The Origins of Some Old Sayings - Local Histories

Below is a list of old sayings and where they came from. However, sometimes it is impossible to say for certain how an old saying originated. Skiptocontent ByTimLambert Belowisalistofoldsayingsandwheretheycamefrom.However,sometimesitisimpossibletosayforcertainhowanoldsayingoriginated.Sometimeswecanonlygivethemostlikelyexplanation. ACHILLESHEEL In Greekmythology, ThetisdippedhersonAchillesinthemythicalRiverStyx.Anyonewhowasimmersedintheriverbecameinvulnerable.However,ThetisheldAchillesbyhisheel.Sinceherhandcoveredthispartofhisbodythewaterdidnottouchitandsoitremainedvulnerable.AchilleswaseventuallykilledwhenParisofTroyfiredanarrowathimandithithisheel. AMIMYBROTHER’SKEEPER? LikemanyoldsayingsintheEnglishlanguage,thisonecomesfromtheBible.InGenesis,CainmurderedhisbrotherAbel.GodaskedCain‘Whereisyourbrother?’.Cainanswered‘Idon’tknow.AmImybrother’skeeper?’. APPLEOFMYEYE ThisphrasealsocomesfromtheBible.InPsalm17:8thewriterasksGod‘keepmeastheappleofyoureye’. BAKERSDOZEN Abaker’sdozenmeansthirteen.Thisoldsayingissaidtocomefromthedayswhenbakerswereseverelypunishedforbakingunderweightloaves.Someaddedaloaftoabatchofadozentobeabovesuspicion. BEATABOUTTHEBUSH Whenhuntingbirdssomepeoplewouldbeataboutthebushtodrivethemoutintotheopen.Otherpeoplewouldthencatchthebirds.‘Iwon’tbeataboutthebush’cametomean‘Iwillgostraighttothepointwithoutanydelay’. ONYOURBEAMENDS Onaship,thebeamsarehorizontaltimbersthatstretchacrosstheshipandsupportthedecks.Ifyouareonyourbeam-endsyourshipisleaningatadangerousangle.Inotherwords,youareinaprecarioussituation. BEELINE Inthepast,peoplebelievedthatbeesflewinastraightlinetotheirhive.Soifyoumadeabeelineforsomethingyouwentstraightforit. BEYONDTHEPALE Originallyapalewasanareaundertheauthorityofacertainofficial.Inthe14thand15thcenturies,theEnglishkingruled Dublin,andthesurroundingareawasknownasthepale.Anyone‘beyondthepale’wasseenassavageanddangerous. BIGWIG Inthe18thcenturywhenmanymenworewigs,themostimportantmenworethebiggestwigs.Hencetodayimportantpeoplearecalledbigwigs. BITETHEBULLET Thisoldsayingmeanstogrinandbearapainfulsituation.Itcomesfromthedaysbeforeanesthetics.Asoldierabouttoundergoanoperationwasgivenabullettobite. THEBITERBEINGBITTEN Inthe17thcentury,abiterwasaconman.‘Talkaboutthebiterbeingbitten’wasoriginallyaphraseaboutaconmanbeingbeatenathisowngame. BITTEREND Anchorcablewaswrappedaroundpostscalledbitts.Thelastpieceofcablewascalledthebitterend.Ifyouletoutthecabletothebitterendtherewasnothingelseyoucoulddo,youhadreachedtheendofyourresources. THEBLINDLEADINGTHEBLIND InMatthew15:14JesuscriticizedthePharisees,thereligiousauthoritiesofhisday,saying‘theyareblindleadersoftheblind’. BLUE-BLOOD Thismeansaristocratic.ForcenturiestheArabsoccupied Spain buttheyweregraduallyforcedoutduringtheMiddleAges.TheupperclassinSpainhadpalerskinthanmostofthepopulationastheirancestorshadnotintermarriedwiththeArabs.Astheyhadpaleskinthe‘blue’bloodrunningthroughtheirveinswasmorevisible.(Ofcourse,allbloodisredbutitsometimeslooksbluewhenrunningthroughveins).Soblue-bloodedcametomeanupperclass. BOBBIES,PEELERS BoththesenicknamesforpolicemencomefromSirRobertPeelwhofoundedthefirstmodernpoliceforcein1829. TOBOOT Ifyougetsomethingtobootitmeansyougetitextra.However,ithasnothingtodowiththebootsyouwearonyourfeet.Itisacorruptionoftheoldwordbot,whichmeantprofitoradvantage. BORNWITHASILVERSPOONINYOURMOUTH Oncewhenachildwaschristeneditwastraditionalforthegodparentstogiveasilverspoonasagift(iftheycouldaffordit!).However,achildborninarichfamilydidnothavetowait.Heorshehaditallfromthestart.Theywere‘bornwithasilverspoonintheirmouth’. ABROKENREED ThisphraseisfromIsaiah36:6.WhentheAssyrianslaidsiegetoJerusalemoneofthemstoodoutsidethewallsandaskediftheyhopedforhelpfromEgypt.HedescribedEgyptasa‘brokenreed’. CHAP ThiswordisderivedfromtheoldwordChapmanwhichmeantamerchantortrader.It,inturn,wasderivedfromceapman.Theoldwordceapmeanttosell. CHOCK-A-BLOCK Whenpulleysorblocksonasailingshipwerepulledsotightlytogetherthattheycouldnotbemovedanyclosertogethertheyweresaidtobechock-a-block. COALSTONEWCASTLE Beforerailwayswereinventedgoodswereoftentransportedbywater.CoalwastransportedbyshipfromNewcastle to London bysea.Itwascalledseacoal.TakingcoalstoNewcastlewasobviouslyapointlessexercise. COCKAHOOP Thisphrasecomesfromaprimitivetapcalledaspileandshive.Ashivewasawoodentubeatthebottomofabarrelandaspilewasawoodenbung.Youremovedtheshivetolettheliquidflowoutandreplacedittostoptheflow.Thespilewassometimescalledacock.Ifpeoplewereextremelyhappyandwantedtocelebratetheytookoutthecockandputitonthehooponthetopofthebarreltoletthedrinkflowoutfreely.Soitwascockahoop.Socockahoopcametomeanecstatic. COCKANDBULLSTORY Thisphrasewasfirstrecordedinthe17thcentury.Itprobablycomesfromanactualstoryaboutacockandabullthatisnowlost. CLOUDCUCKOOLAND ThisphrasecomesfromaplaycalledTheBirdsbytheGreekdramatistAristophanes(c.448-385BC).Intheplay,thebirdsdecidetobuildautopiancitycalledCloudcuckooland. COPPER Theoldwordcopmeanttograborcapturesointhe19thcenturypolicemenwerecalledcoppersbecausetheygrabbedorcaughtcriminals. CROCODILETEARS Theseareinsinceredisplaysofgrieforsadness.Itcomesfromtheoldbeliefthatacrocodilewept(insincerely!)ifitkilledandateaman. CUTANDRUN Inanemergencyratherthanhaulupananchorthesailorswouldcuttheanchorcableandthenrunwiththewind. WHATTHEDICKENS! ThisoldsayingdoesnotcomefromthewriterCharlesDickens(1812-1870).Itismucholderthanhim!Ithasbeenaroundsinceatleastthe16thcentury.Originally‘Dickens’wasanothernamefortheDevil. DIFFERENTKETTLEOFFISH Inthepastakettlewasnotnecessarilyadevicetoboilwatertomakeacupoftea.Apotforboilingfood(likefish)wasalsocalledakettle.Unfortunately,nobodyreallyknowswhywesay‘a different kettleoffish’. DON’TLOOKAGIFTHORSEINTHEMOUTH Thisoldsayingmeansdon’texamineagifttooclosely!Youcantellahorse’sagebylookingatitsteeth,whichiswhypeople‘lookedahorseinthemouth’. DOUBTINGTHOMAS ThisphrasecomesfromJohn20:24-27.Afterhisresurrection,Jesusappearedtohisdisciples.However,oneofthem,namedThomas,wasabsent.WhentheotherstoldhimthatJesuswasaliveThomassaidhewouldnotbelieveituntilhesawthemarksonJesus’handsandthewoundonhissidecausedbyaRomanspear.JesusappearedagainandtoldThomasStopdoubtingandbelieve! DOWNATHEEL Iftheheelsofyourshoeswereworndownyouhadashabbyappearance. DUTCHCOURAGE Inthe17thcenturyEnglandandHollandwererivals.Theyfoughtwarsin1652-54,1665-67and1672-74.Itwassaid(veryunfairly)thattheDutchhadtodrinkalcoholtobuilduptheircourage.OtherinsultingphrasesareDutchtreat(meaningyoupayforyourself)andDoubleDutchmeaninggibberish. DYEDINTHEWOOL Woolthatwasdyedbeforeitwaswovenkeptitscolorbetterthanwooldyedafterweavingor‘dyedinthepiece’. EARMARKED Thiscomesfromthedayswhenlivestockhadtheirearsmarkedsotheirownercouldbeeasilyidentified. EATDRINKANDBEMERRY ThisoldsayingisfromEcclesiastes8:15‘amanhasnobetterthingunderthesunthantoeatandtodrinkandbemerry’. ESCAPEDBYTHESKINOFYOURTEETH ThisphrasecomesfromtheBible,fromJob19:20. FEETOFCLAY Ifapersonweadmirehasafatalweaknesswesaytheyhavefeetofclay.ThisphrasecomesfromtheBible.KingNebuchadnezzardreamedofastatue.Ithadaheadofgold,arms,chestofsilver,belly,andthighsofbronzeanditslegswereofiron.However,itsfeetweremadeofamixtureofironandclay.Arockhitthestatue’sfeetandthewholestatuewasbroken.Danielinterpretedthedreamtobeaboutaseriesofempires,allofwhichwouldeventuallybedestroyed.(Daniel2:27-44). FIDDLEWHILEROMEBURNS ThereisalegendthatwhenRomeburnedin64ADEmperorNeroplayedthe lyre (notthefiddle!).Historiansareskepticalaboutthestory. FLASHINTHEPAN Musketshadaprimingpan,whichwasfilledwithgunpowder.Whenflinthitsteelitignitedthepowderinthepan,whichinturnignitedthemainchargeofgunpowderandfiredthemusketball.However,sometimesthepowderinthepanfailedtolightthemaincharge.Inthatcase,youhadaflashinthepan. FLYINTHEOINTMENT ThisoldsayingcomesfromtheBible.InEcclesiastes10:1thewritersaysthatdeadfliesgiveperfumeabadsmell(inoldversionsoftheBiblethewordforperfumeistranslated‘ointment’). FLYINGCOLORS Ifafleetwonaclearvictorytheshipswouldsailbacktoportwiththeircolorsproudlyflyingfromtheirmasts. FREELANCE IntheMiddleAges,freelancesweresoldierswhofoughtforanyonewhowouldhirethem.Theywereliterallyfreelances. FROMTHEHORSES‘MOUTH Youcantelltheageofahorsebyexaminingitsteeth.Ahorsedealermaylietoyoubutyoucanalwaysfindoutthetruth‘fromthehorse’smouth’. GETTHESACK Thiscomesfromthedayswhenworkmencarriedtheirtoolsinsacks.Ifyouremployergaveyouthesackitwastimetocollectyourtoolsandgo. GILDTHELILY Thisphraseisfrom KingJohn by WilliamShakespeare.‘Togildrefinedgold,topaintthelilyiswastefulandridiculousexcess’. GOTHEEXTRAMILE Bylaw,aRomansoldiercouldforceanybodytocarryhisequipment1mile.InMatthew5:41Jesustoldhisfollowers‘ifsomebodyforcesyoutogo1milego2mileswithhim’. GOTOPOT Anyfarmanimalthathadoutliveditsusefulnesssuchasahenthatnolongerlaideggswouldliterallygotopot.Itwascookedandeaten. GOLLY,GOSH Inthepastitwasn’tpolitetousetheexclamation‘God!’InsteadpeoplesaidGolly!orGosh!Sometimestheysaid‘heck’insteadofHell. GOODBYE ThisisacontractionofthewordsGodbewithye(you). HATTRICK Thiscomesfromcricket.Onceabowlerwhotookthreewicketsinsuccessivedeliverieswasgivenanewhatbyhisclub. HIDINGYOURLIGHTUNDERABUSHEL Abushelwasacontainerformeasuringgrain.InMatthew15:15Jesussaid‘Neitherdomenlightacandleandputitunderabushelbutonacandlestick’. HOBSONSCHOICE Thismeanstohavenochoiceatall.Inthe16thcenturyandtheearly17thcenturyifyouwentonajourneyyoucouldhireahorsetotakeyoufromonetowntoanotherandtravelusingarelayofhorses.(Thatwasbetterthanwearingoutyourownhorseonalongjourneyoververypoorroads).Intheearly1600s,ThomasHobsonwasamaninCambridgewhohiredouthorses.However,hewouldnotletcustomerschoosewhichhorsetheywantedtoride.Instead,theyhadtoridewhicheverhorsewasnearestthestableentrance.Soifyouhiredahorsefromhimyouweregiven‘Hobson’schoice’. HOISTBYYOUROWNPETARD Apetardwasatypeof Tudor bomb.Itwasacontainerofgunpowderwithafuse,whichwasplacedagainstawoodengate.Sometimesallthingsdidnotgotoplanandthepetardexplodedprematurelyblowingyouintotheair.Youwerehoistedbyyourownpetard. HOLIERTHANTHOU ThiscomesfromtheBible,Isaiah65:5,theOldTestamentprophetberatespeoplewhosay‘standbythyself,comenotnearmeforIamholierthanthou’. HUMBLEPIE Theexpressiontoeathumblepiewasoncetoeatumblepie.Theumblesweretheintestinesorlessappetizingpartsofananimalandservantsandotherlower-classpeopleatethem.Soifadeerwaskilledtherichatevenisonandthoseoflowstatusateumblepie.Intimeitbecamecorruptedtoeathumblepieandcametomeantodebaseyourselforactwithhumility. KICKTHEBUCKET Whenslaughteringapigyoutieditsbacklegstoawoodenbeam(inFrenchbuquet).Astheanimaldieditkickedthebuquet. KNOWTHEROPES Onasailingship,itwasessentialtoknowtheropes. KNUCKLEUNDER Onceknucklemeantanyjoint,includingtheknee.Toknuckleundermeanttokneelinsubmission. LAMBTOTHESLAUGHTER ThisisfromIsaiah53:7‘Heisbroughtasalambtotheslaughter’.LaterthisversewasappliedtoJesus. RESTINGONYOURLAURELS,LOOKTOYOURLAURELS Intheancientworldwinningathletesandotherheroesanddistinguishedpeopleweregivenwreathsoflaurelleaves.Ifyouarerestingonyourlaurelsyouarerelyingonyourpastachievements.Ifyouneedtolooktoyourlaurelsitmeansyouhavecompetition. ALEOPARDCANNOTCHANGEHISSPOTS ThisisanotheroldsayingfromtheBible.ThisonecomesfromJeremiah13:23‘CananEthiopianchangehisskinoraleopardhisspots?’. LETTHECATOUTOFTHEBAG Thisoldsayingisprobablyderivedfromthedayswhenpeoplewhosoldpigletsinbagssometimesputacatinthebaginstead.Ifyouletthecatoutofthebagyouexposedthetrick. LICKINTOSHAPE IntheMiddleAges,peoplethoughtthatbearcubswerebornshapelessandtheirmotherliterallylickedthemintoshape. LILY-LIVERED Meanscowardly.Peopleoncebelievedthatyourpassionscamefromyourliver.Ifyouwerelily-liveredyourliverwaswhite(becauseitdidnotcontainanyblood).Soyouwereacoward. ALITTLEBIRDTOLDME ThisoldsayingcomesfromtheBible.InEcclesiastes10:20thewriterwarnsusnottocursethekingorthericheveninprivateora‘birdoftheair’mayreportwhatyousay. LOCK,STOCKANDBARREL Thisphrasecomesbecausegunsusedtohave3parts,thelock(thefiringmechanism),thestock(thewoodenbuttofthegun)andthebarrel. ALONGSHOT Alongshotisanoptionwithonlyasmallchanceofsuccess.Inthepastgunswereonlyaccurateatshortrange.Soa‘longshot’(firedoveralongdistance)onlyhadasmallchanceofhittingitstarget. LONGINTHETOOTH Whenahorsegrowsolditsgumsrecedeandifyouexamineitsmouthitlooks‘longinthetooth’. MADASAHATTER Thisphrasecomesfromthefactthatinthe18thand19thcenturieshatmakerstreatedhatswithmercury.Inhalingmercuryvaporcouldcausementalillness. MAUDLIN ThisisacorruptionofMagdalene.MaryMagdalenewasafollowerofJesus.Inpaintings,shewasoftenshownweepingtearsofrepentance.Soshebecameassociatedwithsentimentality. MOOTPOINT ThiscomesfromtheSaxonwordmootormote,whichmeantameetingtodiscussthings.Amootpointwasonethatneededtobediscussedordebated. NAILYOURCOLORSTOTHEMAST Inbattle,ashipsurrenderedbyloweringitsflag.Ifyounailedyourcolorstothemastyouhadnointentionofsurrendering.Youweretotallyloyaltoyourside. NAMBY-PAMBY ThiswasoriginallyanicknameforthepoetAmbrosePhilips(1674-1749)whowasknownforwritingsentimentalverse. NICKNAME Thisisacorruptionofekename.Theoldwordekemeantalternative. NORESTFORTHEWICKED ThisphrasecomesfromtheBible.InIsaiah57:21theprophetsays:‘thereisnopeacesaithmyGodtothewicked’. ONTENTERHOOKS Afteritwaswovenwoolwaspoundedinamixtureofclayandwatertocleanandthickenit.Thiswascalledfulling.Afterward,thewoolwasstretchedonaframecalledatentertodry.Itwashungontenterhooks.Soifyouwereverytense,likestretchedcloth,youwereontenterhooks. PANDEMONIUM ThiscomesfromJohnMilton’spoemParadiseLost.InHellthechiefcityisPandemonium.InGreekPandemoniummeans‘allthedevils’. PASTURESNEW In1637JohnMiltonwroteapoemcalledLycidas,whichincludesthewords‘Tomorrowtofreshwoodsandpasturesnew’. PAYONTHENAIL IntheMiddleAges‘nails’wereflat-toppedcolumnsinmarkets.Whenabuyerandaselleragreeddealmoneywasplacedonthenailforalltosee. PEARLSBEFORESWINE InMatthew7:6Jesuswarnedhisfollowersnottogivewhatissacredtodogsandnottothrowpearls(ofwisdom)beforeswine(theungodly). PEEPINGTOM Accordingtolegend,amannamedLeofrictaxedthepeopleof Coventry heavily.Hiswife,ladyGodiva,beggedhimnotto.LeofricsaidhewouldendthetaxifsherodethroughthestreetsofCoventrynaked.Soshedid.PeepingTomisamuchlateradditiontothestory.EverybodyinCoventrywassupposedtostayindoorswithhisorhershuttersclosed.However,peepingTomhadasneakylookatGodivaandwasstruckblind. PEPPERCORNRENT IntheMiddleAgesandTudorTimesrentsweresometimespaidinpeppercornsbecausepepperwassoexpensive.Peppercornswereactuallyusedasaformofcurrency.Theyweregivenasbribesoraspartofabride’sdowry. APIGINAPOKE Thisissomethingboughtwithoutcheckingitfirst.Apokewasabag.Ifyouboughtapiginapokeitmightturnoutthe‘pig’wasactuallyapuppyoracat.(SeeSoldAPup). PINMONEYInthe16thand17thcenturiesitwascommontogiveyourwifeordaughterasmallamountofmoneyforpinsandothernecessarythings. POTLUCK Inthepast,allkindsoffoodwentintoabigpotforcooking.Ifyousatdowntoamealwithafamilyyouoftenhadtotake‘potluck’andcouldneverbequitesurewhatyouwouldbeserved. THEPOWERSTHATBE ThiscomesfromRomans13:1whenPaulsays‘thepowersthatbeareordainedofGod’. PRIDEGOESBEFOREAFALL ThisoldsayingcomesfromtheBible,fromProverbs16:18‘Pridegoesbeforedestructionandahaughtyspiritbeforeafall’. PULLTHEWOOLOVERMYEYES Inthe18thcentury,itwasthefashiontowearwhite,curlywigs.theywerenicknamedwoolpossiblybecausetheyresembledasheep’sfleece. PULLOUTALLTHESTOPS Thissayingcomesfromchurchorgans.Pullingoutastopletsairflowthroughapipeandmakeasound. RACKANDRUIN Rackhasnothingtodowiththetortureinstrument.Itisamodificationof‘wrack’whichwasanalternativewayofsaying‘wreck’. READTHERIOTACT Followingalawof1715,ifarowdygroupof12ormorepeoplegathered,amagistratewouldreadanofficialstatementorderingthemtodisperse.Anyonewhodidnot,afteronehour,couldbearrestedandpunished. REDHERRING Poachersandotherunsavorycharacterswoulddragaherringacrossthegroundwheretheyhadjustwalkedtothrowdogsofftheirscent.(Herringsweremaderedbytheprocessofcuring). REDTAPE Thisphrasecomesfromthedayswhenofficialdocumentswereboundwithredtape. REDLETTERDAYS IntheMiddleAges,saint’sdaysweremarkedinredoncalendars.Peopledidnotworkonsomesaint’sdaysorholydays.Ourwordholidayisderivedfromholyday. RINGTRUE,RINGOFTRUTH Inthepastcoinswereactuallymadeofgold,silver,orothermetals.Theirvaluedependedontheamountofgoldorsilvertheycontained.Somepeoplewouldmakecounterfeitcoinsbymixinggoldorsilverwithacheapermetal.However,youcouldcheckifacoinwasgenuinebydroppingit.Ifitwasmadeofthepropermetalitwould‘ringtrue’orhavethe‘ringoftruth’. RUBSALTINTOAWOUND Thisisderivedfromthedayswhensaltwasrubbedintowoundsasanantiseptic. RULEOFTHUMB Thiscomesfromthedayswhencraftsmenusedtheirthumbsformakingroughmeasurements. SALTOFTHEEARTH ThisisanotherBiblicalphrase.ItcomesfromMatthew5:13whenJesustoldhisfollowers‘YouarethesaltoftheEarth’. SCAPEGOAT IntheOldTestament(Leviticus16:7-10)twogoatswereselected.Onewassacrificed.TheotherwassparedbuttheHighPriestlaidhishandsonitandconfessedthesinsofhispeople.Thegoatwasthendrivenintothewilderness.Hewasasymbolic‘scapegoat’forthepeople’ssins. SCOTFREE Thishasnothingtodowith Scotland.Scotisanoldwordforpaymentsoifyouwentscot-freeyouwentwithoutpaying. TOSEEAMANABOUTADOG Thisoldsayingfirstappearedin1866inaplaybyDionBoucicault(1820-1890)calledtheFlyingScudinwhichacharactermakestheexcusethatheisgoing‘toseeamanaboutadog’togetaway. SENTTOCOVENTRY ThemostlikelyexplanationforthisoldsayingisthatduringtheEnglishCivilWarRoyalistscapturedintheMidlandsweresenttoCoventry.TheywereheldprisonerinStJohnsChurchandthelocalpeopleshunnedthemandrefusedtospeaktothem. SETYOURTEETHONEDGE ThisisfromJeremiah31:30‘Everymanthateatsthesourgrape,histeethshallbesetonedge’. SHAMBLES Originallyashamblewasabench.Butchersusedtosetupbenchestosellmeatfrom.IntimethestreetwheremeatwassoldoftenbecameknownastheShambles.(Thisstreetnamesurvivesinmanytownstoday).However,becausebutchersusedtothrowoffalintothestreetshamblescametomeanamessorsomethingveryuntidyordisorganized. SHIBBOLETH Thisisawordusedbymembersofaparticulargroup.Itidentifiespeopleasmembersofthegroup.ItcomesfromtheOldTestamentJudges12:5-7.TwogroupsofHebrews,theGileaditesandtheEphraimitesfoughteachother.TheGileaditescapturedthefordsovertheRiverJordanleadingtoEphraim.Ifamanwantedtocrossafordtheymadehimsay‘Shibboleth’(aHebrewwordmeaningearofgrain).TheEphraimitescouldnotpronouncethewordproperlyandsaid ‘Sibboleth’.IfanyonemispronouncedthewordtheGileaditesknewhewasanenemyandkilledhim. SHORTSHRIFT Ashriftwasaconfessionmadetoapriest.Criminalswereallowedtomakeshortshriftbeforetheywereexecuted.soifyougavesomebodyshortshriftyougavethemafewminutestoconfesstheirsinsbeforecarryingouttheexecution. SHOWYOURTRUECOLORS Pirateshipswouldapproachtheirintendedvictimshowingafalseflagtolurethemintoafalsesenseofsecurity.Whenitwastoolateforthevictimtoescapetheywouldshowtheirtruecolors-thejollyroger! SOLDAPUP Ifyouboughtapigletthesellerplaceditinabagorsack.Sometimes,withhishandsoutofsight,thesellerwouldslipapuppyintothesack.Ifyouwereswindledinthatwayyouweresoldapup. SPINNINGAYARN Ropesweremadeinportseverywhere.Theropemakerschattedwhiletheyworked.Theytoldeachotherstorieswhiletheywerespinningayarn. SPICKANDSPAN Todaythismeansneatandtidybutoriginallythesayingwasspickandspan new.Aspanwasawoodshaving.Ifsomethingwasnewlybuiltitwouldhavetell-talewoodchipssoitwas‘spannew’.Spickisanoldwordforanail.Newspicksornailswouldbeshiny.However,wordsandphrasesoftenchangetheirmeaningsovercenturiesandspickandspancametomeanneatandtidy. SPINSTER ASpinsterisanunmarriedwoman.Originallyaspinsterwassimplyawomanwhomadeherlivingbyspinningwoolonaspinningwheel.However,itwassocommonforsinglewomentosupportthemselvesthatwaythatbythe18thcentury‘spinster’wasasynonymforamiddle-agedunmarriedwoman. SPOILTHESHIPFORAHA’PENNYWORTHOFTAR Originally‘ship’wassheepandthesayingcomesfromthepracticeofcoveringcutsonsheepwithtar. ASQUAREMEAL ThereisapopularmyththatthissayingcomesfromthetimewhenBritishsailorsateoffsquareplates.Inreality,thephrasebeganCaliforniainthemid-19thcenturyanditsimplymeantagoodmealforyourmoney,asinthephrase‘fairandsquare’.LaterthesayingmadeitswaytoBritain. STARTFROMSCRATCH Thisphrasecomesfromthedayswhenalinewasscratchedonthegroundforarace.Theracerswouldstartfromthescratch. STRAIGHT-LACED ThisphrasewasoriginallySTRAITlaced.TheoldEnglishwordstraitmeanttightornarrow.InTudortimesbuttonsweremostlyfordecoration.Laceswereusedtoholdclothestogether.IfawomanwasSTRAITlacedshewasprimandproper. THESTRAIGHTANDNARROW ThiscomesfromMatthew7:14.IntheKingJamesBiblepublishedin1611Jesussays:‘Straitisthegateandnarrowisthewaywhichleadethtolife’.TheoldEnglishwordstraitmeanttightornarrowbutwhenitwentoutofusethephrasechangedto‘STRAIGHTandnarrow’. STRIKEWHILETHEIRONISHOT Thisphrasecomesfromthedayswhenblacksmithsliftedironobjectsfromthefurnaceandhammeredit.Theycouldonlyhammertheobjectintoshapewhiletheironwashotbeforeitcooleddown. SWANSONG Thiscomesfromanoldbeliefthatswans,whoareusuallysilent,burstintobeautifulsongswhentheyaredying. SWASHBUCKLER Abucklewasakindofsmallshield.Swashmeantthenoisecausedbystriking.Brashmenstrucktheirswordsagainsttheirbucklersastheywalkedaroundtown.Sotheybecameknownasswashbucklers. SWINGINGTHELEAD Onboardships,aleadweightwasattachedtoalongrope.Aknotwastiedeverysixfeetintherope.Theleadweightwasswungandthenthrownoverboard.Whenitsanktotheseabedyoucountedthenumberofknotsthatdisappearedandthistoldyouhowdeeptheseawas.Somesailorsfeltitwasaneasyjoband‘swingingthelead’cametomeanavoidinghardwork.Intimeitcametomeanfeigningillnesstoavoidwork. TAKESOMEBODYUNDERYOURWING InLuke12:34JesuslamentsthathewishedtogatherthepeopleofJerusalemasahengathersherchicksunderherwingsbutJerusalemwasnotwilling. TAKENABACK Ifthewindsuddenlychangeddirectionasailingshipstoppedmovingforward.Itwas‘takenaback’,whichwasabitofashockforthesailors. TAWDRY ThisisacorruptionofStAudreybecausecheapjewelrywassoldatStAudrey’sfairinEly,Cambridgeshire. THORNINMYSIDE ThiscomesfromtheBible.In2Corinthians12:7,Paulstatesthathewasgivena‘thorninmyflesh’topreventhimfrombecomingproud.Wearenottoldwhatthe‘thorn’was,perhapsitwassomeformofillness. THROUGHTHICKANDTHIN Thisoldsayingwasonce‘throughathicketandthinwood’.Itmeantmakingyourwaythroughadensewoodandthroughonewheretreesgrewmorethinly. THROWDOWNTHEGAUNTLET IntheMiddleAges,agauntletwasthegloveinasuitofarmor.Throwingdownyourgauntletwasawayofchallengingsomebodytoaduel. TONGUEINCHEEK Inthe18thcenturystickingyourtongueinyourcheekwasasignofcontempt.Itisnotclearhowspeakingwithyourtongueinyourcheektookonitsmodernmeaning. TOUCHANDGO Thisoldsayingprobablycomesfromshipssailinginshallowwaterswheretheymighttouchtheseabedandthengo.Ifso,theywereobviouslyinadangerousanduncertainsituation. TOUCHWOOD InCeltictimespeoplebelievedthatbenevolentspiritslivedintrees.Whenintroublepeopleknockedonthetreeandaskedthespiritsforhelp. HAVENOTRUCKWITH TruckoriginallymeantbarterandisderivedfromtheFrenchword‘troquer’.Originallyifyouhadnotruckwithsomebodyyourefusedtotradewithhimorher.Itcametomeanyourefusedtohaveanythingtodowiththem. TRUEBLUE ThisphrasewasoriginallytrueasCoventryblueasthedyersinCoventryusedabluedyethatlastedanddidnotwashouteasily.However,thephrasebecameshortened. TURNTHEOTHERCHEEK Jesustoldhisfollowersnottoretaliateagainstviolence.InLuke6:29hetoldthemthatifsomebodystrikesyouononecheekturntheothercheektohimaswell. TURNOVERANEWLEAF Thismeansmakingafreshstart.Itmeantaleaforpageofabook. TURNEDTHECORNER ShipsthathadsailedpasttheCapeofGoodHopeorCapeHornweresaidtohave‘turnedthecorner’. UPTHEPOLE Thepolewasamastofaship.Climbingitwasdangerousand,notsurprisingly,youhadtobeabitcrazytogouptherewillingly.Soifyouwereabitmadyouwereupthepole. WARTSANDALL WhenOliverCromwell1599-1658hadhisportraitpaintedheorderedtheartistnottoflatterhim.Heinsistedonbeingpainted‘wartsandall’. WASHMYHANDSOF TheRomangovernor,PontiusPilate,refusedtobeinvolvedinthedeathofaninnocentperson(Jesus).Sohewashedhishandsinfrontofthecrowd,symbolicallydisassociatinghimselffromtheexecution. WEARYOURHEARTONYOURSLEEVE IntheMiddleAges,knightswhofoughtattournamentsworeatokenoftheirladyontheirsleeves.Todayifyoumakeyourfeelingsobvioustoeverybodyyouwearyourheartonyoursleeve. WEASELWORDS Thisphraseissaidtocomefromanoldbeliefthatweaselscouldsuckouttheinsideofaneggleavingitsshellintact. WEIGHANCHOR The‘weigh’isacorruptionoftheoldwordweganwhichmeantcarryorlift. WENTWEST OncecriminalswerehangedatTyburn–westofLondon.Soifyouwentwestyouwenttobehanged. WIDEBERTH Aberthisaplacewhereashipistieduporanchored.Whentheanchorwasloweredashipwouldtendtomoveaboutontheanchorcablesoitwasimportanttogiveitawideberthtoavoidcollisions.Todaytogivesomeoneawideberthistosteerclearofthem. WILLY-NILLY Thisphraseisbelievedtobederivedfromtheoldwordswill-ye,nill-ye(orwill-he,nill-he)meaningwhetheryouwanttoornot(orwhetherhewantstoornot). WINHANDSDOWN Thisoldsayingcomesfromhorseracing.Ifajockeywasalongwayaheadofhiscompetitorsandsuretowintheracehecouldrelaxandputhishandsdownathissides. WHEATFROMTHECHAFF Intheancientworld,grainwashurledintotheairusingatoolcalledawinnowingfork.Windseparatedtheediblepartofthegrain(wheat)fromthelighter,inediblepart(chaff).InMatthew3:12JohntheBaptistwarnedthatonthejudgmentdayJesuswouldseparatethewheatfromthechaff(goodpeoplefromevil). WHIPPINGBOY Peopleoncebelievedthatinthe16thcenturyprinceshadboyswhowerewhippedintheirplaceeverytimetheywerenaughty.Historiansnowthinkit’samyth,oratleastitwasunusualbutthe belief gaverisetothesaying. WHITEELEPHANT InSiam(modern-dayThailand)whiteorpaleelephantswereveryvaluable.Thekingsometimesgaveawhiteelephanttoapersonhedisliked.Itmightseemlikeawonderfulgiftbutitwasactuallyapunishmentbecauseitcostsomuchtokeep! AWOLFINSHEEP’SCLOTHING InMatthew7:15Jesuswarnedhisfollowersoffalseprophetssayingtheywerelike‘wolvesinsheep’sclothing’outwardlydisarming. Sharethis:ClicktoshareonTwitter(Opensinnewwindow)ClicktoshareonFacebook(Opensinnewwindow)ClicktoshareonLinkedIn(Opensinnewwindow)ClicktoshareonWhatsApp(Opensinnewwindow) Related Postnavigation PreviouspostABriefBiographyofGalileoNextpost16thCenturyFunerals Search… RecentArticles LocalhistoriesLinksPageDrCrippenGordonCumminsABriefBiographyofThomasHardyStainedGlassWindowsinStPetersChurchSomerstown Categories