The wooden frame that was used to hang animals up by their feet for slaughter was
called a bucket. Not unnaturally animals were likely to struggle or to spasm after
death and hence 'kick the bucket'.
At the end of the 19th century the US horse-racing fraternity began using ringer to mean
a horse substituted for another of similar appearance in order to defraud the bookies.
Dead has always meant exact as in dead center, so 'Dead Ringer' is an exact duplicate.
Back when we relied on candles and lanterns to light our homes, some lowly menial
might be assigned to hold a candle to illuminate someone's work or to light the
way. It was pretty much a no-brainer job. You just stood there with the candle.
So if you say, "he 'couldn't hold a candle to her'," it means you don't think
he is in the same league as her.
The term 'pining away' comes from Old English and is related to the word "pain."
They both come from the Latin word poena, which means a punishment.
The 'bitter end' probably comes from sailing ships where cables were attached to
a "bit." So the end of the rope came to be called the "bitter end."
'No bones about it' goes back to the 15th century and originally meant that
something was easy or could be handled without much trouble. It refers to the
contents of soup or stew. If you had a bowl of soup with no bones in it, it would
be easy to swallow. On the other hand, if you had to worry about choking on a bone,
you'd be more careful.
The saying 'Goody Two-Shoes' comes from the title of a moralistic nursery
tale called The History of Goody Two-Shoes, which is thought to have been
written by Oliver Goldsmith, and which was published in 1765 byJohn Newbery,
one of the earliest London publishers of children's stories. Goody owned only
one shoe. When she was given a pair of them, she was so pleased that she
showed them to everybody, saying "Two shoes". The phrase now refers to a
self-righteous, smugly virtuous person. "Goody" was a common nickname for
married women, way back when; it was short for "Goodwife". The character's
"real" name was Margery Meanwell (and she lived in Mouldwell).
The saying 'it's so cold out there it could freeze the balls off a brass
monkey' came from the Civil War. Cannonballs were stacked in a pyramid
formation, called a brass monkey. When it got extremely cold outside they
would crack and break off, thus the saying.
The expression 'wet your whistle' came from England. Since the pubs could
get rather noisy, the makers of the ceramic beer mugs began to bake whistles
into the handles. So when you wanted a drink, you would 'wet your whistle'.
The term 'blue moon' originated in 1883 with the eruption of volcano Krakatoa,
in Indonesia. The most violent explosion ever, it sent so much debris into
the atmosphere that the particles reached England and acted as an spectral
filter, making the moon literally appear blue.
The word 'news' did not come about because it was the plural of 'new.' It
came from the first letters of the words North, East, West and South. This
was because information was being gathered from all different directions.
What's the origin of the word 'barbecue'? It's derived from French-speaking
pirates, who called this Caribbean pork feast 'de barbe et queue,' which
translates 'from beard to tail.' In other words, the pig roast reflected
the fact that the hog was an eminently versatile animal that could be
consumed from head to toe.
Assasins did not come from Japan; they came from the middle east. They were
part of an extremist muslim sect who took it as their sacred duty to
'remove from office' i.e. 'kill' unworthy or plain old tyrannical rulers.
They would smoke hashish before doing the deed, hence the name 'hashashin'
which later became 'assasin'.
The term 'Chicken Pox' didn't come from people believing that they came
from chickens, it came from the Old English term 'gican pox' - which means
the itching pox.
In traditional English fox hunting, hunters wore scarlet colored jackets
called pinks. If you are 'In the pink', you are ready to go hunting.
The phrase "sleep tight" originated when mattresses were set upon ropes woven
through the bed frame. To remedy sagging ropes, one would use a bed key to
tighten the rope.
The Sanskrit word for "war" means "desire for more cows."
The word "Checkmate" in chess comes from the Persian phrase "Shah Mat,"
which means "the king is dead".
The word "decimate" originated because of a disciplinary method used by
the Romans. If an army performed poorly during battle, every tenth soldier
would be killed.
In Scotland, a new game was invented. It was entitled "Gentlemen Only
Ladies Forbidden" ...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English
language
The term "hay fever" originated in England, where some people suffered
allergic symptoms during hay-pitching time. When the symptoms became severe,
workers often felt feverish.
In ancient England A person could not have sex unless you had consent of
the King (unless you were in the Royal Family) When anyone wanted to have
a baby, they got consent of the King & the King gave them a placard that
they hung on their door while they were having sex. The placard had F.U.C.K
(Fornication Under Consent of the King) on it. Hence the word....
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month
after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all
the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer, and because their calendar
was lunar based, this period was called the "honey month" or what we know
today as the "honeymoon".
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. Not only did pub
keepers maintain the count of pints and quarts consumed, they often
maintained a tab for regular customers, especially sailors. The sailors
tab was sometimes paid directly out of the sailors pay by the ship's
captain. This to assure the pub keeper of payment. However, this created
the opportunity for the pub keeper to charge for a few extra pints and
quarts. And in some cases the captain was in on this little deception, and
shared in the extra payment. Hence it was to the sailors best interest to
keep count of the pints and quarts. To mind his Ps and Qs.
The term 'Cops' originated with the copper shields and buttons of early
police uniforms.
The nursery rhyme Ring Around The Rosey is a rhyme about the plague. Infected
people with the plague would get red circular sores (Ring Around the Rosey) ..
these sores would smell very badly so common folk would put flowers on their
bodies somewhere (inconspicuously), so that it would cover the smell of the
sores (a pocket full of posies...) People who died from the plague would be
burned so as to reduce the possible spread of the disease (ashes, ashes, we
all fall down).
The term "the whole 9 yards" came from W.W.II fighter pilots in the Pacific.
When arming their airplanes on the ground, the .50 caliber machine gun ammo
belts measured exactly 27 feet,before being loaded into the fuselage. If the
pilots fired all their ammo at a target, it got "the whole 9 yards."
The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law which stated
that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.
The name Jeep came from the abbreviation used in the army for the "General
Purpose" vehicle, G.P.
Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of their unwanted people without
killing them used to burn their houses down - hence the expression "to get
fired".
At medieval markets, unscrupulous traders would display a pig for sale. However,
the pig was always given to the customer in a bag, with strict instructions not
to open the bag until they were some way away. The trader would hand the customer
a bag containing something that wriggled, and it was only later that the buyer
would find he'd been conned when he opened the bag to reveal that it contained a
cat, not a pig. Therefore, "letting the cat out of the bag" revealed the
secret of the con trick.
Salt is now an inexpensive and readily available commodity. But it was once very
valuable due to its high demand as a food preservative and relative scarcity. Salt
was thought to have healing properties and to be an antidote to poisons. To take
(eat or drink) something "with a grain of salt" was to practice preventive
medicine. One would do this if they were suspicious that the food might be
poisonous or may cause illness.
Doctors have traditionally spanked babies immediately after delivery to start
them crying, and breathing, hence the expression 'brand spanking new'.
When at rest basking in the sun crocodiles have their mouths open, this position
of the jaw puts pressure on the tear glands and causes them to shed tears. Hence
'crocodile tears' are not real since they are a physical response, not an
emotional one.
Horses have gum lines that recede with age. Hence older horses have longer teeth
than young horses. To "look a horse in the mouth" is to examine the
horse's mouth closely to determine its age (and therefore its usefulness and/or
worth). To immediately judge a gift based on its worth or usefulness rather than
the "thought" behind it is considered rude, and ungrateful.
The phrase, "Paint The Town Red", originated with the Roman Empire. Roman
soldiers used to wash the walls of a newly-conquered town or city with the blood
of the vanquished. This was usually accomplished with a great degree of gusto,
hence the term being applied to a great night on the town.
The French have been enemies of Britain for the past thousand years (on and off),
and are even today thought of with some suspicion by a lot of British people.
Perhaps because of this, the British (a very polite society) have considered the
French to be vulgar and rude. To say "pardon my French" is to say that you
are about to behave as a Frenchman would, i.e. you are about to say something
vulgar.
Each pipe in a pipe organ has a "stop" that acts as a baffle that controls the
amount of airflow. The volume of the organ can be adjusted by adding or removing
the stops. By 'pulling out all the stops', all pipes are playing at their
loudest.
The shoulder of beef is a less desirable cut. Serving a cold piece of beef
shoulder to your guests, giving the 'cold shoulder' is a not so subtle
message that they are not welcome in your home.
The origin of the phrase, 'getting the third degree' can be found within
the Masonic Lodge. Within the lodge there are 3 degrees; the Entered Apprentice,
the Fellowcraft and the Master Mason. To become a Third-Degree or Master Mason,
the highest rank, one must submit to questioning. The Mason's questioning for the
third-degree was known to be an intense ordeal, frightening and unpleasant.
Additionally, it is more physically challenging that the first two degrees. The
term has come to be used for any long an arduous questioning or interrogation.
"I'll be a monkey's uncle" was originally a sarcastic remark by a non-
believer of Darwin's theory and was intended to ridicule the theory of evolution.
The publication of the "Decent of Man" was greeted with derision and a great deal
of skepticism. The idea that man is related by a common ancestor to apes and
monkeys was considered the most outrageous of the claims.
"Crack" can be used as a noun meaning a statement or comment. Consider the term
"wise crack". As a verb "crack", dating back to the 15th century, was to praise
or boast. If you "cracked up" something you sang its praises. Therefore something
that is "not all it's cracked up to be" is something that is not as good
as you were told.
Scot was the Scottish term for a unit of taxation. Anyone who did not have to pay
taxes got off "Scot free".
"Get Your Goat" is from a mispronunciation of "get your goad". A goad is a
pointed rod used to urge on livestock. To goad is to stimulate into action. The
phrase "goad you on" comes to mind. To "get your goat (goad)" then is to be
successful in stimulating a response.
Huncho-dori was a major street in Yokohama that was frequented by American sailors
on leave during W.W.I. To be in Huncho-dori was to be enjoying leisure activities,
having a good time, and generally "Hunky Dory".
Doldrums is the name of a place in the ocean that is located near the equator and
is characterized by unstable trade winds. A sailing ship caught "In the
Doldrums" can be stranded due to lack of wind.
"Three Sheets to the wind", originally "three Sheets in the wind" referred
to the erratic behavior of a ship that has lost control of all of its sails. In
nautical terminology sheets are the ropes that adjust the position of the sails
relative to the wind. The speed and direction of a sailing ship is controlled by
the number of sails raised on each mast, the angle of the sails to the wind (trim
of the sails), and the position of the rudder. If the sheets used to control the
sails are to break or have been released, the sheet is said to be "in the wind".
Prior to the 1810's it was common for ships to have three masts, (fore, main, and
mizzen). If the sheets on all three masts are "in the wind", the ship loses all
steering control.
"In Like Flynn" comes from Errol Flynn's acquittal on statutory rape
charges. Flynn was involved in a sensational trial, in which he was accused of
having sex with two underage girls on a boat. When Flynn was found not guilty,
the phrase became a part of the popular vocabulary. The phrase suggests that his
acquittal was based on his popularity and celebrity.
If "your name is Mudd" it refers to Dr. Mudd, the Physician that set the
broken leg of John Wilkes Booth. After shooting Lincoln, Booth leapt from the
balcony, breaking his leg. Dr. Mudd claimed that he had no idea Booth had just
shot the President, however the government sent him away to prison anyway off
the coast of Key West.
"Skid Row" comes from an older term, skid road, referring to a logging
road paved with tree trunks, or skids. This usage dates to around 1880. An area
of a town where loggers hung out was usually a rough neighborhood and/or the
red-light district, a place where vagrants and bums could also be found in
numbers.
Miners kept caged canaries in the mines as an "early warning device." If the air was bad
enough to kill the canary, it would soon be bad enough to kill people. The canaries were more
sensitive to the deadly fumes. So when the "Canary In A Coalmine" died it
warned the miners to get out.
This enthusiastic exclamation of surfers has its roots in children’s television programming of
the 1950s. "Cowabunga", or Kawabonga, was a made-up word originally used by the character
Chief Thunderthud on the Howdy Doody Show.
In 1978, Jim Jones, the leader of the People’s Temple, a San Francisco cult that had recently
moved to the jungles of Guyana, ordered his people to commit suicide. 914 cult members died,
including 276 children and Jones himself. Most killed themselves by drinking a grape drink
laced with cyanide and sedatives. (It may not have actually been Kool-Aid brand that was used,
but as the most popular brand that was the name that stuck in the public consciousness.) Most
of those who refused to commit suicide were executed, either shot or killed with lethal injection.
Hence, to "Drink the Kool-Aid" is to show cult-like devotion to one’s leaders.
Eavesdrop, or originally eavesdrip, is originally a noun referring to the water dripping off the
eaves of a building or ground on which such water would fall. The use of "Eavesdropper" as one
who stands in the eavesdrip of a building and listens to conversations within, dates to 1487.
To be "Head over heels" is to be confused or in disarray because of something, often love. It’s
a curious phrase as the head is normally over the heels. One would think that it should be heels over
head and indeed the expression was originally the reverse. Heels over head dates to the 14th century but
in the late-18th century, people began reversing the phrase.
I can not verify the legitimacy of any of the material included on this page.
It is presented for amusement only.