• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / How did the phrase “to draw the longbow” originate and What does it mean?

How did the phrase “to draw the longbow” originate and What does it mean?

May 27, 2020 by Karen Hill

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 range and in accuracy. Famous archers vied with one another in using the longbow, and great tales were told of their prowess.

One archer, according to an old ballad, was so skilled that, in an exhibition before the king, he split a slender wand at a distance of 400 yards (almost a quarter of a mile), then to impress the king still more, he tied his own seven year old son to a stake, balanced an apple upon the lad’s head, and, from a distance of 120 yards, split the apple.

Great tales were told of the remarkable shots these English bowmen made, and the tales lost nothing in the telling. They became as discredited as the modern fish story. Hence, anyone believed to be telling a fantastic story was said to draw the longbow.

Probably the saying came into use long before the seventeenth century, though the first literary record appeared late in that century.

Related Facts

  • How Did the Phrase "I'll Be Hanged If I Do and Hanged If I Don't" Originate and What Does the Expression Mean?
  • How Did the Expression "Rise and Shine" Originate and What Does the Phrase "Shake a Leg" Mean?
  • What Does the Expression "Spick and Span" Mean and How Did the Phrase Originate?
  • What does the phrase "hue and cry" mean and Where did it originate?
  • What does the phrase "the whole kit and caboodle" mean and Where did it originate?
  • How did the phrase "Rule of Thumb" originate and did it mean the Maximum Thickness of a Stick a Man could use to Beat his Wife?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where does the expression “till the cows come home” come from and What does it mean?
Next Post: What does the expression “on the horns of a dilemma” mean and Where does it come from? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy