By lyenochka
Oh idioms are so much fun
We learned them when we were so young
Expressions like “it’s good as done”
Or weird ones like “Cat got your tongue?"
Please tell us ‘bout your favorite one
For no one’s on "the bottom rung"
How phrases came to be let’s share
As writers we can learn, compare
This is a composite book for all writers to contribute and share what they uncover about the history of well known expressions. We have such funny words for money, (bucks, dough,) or death (“bought the farm”), or mental ability (“not the sharpest tool in the shed,” “his elevator doesn’t go to the top,” “one sandwich short of a picnic,” “lights on but no one’s home.”)
As a writer, you have a plethora of these sayings. Please write us about one of them and ADD a chapter to this book! Thank you!
| Author Notes | I got such great idioms by reviewers to my script so I hope you all will share your knowledge about them. |
By lyenochka
In response to Helen's amazing post about idioms, these are few Cockney rhyming Idioms that always make me smile and are still used by some London market traders.
Apples and pears (stairs)
This rhyme is about steps and stairs and describes the gradation of a market stall full of fruit and vegetables to show the fruit to its best advantage to attract customers.
Bees and Honey (Money)
As bees are hard working, work produces money which is sweet.
Box of Toys (Noise)
Traditionally kids Christmas toys are very noisy and can be annoying too.
Bottle and stopper (Copper)
A copper here in England is a Policeman. These words infer the bottle meaning something enclosed and the stopper meaning to (hold back).
Coals and coke (broke)
Both coal and coke are two blocks that need to be broken down before use and nowadays it means a person is broke (lacks money) or (broken hearted).
Collar and cuff (puff)
The word Puff might be thought of offensive towards a homosexual man but this rhyming slang is referring to an effeminate man as a (powder puff).
Cut and Carried (married)
This refers to a woman who has cuff off her parental support and is now being carried (provided for) by her husband.
Fisherman's daughter (water)
As the water is part of the fisherman's landscape, all he sees is water!
Lump of ice (advice)
Sometimes advice can be a wake up call and be cold comfort to us. Ice cold reality.
Oily rag (a fag)
A fag in the English language means a cigarette and here it is referring to its soiled state when smokers are employed in a mucky profession such as a motor mechanic.
Penny-come-quick (a trick)
A trick of confidence which if successful will make easy money. (A confidence trick).
Weep and wail (a tale)
Used exclusively in reference to a beggar's tale.
On the floor (poor)
Used for temporarily penniless housewives.
Once a week (beak)
A beak is the term for a Magistrate. People who have had too much to drink and became unruly and are arrested and then see the (beak) once a week due to excessive partying on a Saturday night.
Pimple and blotch (Scotch)
Evidently indulgence in long term alcohol bouts can have a blotchy effect on the skin.
Rank and riches (breeches)
This refers to riding breeches that were worn in the 19th century by those who were wealthy or titled.
By lyenochka
We greeted a farmer at church:
"How are you doing today?"
"I'm all stoved up," he said.
We didn't know what to say.
"What do you mean?" we asked.
"I worked the fields yesterday,
and now I'm stiff and sore
from throwing bales of hay."
The idiom, "all stoved up" was one we had not heard until we had a conversation with an older farmer. My first thought was that he might have been remodeling his kitchen, or perhaps he had piled up wood for the winter. He explained that his muscles were sore from baling hay all day and tossing the bales into his barn.
"Stove" is the past tense of the verb "stave," as in "to stave off hunger." Stave is related to staff, so the meaning is that one might beat off hunger in some way, as one might use a stick.
A stave is also any of the narrow strips of wood or iron plates that are placed edge to edge around a barrel or a vessel. To stave a barrel meant to break the ribs of a cask, so one could drink the liquor it held. The word was used this way in the late 1500s. Earlier, however, if a wooden ship were crushed or had a hole smashed in its side, it was said that the ship was staved in; it had been incapacitated and damaged, probably beyond repair. This usage goes back to the 13th century.
Our farmer friend was feeling bruised and battered from the hard work he had accomplished the previous day. We heard other farmers in that small, rural community use the same idiom. But I don't think I've heard it anywhere else. So perhaps you'll be writing about a farmer someday, and you can correctly say he was feeling "all stoved up" after a day of hard field work.
| Author Notes |
For further information, see the following:
dictionary.com/browse/stave https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stave urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=stove up waywordradio.org/stove-up/ The picture is a free image from Pixabay. |
By lyenochka
Thanks for the challenge, Helen!
Though my pick is considered a proverb, rather than an idiom, you encouraged me to post it to the book.
There's more than one way to skin a cat, meaning there is more than one way to do something.
Somebody once told me the expression pertains to skinning catfish.
Alas, I googled it and the derivation refers to cats (and dogs); thus, the gruesome imagery of my cats being so tortured persists. The catfish version is limited to the US southern states.
* * * * * *
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/32123/origin-of-the-phrase-theres-more-than-one-way-to-skin-a-cat
Discussion as to the origin below; two responses are quoted as written by the contributors. (Don't cite me for SPAGs!)
1) There are many versions of this proverb, which suggests there are always several ways to do something. The earliest printed citation of this proverbial saying that I can find is in a short story by the American humorist Seba Smith - The Money Diggers, 1840:
"There are more ways than one to skin a cat," so are there more ways than one of digging for money. Charles Kingsley used one old British form in Westward Ho! in 1855: “there are more ways of killing a cat than choking it with cream”. Other versions include “there are more ways of killing a cat than by choking it with butter”, and “there are more ways of killing a dog than choking him with pudding”. The earliest version appears as far back as 1678, in the second edition of John Ray’s collection of English proverbs, in which he gives it as “there are more ways to kill a dog than hanging”...
... Writers have pointed to its use in the southern states of the US in reference to the catfish, often abbreviated to cat, a fish that is indeed usually skinned in preparing it for eating. However, it looks very much from the multiple versions of the saying, their wide distribution and their age, that this is just a local application of the proverb.
By lyenochka
Thanks Helen for starting this book. Idioms are in many ways, really crazy. But fun to learn their origins.
One that I’ve never understood is the expression, ‘Break a leg’ which means ‘Good luck!!’ Huh?
This is what I found out about it....
Some say the term originated during Elizabethan times when, instead of applause, the audience would bang their chairs on the ground — and if they liked it enough, the leg of the chair would break. Where ‘good luck’ comes into it, I’m not sure.
There is another similar one, 'Shake a leg' meaning to, 'get a move on!' Now that one I can understand.
Another fun one, (if you can call it fun) is: Kick the bucket! How did that have anything to do with dying?
This is what I learned....
Some seem obvious, like: You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs.
But there is another meaning....
It is impossible to get something important done without creating a problem for someone else. So, the result may be good for you, but not for everyone.
It originated in 1700 in the French language by François de Charette, and was translated into English in 1796.
These idioms are a lot of fun and very interesting when you go into them. These are just three of the hundreds, possibly thousands, that are out there.
By lyenochka
1. When hell freezes over / When pigs fly
Chinese version: When the sun rises from the west
When talking about an event that is impossible, Westerners turn to flights of fancy, and the Chinese to astronomical upheaval.
An additional note: This expression can also be used as a question to express your surprise at an uncommon incident.
Say, for example, your child is awake before noon and has cleaned up the house and made you breakfast. First, you say thank you, and then you ask, "Did the sun rise from the west today?"
2. Double-edged sword
Chinese version: Water can carry the boat and also overturn the boat.
This proverb originated from a Q and A with Confucius.
Originally, it was a reminder that leaders were kept afloat by the populous that supported them. If they were dissatisfied, the same people could easily overthrow the leader.
In the same way, a double-edged sword reminds us that what brings us power can also bring us harm.
These days, both expressions are used more generally to point out how our tools can either help or harm, depending on how we use them.
For example, if your team at work is feeling great because your project is getting a lot of press, just keep in mind that media attention can go both ways.
3. Kill two birds with one stoneBy giving a problem three thoughts, you can often come up with a solution crafty enough to take care of two birds at once.
In this Chinese idiom versions, the language is cut down to the barest images. In the alternative saying, the birds are somewhat bigger and the act of shooting an arrow somewhat harder.
Perhaps we can assume that bigger problems must be expressed through bigger fowl?
4. Small potatoesThen again, some problems aren’t problems at all. As it turns out, they’re really no big deal.
To highlight the insignificance of an action or an event, Westerners might use the term "small potatoes."
In the Chinese version, kitchen scraps like chicken feathers and garlic peels are used. So when someone shows up to your potluck dinner party with a small plate of nothing, you’ll know what to say about this.
Additionally, chicken feathers and garlic peels can be used to discuss any trifling matter or superficial conversation. If you meet an old friend at the dinner party but only have time for small talk, you can say that you only spoke of small potatos.
5. Speak of the devilWhile ghosts and demons abound in Buddhist tradition and Chinese superstition, Cao Cao was the historical figure chosen to represent the devil in this idiom.
A warlord during the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao has been praised as a brilliant strategist and fair ruler, but Chinese opera also represented him as cunning and deceitful. This portrayal carried on into the literary epic, Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
This idiom arose out of the belief that Cao Cao had many eyes and ears everywhere, and moved with unbelievable speed. You had to be careful when speaking ill about him.
It's also interesting to note that the second half of the idiom is often omitted in English. Usually, you'll often hear people say, "Speak of the devil."
In Chinese, no one will ever say "Speak of Cao Cao." and leave it at that. Don't omit the second half of it like you would in English "Cao Cao arrives."
| Author Notes |
Photo: https://yoyochinese.com/
Thanks to Helen for starting such a fun and educational book. |
By lyenochka
This is an idiom my grandmother used, and I do, too.
“There many a slip twixt a cup and the lip.” This means a lot of things can happen before you reach your goal. It’s a warning to be prepared for the unexpected.
We’ve passed this down through the family, and I hope it keeps going through future generations.
Another one we use is, “Needs must when the devil drives.” I found a bit of information about that.
The expression is one of the older proverbs in the language, somewhat predating the U.S., so it must be British. Shakespeare used it in All’s Well that Ends Well: “My poor body, madam, requires it: I am driven on by the flesh; and he must needs go that the devil drives”. However, it is actually older — the earliest I can find is in John Lydgate’s Assembly of Gods, written about 1420: “He must nedys go that the deuell dryves”.
It isn’t easily understood, but it boils down to sometimes there is not choice and one is compelled to whatever it takes, even when you’d rather not.
So many idioms to choose from, but these are two of my favorites.
| Author Notes | What a great idea for a book, Helen. Thanks for letting us share in it. |
By lyenochka
Have you heard the expression "How the cow ate the cabbage?" It's commonly used in the South. Grammy said it often. I can still hear her to this day. I researched more information pertaining to it. In most of the South, telling a person "how the cow ate the cabbage" means telling them the unvarnished truth, even if it isn't pleasant.
However, one source stated, "I've heard it used by East Texans, though, it's a little different. It's more like telling someone off, in no uncertain terms, in a way that leaves them no possible room for argument."
Telling someone how the cow ate the cabbage is about telling the truth. It includes specifically letting the individual know what you think about their actions. The speaker tells the 'offender' just how it is whether asked or not. In addition, it may include an unspoken warning it's best not dispute your words if the person knows what's good for him or her. Usually the one who says this to another feels he, or she, told the person 'off' in a bragging manner.
This saying is most often heard in Texas or Arkansas, and it's believed to have originated in the 1940s. However, my grandmother, Grammy, was alive well before that time. I heard from Mother that Grammy would say it as she (mother) was growing up. Ann Richards (then Texas State Treasurer) used “how the cow ate the cabbage” in a speech before the 1988 Democratic National Convention.
Supposedly, the saying originated from an experience of an elderly, near-sighted woman in a small town. The circus was in town. An elephant escaped and ended up in her backyard garden, happily pulling up cabbages with its trunk and gorging on them. She called the police to report what she saw. Alarmed, the woman said, "Sheriff, there's a big cow in my garden pulling up my cabbages with its tail!"
"What's the cow doing with them?" he asked, to which the woman replied, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you!"
Remember, the woman was old and near-sighted. Also, she thought the animal was a cow pulling up the cabbages and eating them.
Well, elderly woman, "bless your heart." That is another expression with multiple meanings, I'll share more on it in a later post, y'all.
| Author Notes |
Google image
|
By lyenochka
Many years ago I first heard the expression “Frick and Frack.” It is used to describe two people who are closely associated and are frequently seen together. For example, Bill Schott’s characters, Ned and Pons, are such close companions they are like Frick and Frack.
This designation derives from the names of a pair of skaters who performed for the Ice Follies for many years, starting in the 1930s. Frick (Werner Groebli) took the name “Frick” from a town in Switzerland. Frack (Hans Rudolph Mauch) got his from the French word for frock coat, which he wore in their act. They were superb skaters, and Frick was noted for his cantilever spread-eagle. However, the pair became best known for their antics on ice.
Frack (Mauch) died in 1979 and Goebli (Frick) died in 2008, but the expression “Frick and Frack” lives on. Brian and Nick of the Back Street Boys call themselves Frick and Frack, and two of the women on Real Housewives of Atlanta are referred to as Frick and Frack. I also noticed a podcast featuring Taylor Ransom and Jonathan Schaefer, who use that designation. If you know of an inseparable pair who sometimes act like doofuses, you may say, “There go Frick and Frack.”
| Author Notes |
Picture of Frick and Frack from Bing Images.
|
By lyenochka
Airing my dirty laundry in public
I use these idioms constantly, without even thinking about it. I just used one a few minutes ago when someone mentioned, when reviewing my latest story, that I'd left out the "good stuff" by not telling all the secrets my son revealed about his siblings. My reply was, I think I've aired quite a bit of my dirty laundry in public.
I've heard that one started in France, and Napoleon was quoted as using it. It referred to hanging clothes outside for the public to see, particularly the frilly underwear the French ladies liked to wear. In my case, I think you know that often I tell some family secrets that might be embarassing to some of my family members. Shame on me, but I strive to be truthful.
Seeing the handwriting on the wall
Many of these sayings have their origin in the Bible. Another of my favorites is seeing the handwriting on the Wall. This one comes from the Book of Daniel when King Belshazzar held a drunken feast. He had been warned, but God's final warning informed him that he had waited too long to repent. His fate was sealed, and even then the enemy was about to take his kingdom. A mysterious hand appeared on the castle wall and wrote out his fate. The written words meant "You have been weighed in the balance and found wanting." To this day when we say this, we mean that it is too late, and the thing we dread will surely happen.
It is cold enough to freeze the balls off of a brass monkey
This one sounds a bit dirty, but it was one I'd wondered how it came to be. It wasn't anything dirty after all. This one was explained by saying a brass monkey is a brass tray used in naval ships during the Napoleonic Wars for the storage of cannonballs (piled up in a pyramid). The theory goes that the tray would contract in cold weather, causing the balls to fall off. Some say this has been discredited as to the origin, but I like the explaination. I would say that is pretty darn cold.
By lyenochka
This is a touchy one. No, not a touchy feely one. It's one that can be viewed as genuine concern and love, or a mean-spirited 'cut down.' Unfortunately, there's no single definition for it. What, you ask, am I talking about? The idiom I'm discussing is bless your heart.
This phrase can mean anything from 'you poor thing' to 'I hate you.' How does one know the difference? Well, now that you asked, I believe I must explain. If one says it when talking about a puppy, it's like saying, "How cute!" However when speaking about humans, it's usually condescending ~ almost never a compliment.
To fully understand the difference, one has to be there at the moment it's said ~ like a fly on the wall. It's usually an insult, not the true meaning of the words if they were taken individually. The recipient who hears this believes it to be a compliment, when in fact it's the opposite. So, you don't say what you mean when speaking to them. They hear the words 'bless your heart.' When this happens, you leave them wondering what you really would've said. What insult would she, or he, think you meant if they could know your true intentions? They may wonder did you just call me dumb, or did you sincerely mean it?
In reality, bless your heart is a linguistic chameleon. It can mean a whole lot of things, depending on who’s saying it to whom, where, and when. If you think you know what it means in an out-of-context kind of way, then you have no idea what it means. Why? Because it only means what it means in the moment. Some possible interpretations are: Thank you! That's funny! He's so cute! Bless your heart doesn't mean you’re an idiot, except, of course, when it does.
| Author Notes |
Google image/YouTube video [ I'm NOT calling anyone stupid or an idiot! ]
~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ |
By lyenochka
The first time I heard someone say 'there was no room to swing a cat,' I was indignant. The meaning was clear, but swing a cat? Who would want to do that? The speaker was UK returned and we thought he was trying to show off and there was no such idiom.
But I came across the idiom many times and realised that it was an expression commonly used by the English speaking people.
My Google search revealed these facts; it is used to describe confined space, as in 'his office space is so small there is no room to swing a cat'
First recorded instance was in 1770. It is supposed generally that the reference is to 'cat- o'-nine-tails', a whip with nine lashes widely used to punish offenders in the British Army. It was usually called as 'cat'. So the room is so small that one cannot swing the whip!
I was greatly relieved when I learned my darling cats were not ill treated!
Our feline darlings are found in many an English expressions. Some of them are-
Fat cat- a negative moniker for a rich powerful person
like a cat on hot bricks-nervous or neurotic behaviour
like a cat that's got the cream-very pleased with oneself
let the cat out of the bag--reveal a secret inadvertantly
play a cat and mouse game- a pursued-pursuer relationship
set a cat among the pigeons -to do or say something that is likely to cause trouble
I could not find the origins of these. But their meanings are more or less self explanatory, especially if you are a cat lover!
Thank you, Helen for this challenge. I was very happy to learn that the cat in 'No room to swing a cat' is a whip.
| Author Notes | Thank you very much, avmurray for this sweet picture. |
By lyenochka
Are you in the habit of prefacing--or apologizing for--expletives with "Pardon my French?"
Beware the PC Polizia di Stato!
The illogic behind one supposition as to the derivation of this excuse is that one hopes to trick those who overhear into believing that the foul language is not what it sounds like, but rather it is a French word. The pathetic "apology" presumably pertains to the use of a word unfamiliar to the listener.
Really???!!!
Those of French descent will not be fooled! Certainly, they are well versed with vulgarities of the English language.
* * * * * *
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/12866/why-do-we-say-%E2%80%9Cpardon-my-french%E2%80%9D-when-we-curse
The phrase appears in the U.S. in this usage as early as the 1800s, and linguists think that it derives from a more literal usage. That is, English speakers dropped French words or phrases into conversation—whether to display their culture, refinement or social class, or because sometimes only a French phrase has that certain je ne sais quoi—and then apologized for it if the listener wasn’t familiar with the word or didn’t speak the language. An example of this usage pops up in the 18th-19th century British fashion magazine The Lady’s Magazine, or Entertaining Companion for the Fair Sex, Appropriated Solely to Their Use and Amusement in 1830: “Bless me, how fat you are grown! Absolutely as round as a ball. You will soon be as enbon-point (excuse my French) as your poor dear father, the major.”
"Pardon my French" or "Excuse my French" is a common English language phrase ostensibly disguising profanity as words from the French language. The phrase is uttered in an attempt to excuse the user of profanity, swearing, or curses in the presence of those offended by it, under the pretense of the words being part of a foreign language.[1]
At least one source[2] suggests that the phrase "derives from a literal usage of the exclamation. In the 19th century, when English people used French expressions in conversation they often apologized for it – presumably because many of their listeners (then as now) wouldn't be familiar with the language".
The definition cites an example from The Lady's Magazine, 1830:[3] (passage cited in the prior reference.)
| Author Notes |
nous sommes unis by supergold on FanArtReview.com THANK YOU!
|
By lyenochka
Give your stars to Google: This is not my work.
I hope you get a chuckle or three from these. The third was purposefully crafted by a man of great wit; wish I'd come up with it. Alas, I'm just a half-wit.
Doggy-dog world
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/148120/where-did-doggy-dog-world-come-from
This Ngram shows that people were happily saying "dog eat dog world" until the 1980s, when "doggy dog world" abruptly came into use.
What might have accounted for this? (It was well before Snoop Dogg's single "Doggy Dogg World").
Did this phrase come into recorded being as genuine wordplay, or as an "eggcorn"?
Yes, it's an eggcorn. People are still saying dog eat dog world, but now they're writing it differently. As you'll note, doggy dog world and dog eat dog world are hard or impossible to distinguish in speech (just like acorn and eggcorn are), and consequently can get transcribed wrong, especially given English spelling. No doubt Snoop's single helped it become cool.
The rise of "doggy-dog world" in the mid-1980s seems to have occurred independently of the instance [below] recorded in 1972. Andrew Tobias, Money Angles (1984) [combined snippets] introduces the wording in the context of a child's misunderstanding of the phrase "dog-eat-dog world":
As for "doggy dog world," the first Google Books match is from U.S. Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs, Educational Benefits Available for Returning Vietnam Era Veterans (1972) [snippet]:
"What made Nam so beautiful, in a sense, was that people there worked together. You could depend on your buddy. But here it's a doggy-dog world."
There was sadness, perhaps even a trace of bitterness, in the voice of [John] Buchanan, a veteran of 15 months in Vietnam and a drop-out of the Police and Fire Department's training program for minorities. He is now unemployed.
Nip it in the butt.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/video/nip-it-in-the-butt-bud-eggcorn-video
Sometimes a word that sounds like the right word and feels like the right word isn't actually the right word. It's an eggcorn. You don't nip something in the butt if you want to stop it before it gets worse, though, maybe that would work in some cases.
No, you nip it in the bud. You figuratively pinch off the bud before it opens into a leaf or flower.
By lyenochka
Donga here I come ...
I am moving to the DONGA way beyond the OLD BLACK STUMP. Most
So I'm driving out to WOOP--WOOP tired of living in this dump.
Now I'm gonna take my SHEILA - if you understand my DRIFT.
Outback where the dingo's waiting, where the JUMBUCK makes it's shrift.
There's a branch short of a bank vault, with a dollar shy five cents.
Yet I'm CHOCKERS feeling BONZA, though I cannot pay the rent.
By the BILLABONG I'm camping with five COBBERS by my side.
Wearing nought but BUDGIE SMUGGLERS waiting for the evening tide.
It might be fair to lick the bottle sucking out tomato sauce.
With four STUBBIES in a six-pack that's just on par for the course.
Simmo played a real rip-snorter, that's FAIR DINKUM now my friend.
You may kick me in the back-side, then I'll have a sore rear end.
Fred the fox is in the hen-house,
causing chaos for the girls.
But I will boil my BILLY here
while my SHEila dives for pearls.
R.Owen 21/11/2021
| Author Notes |
This is my Aussie response about idioms of my land, I am not going into origins of them, this is only a small number of Aussie speak. Meter is all over the place.
DONGA - Out in the bush. OLD BLABK STUMP - in the donga. WOOP-WOOP The old black stump. SHIELA - girl JUMBUCK - sheep CHOCKERS - full to overflowing BONZA - Wonderful BILLA BONG - Creek or water source. COBBER - Friend or mate BUDGIE-SMUGGLERS Mens bathers or speedos STUBBIE - 250 ml, or 330 ml bottle of beer FAIR SUCK OF THE SAUCE BOTTLE - Do not kid me. FAIR DINKUM - That is the honest truth. FOX IN THE HEN HOUSE = Cat among the pigeons BILLY - A Tin container full of tea, heated over a campfire, or boiling water from a kettle. Thanks for reading. R.Owen Artwork by google |
By lyenochka
FOR EDIFICATION ONLY: NOT FOR RATING
Below are cited two contenders for the origin of the phrase: Take it with a grain of salt.
Neither pertains to an admonition to follow a low-sodium diet. *Perish the thought!*
* * * * * *
google search:
Don't even think of it. This expression is used as a wish that what was just mentioned will never happen. For example, He's going to give another speech? Perish the thought! This phrase appeared in Handel's oratorio Joshua (1748; text by Thomas Morell): “It never shall be said that our allies in vain implor'd our aid. Perish the thought!” Also see god forbid.
To take something with a "grain of salt" or "pinch of salt" is an English idiom that suggests to view something, specifically claims that may be misleading or unverified, with skepticism or to not interpret something literally.[1]
In the old-fashioned English units of weight, a grain weighs approximately 65 mg, which is about how much table salt a person might pick up between the fingers as a pinch.
Hypotheses of the phrase's origin include Pliny the Elder's Naturalis Historia, regarding the discovery of a recipe for an antidote to a poison.[2] In the antidote, one of the ingredients was a grain of salt. Threats involving the poison were thus to be taken "with a grain of salt", and therefore less seriously.
The phrase cum grano salis ("with a grain of salt") is not what Pliny wrote. It is constructed according to the grammar of modern European languages rather than Classical Latin. Pliny's actual words were addito salis grano ("after having added a grain of salt").
An alternative account says that the Roman general Pompey believed that he could make himself immune to poison by ingesting small amounts of various poisons, and he took this treatment with a grain of salt to help him swallow the poison. In this version, the salt is not the antidote. It was taken merely to assist in swallowing the poison.
The Latin word sal (salis is the genitive) means both "salt" and "wit", thus the Latin phrase cum grano salis could be translated to either "with a grain of salt" or "with a grain (small amount) of wit", actually to "with caution"/cautiously.[3]
The phrase is typically said "with a pinch of salt" in British English and said "with a grain of salt" in American English.[4]
BONUS TROVE
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/14-expressions-with-crazy-origins-that-you-would-never-have-guessed/
By lyenochka
Damommy (Yvonne) just posted a clever entry for the Free Versers Club "basket" theme event, in which she addresses the oxymoronic usage of "basket case." The poem vividly conveys the irony of comparing a person who is "unraveling" to a tightly-woven basket.
I suggested that Yvonne post a chapter to this idiom compilation; she boomeranged the suggestion.
I shall take advantage of this opportunity to "solicit" reviews for
A Basket Case:
https://www.fanstory.com/displaystory.jsp?id=1042340
Save your stars for Yvonne; I've chipped in just this quickie snippet from the internet.
Behold the gruesome origin of the phrase "basket case."
Pasted From Google:
The term originated from WWI, indicating a soldier missing both his arms and legs, who needed to be literally carried around in a litter or "basket." Today it indicates a state of helplessness similar to the metaphoric removal of the appendages, most frequently in the context of mental health or aptitude.
| Author Notes |
Casper 2 by suzannethompson2 on FanArtReview.com THANK YOU!
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By lyenochka
I always thought that Russian was particularly spiritual because the written language was created by Greek missionaries, Cyril and Methodius. (Hence the name “Cyrillic” for the alphabet.) Christianity came to Russia (first to Kiev) towards the end of the first millennium in 988. “God” expressions were still used in Russian during the atheistic years of the Soviet Union. Even the leaders were caught saying words like “Glory to God” (Slava bogu), “My God!” (Bozhe moi) and “With God” (s bogom).
But Christianity reached Britain centuries before in the 6th century. At first it was in the Roman Catholic form not the Eastern Orthodox as it was in Russia. Protestantism began in the Middle Ages with Henry the VIII in England and John Knox in Scotland. The influence of the Bible in English idioms is really surprising, because we often forget the textual source.
The Book of Job is considered the oldest book of the Bible, and it is one of the most poetic. Even the main character of the book has an idiom dedicated to him - “the patience of Job.” While patience is a virtue, I always felt sorry for the only guy I met who had the name Job. How many women would readily want to be “Job’s wife?”
The 19th chapter of Job inspired one of the most beautiful soprano solos of Handel’s Messiah (“I know that my redeemer liveth”). It also gave us three English idioms. To describe extreme emaciation, we say “nothing but skin and bones.” To say something was accomplished just barely, we say, “by the skin of one's teeth.” Both of these come from Job 19:20 (“I am nothing but skin and bones; I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.” --NIV translation).
Finally, the expression “root of the matter” comes from the same chapter in Job in verse 28: “If you say, ‘How we will hound him, since the root of the trouble lies in him.’”
So next time you use one of these idioms, think about the poetry of that patient man who lost everything, received abuse from judgmental friends, and exasperation from his wife. But he held on to faith in God.
| Author Notes |
Notes:
Picture is from: https://stephencook.com.au/2013/12/30/the-patience-of-job/ https://improving-your-english.com/vocabulary/idioms/bible-idioms/ https://biblehub.com/niv/job/19.htm |
By lyenochka
When Dolly (Dolly’s Poems)wrote about Cockney Rhyming Idioms, she included “fag,” meaning cigarette. I responded that cigarettes have also been called “coffin nails.” As it turns out, Dolly’s grandmother used that idiom when she smoked.
Was I in for a surprise when I looked for images of coffin nails on the Internet and found dozens of pictures of long, square-shaped finger nails! That is the trendy new definition of the word, according to the Urban Dictionary.
The Dictionary also lists other definitions. The Chinese use “coffin nails” to chide their children when they’re unruly. The frustrated parents thus make it clear to their offspring they’re driving them to an early grave.
The idiom can also refer to other things that are harmful. For instance, those greasy French fries could be “coffin nails.”
The oldest use of the idiom, however, is its reference to cigarettes. It has been in use since the 1860s. It’s believed to have originated in Australia, and O. Henry used “coffin nail” in his short story, “The Higher Abdication, published in 1907. Just as nails were used to seal coffins, cigarettes could be the nail that sealed a person’s death. Even though tobacco was targeted as a cause of cancer, heart disease, and lung disease, the government ordered 400,000,000 cigarettes for Allied soldiers during World War I. A cigarette brand labeled itself “Coffin Nails.”
Despite the efforts of the Anti-Cigarette league in the early 20th Century, people still “puffed, puffed, puffed” those cigarettes. Joe Pyne, a popular radio shock jock of the 1960s, called his smokes “coffin nails.” Unforunately, the term proved all-too-true for him, as he died of lung cancer.
It has taken over a century for the public and the government to respond to those early warnings about the dangers of smoking. No longer do we see images of the Marlboro man on TV or movie couples sharing a post-coital cigarette, but there are still people who persist in smoking those coffin nails.
| Author Notes |
Picture from Bing Images. I believe this is from the cigarette box label.
Some Sources: https://urbandictionary.com/drfinephp?term=coffinmail https://tobacco.harpweek.com/HubPages/commentary https://www.reporter-herald.com/2013/92/01/origin-of-cigarette-phrase-nailed-down The Puffed, Puffed, Puffed comes from the song by Tex Williams. Here it is. |
By lyenochka
| Author Note: | ~ Dedicated to All Who Work Hard for a Living ~ |
"Hey, man."
"Yeah, what's up?"
I ask my ol' man for a loan. He looked at me funny, then said, "You and your sister must think I have a money tree. You think I'm rolling in the dough.
Well, let me put my two cents in. Your great grandpa did strike it rich. However, he threw good money after bad and ended up flat broke.
Then, your grandpa was one of eleven. His parents were as poor as a church mouse. However, they tried the best they knew how. Grandpa fell into the wrong crowd and found out a fool and his money are soon parted."
I asked, "Where did he get any money?"
"He delivered newspapers and believed a penny saved is a penny earned. As an adult, he lived beyond his means and soon was deep in debt. I started working at menial jobs, but made a point to not let money burn a hole in my pocket. When I married your mom, it was common for the man to bring home the bacon. So, to make a long story short, get a job. I won't continue to foot the bill for you any longer."
"Well, friend, whadda ya goin' to do? The only jobs round here are those where one works for peanuts."
"Yeah, I know. I have dreams of playing the lottery and hittin' the jackpot. I have my heart set on that cool vintage Mustang that's in mint condition. Whoever owned that beauty was sittin' on a gold mine, I see it every day on my way to school. Seein'as I'm strapped for money, it's only wishful thinkin'. I know it'll sell for a pretty penny."
"What say you, friend, tomorrow we go apply at Burgers Deluxe. I know you don't have a cash cow, and you weren't born with a silver spoon in your mouth."
"Deal."
| Author Notes |
Google image/YouTube video
~~~~~~~ *A fool and his money are soon parted If someone acts foolishly or unwisely with their finances, then they will soon lose their money. This phrase is best used to describe gamblers and risk-takers with bad luck. *A penny saved is a penny earned This common phrase is used to encourage people to save money. It's as useful to save money that someone already has as it is to earn more money. Money spent is gone forever. *As poor as a church mouse To be very poor to the point of starvation or begging. This idiom is an alteration of as hungry as a church mouse, and came from the idea that priests meticulously prevent any crumb of the sacrament of Eucharist from falling to the ground, meaning that church mice couldn't eat the crumbs. *Born with a silver spoon in your mouth To be born rich in the lap of luxury, wealth, and comfort. People born with a silver spoon in their mouth are often the children of wealthy parents. *Bring home the bacon To earn a family's livelihood by bringing home a salary. *Burn a hole in your pocket To influence someone to spend money quickly. Spending on unnecessary purchases for instant gratification, because the money was burning to get out of your pocket. *Cash cow A descriptor of a business or product that generates a continuous flow of income. *Cost a pretty penny When something costs a pretty penny, it costs a lot of money. *Flat broke To have absolutely no money. work for peanuts To work for very little money that is valued below the cost of labor. *Have money to burn/burning a hole in your pocket To have money that you are eager to spend on frivolous things. *Hit the jackpot To make a lot of money very suddenly, such as the jackpot in gambling. *Mint condition An item in mint condition is in perfect condition despite its age. *Money doesn't grow on trees This means money isn't easy to acquire, because it doesn't simply grow on trees. *Money talks Money gives people the power to get or do whatever they want, because it can influence a situation. Basically, money speaks volumes. *Put in your 2 cents To put in your 2 cents is to give your comments or advice in a matter. This idiom is used to mean that the comments given are a personal opinion. *Rolling in money (dough) To metaphorically frolic in a large pile of money. *Sitting on a gold mine To own something very valuable, but not realize that it is. *Strapped for cash To have little or no money available. *Strike it rich To become rich or successful suddenly, basically overnight. *Throw good money after bad By throwing good money after the bad, you're not only wasting money, but wasting additional money on the same thing. It's like doing something twice and hoping your luck will change. *work for peanuts means to work hard for little pay |
By lyenochka
Bob’s your uncle! This one really slays me. What has Bob got to do with anything? Yet it means it’s all finished and all good. People often use this expression to conclude a story about a problem that got solved. No one really knows where this idiom came from but one theory suggests it refers to the supposed nepotism of the 20th British Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury (whose first name was Robert), but that is just supposition.
ie: I'll just trim your beard, and Bob’s your uncle!
Donkey’s years old! This means it’s ancient, really old. But how does it explain the donkey part? Basically, it’s the large ears the donkey has. This idiom began as ‘Donkey’s ears long/old, but over time, ears became years. Another silly idiom, but fun.
ie: I haven’t baked a pie in donkey’s years!
To feel under the weather! To feel tired or rather poorly. This comes from way back and is actually really interesting. Back in the olden days on the old sailing ships, the number of sick sailors often exceeded the space in the log to list their names. When this happened, the excess names of the sick were recorded in the column usually reserved for noting down the weather conditions. Hence 'under the weather'. Sounds reasonable to me!! Lol.
To give someone stick! This comes from the literal sense of beating someone with a stick, but over the years it became more a form of verbal criticism rather than a beating. It also progressed to become a subtle British idiom of being mean, or sarcastic, to someone when a person has done something silly, but is taken in fun because those giving the person ‘stick’ are friends! Lol, that’s us British, we like to confuse!!
Ie. He’s been getting stick all week from his wife because he forgot her birthday!
To go pear-shaped! I liked this one which has two possible origins, plus a few others that have since materialised. I’ll stick to the two I managed to discover, both of which describe something going wrong. The first dates back to the observational balloons used during WW1, which occasionally refused to inflate as they were intended, but would go ‘pear-shaped.’ The second takes place in the air again, this time during WW2 when RAF pilots were sometimes frustrated by their attempts to perform perfect aerial circles but instead ended up ‘pear-shaped.’
An example of today's usage is: ‘I was trying to arrange a party for Dad, but it went pear-shaped!’ Or you can just say, it all went wrong. Finally, it also describes the body-shape of some of us!!
As it's nearly Christmas, here's a few of my favourite Christmas Cracker jokes!
What did the snowman say to the aggressive carrot?
‘Get out of my face!’
Why was the snowman embarrassed when he was spotted rummaging through the bag of carrots?
He was caught picking his nose!!
I have this incredible ability to predict what’s inside a wrapped present.
It’s a gift!
Why are Christmas trees so bad at sewing?
Because they’re always dropping their needles!!
What does Santa do when his elves are naughty?
He gives them the sack!
What is Good King Wenceslas's favourite pizza?
One that’s deep pan crisp and even!
| Author Notes | I've been struggling to get back into writing, or anything else come to that, so just to get my muse to perk up, I've found some more idioms for Helen's book. The Xmas jokes are just a bit of fun. I hope to start getting back into things now. For all those that I've still to catch up on, I promise I'll get to you! xxx |
By lyenochka
A few years back, a woman I was friendly with in the locker room of the gym (not that kind of friendly) came in from her swim, flustered. Sally told me she'd encountered a fellow at the pool, whom she hadn't seen in months.
She greeted him with these words:
"Hello, Jim! I haven't seen you in a 'coons age."
Jim nodded curtly, then walked away.
It was then Sally realized: Jim, who is black, had taken 'coon -- short for raccoon -- as a racial slur.
Per the reference below, stay on the safe side: substitute the British idiom: In a donkey's years.
Now, check out Sandra Mitchell's post today on that expression (and several others).
* * * * * *
https://www.straightdope.com/
What’s the origin of “coon’s age”? - The Straight Dope
It actually refers to raccoons. The expression “in a coon’s age” dates to the early 1800s, and to the folk belief that raccoons are long-lived. ... average, probably 2-3 years ...
... applied to black people ... first used in the 1850s ... for that reason, "in a coon’s age” makes many people uncomfortable, notwithstanding its innocent origin.
| Author Notes |
Peak A Boo by lynnkah on FanArtReview.com THANK YOU!
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By lyenochka
Thanks to our international contributors, we are learning idioms from around the world.
I recently learned from the Upworthy article below that Norwegians have an idiom that translates to “speak directly from the liver.” This means to not sugarcoat anything but to express something directly. Norwegians, like other people in the world, must have once believed that the liver, the largest internal organ, was the source of courage.
Koreans believed this because they have an expression that the “liver comes out from the belly.” It is said when someone is fearless or even reckless. I have heard people say that someone has a “big liver." That doesn’t refer to a medical condition but a mental one.
In English, we have the same concept with the idiom, “lily-livered” which means to be cowardly. But the liver does not seem as highly prized in the modern English-speaking world. The origin of the sarcastic expression, “What am I, chopped liver?” came from a 1971 comic strip called Winthrop written by Dick Cavalli.
But in Ancient Greece, they believed that the liver was the seat of emotions and that concept seemed to have spread to other kingdoms like Armenia and Persia. Armenians use the “liver” as a term of endearment like we would use “heart” in English. In Persian, “I will eat your liver” is a way of saying, “I love you so intensely, I would do anything for you.”
I think in English, we prefer the heart for emotions. Saying “eat your liver out,” just doesn’t sound right.
| Author Notes |
Notes:
https://www.upworthy.com/idioms-from-around-the-world?rebelltitem=7#rebelltitem7 https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/Livers https://www.chaiandconversation.com/2014/11-persian-sayings-make-no-sense-english |
By lyenochka
By the skin of your teeth:
This one really surprised me, I wonder how many know that this expression originated from the Bible:
‘My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth!’ Job 19:20
We can only assume he got away with nothing at all. Today we use it to explain a narrow escape.
How did the bauble know that she was addicted to Christmas?
She’d been hooked on Christmas trees all her life!!
What do you get if you eat Christmas Decorations?
Tinsilitis!!
What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?
Frostbite!!
Why did no-one bid for Rudolph and Blitzen on eBay?
Because they were too deer!!
How did Mary and Joseph know that Jesus was 8lb 6oz when he was born?
They had a weigh in a manger!!
Sorry, I just couldn't resist them!! LOL
| Author Notes |
Another page in Helen's book of Idioms! There are estimated to be 25,000 idiomatic expressions in the English language, so don't go away, I have a few more to do!
Have a wonderful Christmas, everyone. I'll see you all in the 2022! |
By lyenochka
A Fish Out Of Water; Most of us know what this idiom means, to be in a situation that is neither comfortable nor familiar. In fact, you wish you weren’t there. But I was surprised to find the first time this was mentioned was in 1387 by Geoffrey Chaucer in his collection of stories, The Canterbury Tales, with… ‘… a monk, when he is cloisterless, is like to a fish that is waterless….’
I was gobsmacked that I used to watch the Canterbury Tales series each week, the stories that were written hundreds of years ago! Wouldn't it be nice if our work was being read or seen on the screen in 800 years time?
Now here’s a little story!
My husband, Graham, has loads of stories about historical places that aren’t generally known, at least, they aren’t told in the history classes at school. I didn’t know this one but I did Google it to see if it actually happened. It did.
Up in the Lake District in England, there is a 400-year-old whitewashed Inn. Its name is ‘The Drunken Duck Inn’ and this is the story that lies behind the name.
Back in the 1800s, the landlady of the Inn was called outside and was dismayed to find her ducks all laid out in the road. Thinking they’d all died, she brought them inside and plucked them. She’d almost finished the last one when they started to move and she realised her mistake. She later discovered a beer leak had contaminated their feed. The ducks had enjoyed their feast and had passed out in a drunken stupor! So, full of remorse, the landlady knitted them all a nice warm jumper!
I knew you’d love this one!! Lol.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and will have the best New Year!
| Author Notes | Thank you for all your amazing support over the years. I've met some wonderful people on FS, and I appreciate each and everyone of you, it's been a privilege getting to know you. I will be starting my new novel next week... The Return. :)) xxx |
By lyenochka
Now, Helen/Lyenochka was mentioning that she'd enjoyed some idioms from many parts of the world, so I thought I could give my two penny's worth.
As many of you will know, I grew up in the wee country of Denmark, but although Danish is only spoken by barely six million people, the language is curiously very rich in idioms. None of them will make much sense in English, hence an explanation will follow to each of them. So here goes.
You will often hear a Dane exclaim: 'Oh my, I had to swallow a camel.'
As this would be nigh on impossible, an outsider would be right to wonder what on earth this could possibly mean?
Well, it's quite simple really. If we have to accept something which is totally against our belief that would be what we would say.
Now, here is another curious one nobody would understand if they didn't understand the language.
You see, in Denmark we don't get lucky. No, instead, we shoot the parrot. Does it make sense? Absolutely not. But to a Dane it does.
"Guess, what?" I would cheerfully say to my friend. "I shot the parrot today."
"No!" came the answer, "did you win the lottery?"
"Yes, I did. Not a fortune, mind you. Just a few hundred. But still very handy "
And then the last one: To be on a bucket.
When a Dane says he or she is on the bucket it doesn't have anything to do with being on the toilet. No, when you are on the bucket in Denmark you are either broke or you are in deep trouble.
So I will leave it at that. I just wanted to show, how sayings can mean something different from language to language.
| Author Notes | Thanks to supergold for the use of the photo. |
By lyenochka
| Author Note: | ~ Dedicated to Thinking for Oneself ~ |
Think about this. When the Little Engine That Could said, "I think I can, I think I can," what did you think about? Perhaps you were too young to understand what the word perseverance meant. Hopefully, you are able to think back to some examples in your life about similar circumstances with positive outcomes. Those were not just wishful thinking experiences on your part.
In school, were you instructed by a teacher to put your thinking cap on, if and when, you encountered a difficult assignment or question? Teachers enjoy students who think big. Education has undergone many changes, yet knowledge is vital to build upon the shoulders of the great people who came before us.
Albert Einstein was, at times, criticized for his blue sky thinking. His thinking wasn't limited to only accepted norms. People didn't understand his creative, exceptional thinking abilities. To them, his thinking was far from normal. Without his out of the box thinking, the world would've not known of his many great, and valuable, discoveries. Think that over.
Do you think someone hung the moon and stars? Hopefully if the answer is yes, then that one is a special person in your life. Do you think the sun rises and sets on that person? Conversely, do you think ill of someone, or think little of someone? Think long and hard about your answers. Other individuals judge you by your answers.
How do you react when you compliment a person, and they say, "Think nothing of it?" Does that reply make you think twice about what you said or think it over? Also, there are people who think they own the place. What would you, or could you, do to put them in their place? Do you try to get them to your way of thinking? I advise you to think over your answer, and think before acting.
Many people overthink, at times, when the answer isn't as complicated as they think. Do you do your thinking out loud? Sometimes we see the results of something and say to ourselves, "What were they thinking?"
When you think about thinking, think how the results may benefit more than yourself.
| Author Notes |
Google image (free from public domain)/YouTube video
~~~~~~ |
By lyenochka
| Author Note: | ~ Dedicated to Abby ~ |
Take your umbrella today, Son, it's raining cats and dogs. The last time you left without it, you ended up looking like something the cat dragged in.
Oh, Mom, be serious for once.
I am.
It sounds weird.
Well, I've been wanting a kitten for a long time. Maybe, I can catch one.
Oh, don't be silly. Just you wait.
Yeah, somethin' tells me you're plannin' a surprise.
Oops, it seems someone let the cat out of the bag. Your birthday is this Saturday, and your father and I planned to gift you a kitten. So, I bet I know who told you. I'll ask. However, he'll pretend the cat has his tongue. He won't let on, but, I'm pretty sure it was him.
Well, I'm out the door now. Charlie and I are gonna study together for the trig test. I don't know when I'll ever use that info. However, I know you'll have kittens if I fail. Bye.
*******
Hey, man. what's with you and that grin like the Cheshire cat?
Oh, that, Charlie. I just found out I'm gettin' a kitten for my birthday on Saturday.
Okay, let's get serious and study before class. I wonder how many fat cats hob knob with little people who know trig?
Well, if we don't pass this test, then we won't have a cat's chance in hell of finding out, right?
You're right. We'd lose more than one of our nine lives a cat has, if that could apply to people, too.
Yeah. I'd hate to think curiosity killed the cat, meaning us, over a silly trig test.
Oh, that makes as much sense as some of the potential problems on the test, Charlie.
*******
Later that day ~
Whew! That test was the pits. I think I might've squeaked by. How 'bout you, Charlie?
Me, too.
Let's go celebrate--you know what they say, while the cat's away the mice will play.
Let's race to the new ice cream shop. I heard it's the cat's pajamas.
Yeah, I'll bet a lot of cool cats will be hanging out there watching the girls.
You're on.
*******
As the two boys enjoy an ice cream soda, an announcement on the radio relates about a cat burglar finally being caught with the stolen jewelry on their person.
Boy, that was some good ice cream. Now, I'm ready to head home for a catnap before the big game tonight. That's if I can find my bed, considering my room looks like the cat's cradle, which Mom has been after me for days to clean.
*******
Later, tonight, bro.
| Author Notes |
Free Google image/YouTube video.
***Lack of quotation marks is intentional. I believe the line breaks between speakers addresses who's speaking.*** ~~~~~~~ Cat Idioms/Meanings it's raining cats and dogs; it's raining heavily Be the cat's whiskers/pajamas To be the best thing, person, idea, etc. Has the cat got your tongue? Said to somebody, especially a child, who stays silent when expected to speak, for example after being asked a question. Curiosity killed the cat (used to tell somebody not to ask questions or try to find out about things that do not concern them. Let the cat out of the bag to tell a secret carelessly or by mistake. Like herding cats (Used to describe a very difficult task, especially one that involves organizing people. . Look like something the cat brought/dragged in A person that looks look dirty and untidy. Play a game of cat and mouse with somebody, play a cat-and-mouse game with somebody When the cat's away the mice will play People enjoy themselves more and behave with greater freedom when the person in charge of them is not there. Cat nap : A very short sleep. A nap means to sleep for a short while. A cat nap is even shorter. Cat's cradle : The popular string and fingers game is called "cat's cradle". But it's used to mean "messy". Cat burglar A thief who breaks into a home or bank, usually by climbing up a wall, in a window or up a drainpipe, to steal very valuable items. Play cat and mouse : Trying to trick someone into making a mistake so you can defeat them. While the cat's away the mice will play When the boss is out of the room, the workers don't work so hard and may even not work at all Look like the cat that got the cream Look very happy with yourself. Grin like a Cheshire cat : To smile a lot. A cat's chance in hell Very little to no chance Fight like cats and dogs Fight all the time Cool cat Someone who has the respect of their peers in a young, casual way Scaredy cat Someone to is afraid to do anything. Cat on a hot tin roof To be extremely nervous As nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs : Rocking chairs have rockers instead of feet and cat tales may get caught and rocked on. Fat cat : Someone who is wealthy and lazy while everyone else does the work. A cat has nine lives : Cats seem to get away with dangerous things To have kittens Be very upset about something A cat's eye : A reflector set into a road to warn drivers of where the lane markers are. Even a cat can look at a king/queen : I have every right to do this Bell the cat A great idea that's impossible to carry about because it's too dangerous. It comes from a story about a mouse to decided to tie a bell around a cat's neck so that he could hear the cat coming. no room to swing a cat small room more than one way to skin a cat (not literal) more than one answer |
By lyenochka
We all heard the expression, “the real McCoy” which means “the real thing” or the “genuine article.” But do we really know where that idiom comes from?
Some people say it’s from Reay, Scotland where one branch of MacKay family was established. And given the melodious accent of the Scots, “the Reay MacKay” could possibly sound like “real McCoy.” But another more famous MacKay branch in Edinburgh made a popular whiskey which they promoted as the “real MacKay.” Again, some acrobatics in vowel pronunciation are required to come up with the same sounds. But the Scots have some clout in owning the phrase since there was a Scottish poem,”Deil's Hallowe'en” which has the line:
"A drappie o' the real McKay."
Other possible sources of the idiom have been attributed to an American boxing champion who went by the name, Kid McCoy. His drunk opponent proclaimed him the “real McCoy” on his way to the floor. Some proposed it had something to do with the feuding Hatfields and McCoys. But a more interesting source is the story of Elijah McCoy, a nineteenth century African American inventor.
Elijah McCoy was born in 1844 in Ontario, Canada, where his enslaved parents found freedom. At age 15, he went to Scotland to be apprenticed in mechanical engineering. Despite having a certificate in mechanical engineering, he was not able to get a job in the field in Michigan, where his family eventually settled. So he worked as a fireman and oilman for the Michigan Central Railroad. In troubleshooting problems, he designed and patented a lubricating cup that evenly distributed the oil. Competitors tried creating similar products but nothing worked as well as “the real McCoy.” Over the course of McCoy’s life, he received 60 patents for a variety of other inventions. Towards the end of his life, he created the Elijah McCoy Manufacturing Company which produced his famous lubricators.
Today is May 2, the birthday of Elijah McCoy. So even though the oldest appearance of the idiom referred to the real McKay whiskey, I like to think that the expression became most popularized in North America because of the enterprising engineer, Elijah McCoy.
| Author Notes |
Notes:
The picture is from: https://onmilwaukee.com/images/articles/th/the-real-mccoy-black-history-month/the-real-mccoy-black-history-month_fullsize_story1.jpg?20190218121418 https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/real-mccoy.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_real_McCoy https://www.biography.com/inventor/elijah-mccoy |
By lyenochka
Many of us have rushed to finish a contest entry for FanStory and submitted it just “in the nick of time” before the deadline. We’ve seen suspense movies in which the hero is desperately trying to defuse a bomb. With only seconds remaining, he finishes the task “in the nick of time.” Ball games may take an unexpected turn when a player makes a game-saving score “in the nick of time.”
Over time, the idiom “in the nick” has had different meanings. To the British, it could mean serving time in prison, known as “the nick.” In Shakespeare’s day, “in the nick” meant being in the right place at the right time.
The origin of “nick” is unknown, but it possibly comes from the Old French niche. The word came into use in 1577 and is associated with nick-sticks. School-boys had nick-sticks in which they made notches as a way of counting down the days until vacation time.
Sports teams used nick-sticks to keep score in sports. If a team scored near the end of the game, the winning play was made “in the nick of time.”
One of the earliest uses of the phrase in literature is in Sir Walter Scott’s 1821 novel, The Pirate.
Lovers of detective fiction claim the phrase is a reference to the fictional private investigator, Nick Carter. Nick Carter was the creation of John Coryell (1842-1924). Frederick Dey (1862-1922) then took over and wrote several novels featuring Nick Carter. The exploits of the daring young detective were published as dime novels in Street and Smith’s New York Weekly. Nick Carter became known as America’s Sherlock Holmes.
The sleuth’s popularity didn’t end with the beginning of the 20th Century. MGM made three Nick Carter movies starring Walter Pigeon—Nick Carter, Master Detective (1939), Phantom Raiders (1940), and Sky Murder (1940).
Radio also capitalized on the character. Nick Carter, Master Detective, first aired on the Mutual Broadcasting Company in 1943 and ran until 1953, with Lon Clark playing Carter. Organ music was used, and it must have played ominous notes leading up to the hero’s arrival to save someone in danger—just in the Nick of time.
That tradition has carried over with our famous TV detectives. Barnaby Jones often has to rescue his associate Jedediah at the last minute; sometimes Jedediah returns the favor and rescues him. Private investigator Joe Mannix often has to come to the aid of a woman in distress, and sometimes the police officers show up in time to rescue him.
Next time you use the expression “in the Nick of time,” remember the character who put the “Nick” in it.
| Author Notes |
Picture of one of the Nick Charles novels found on Bing Images.
Some Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Carter_literary_character https://englishstackexchange.com/questions/189818/etymology-of-nick-in https://english-grammar-lessons.com/nick-of-time-meaning |
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