boys of noble birth learned proper social conduct. In both the judicial and sporting sense a court is a specified area within which you are expected to … Read more

In early England, the church was the center of a town’s existence and was usually the largest and most prominent structure. For travelers on horseback, the first sign of their destination was the lofty church steeple rising above the trees. To the tired traveler, the sight was exhilarating and inspired the horsemen to quicken their … Read more

In England it’s properly called a “darby,” but everywhere else, including here, it’s known as a “derby.” In 1780, the twelfth Earl of Derby was having dinner with his friend Sir Charles Bunbury when they decided to sponsor a horse race for three-year-olds in Surrey, England. They tossed a coin to decide after which of … Read more

American football introduced numbers in 1915 and names in 1961, but in 1967, numbers began indicating a player’s position and eligibility. Quarterbacks and kickers wear 1 to 19, running and defensive backs 20 to 49, centers and linebackers 50 to 59, guards 60 to 69, tackles 70 to 79, and finally ends and defensive linemen … Read more

A mascot brings good luck, and the name comes from masco, Latin for “witch.” Primitive people believed that every tribe descended from a separate species of animal, which they recognized as their ancestors from what they hoped were their own characteristics of bravery and ferocity. It’s the same reason most sporting teams name themselves after … Read more

Football franchises move around, and it was the Rams who represented Cleveland before moving to L.A. and then to St. Louis. In 1946, when the city was given a franchise in the AAFC, they held a contest to name the new team, and the winner was the Brown Bombers, after the great champion Joe Louis. … Read more

The naming of the San Diego football team had nothing to do with a military or an electrical charge. The team was named by the original owner, Barron Hilton, who called them the Chargers after a credit card. Hilton also owned the Carte Blanche credit card. Although to us carte blanche might be “white card,” … Read more