Although I do know the roots of some idioms, hearing other's accurate use of simple phrases stirred a desire to dig deeper into this vast realm and acquaint myself with some I was unfamiliar with. While I previously had known the proper context in which to use the following phrases, I had to admit I was unfamiliar with their origins. Here are some I found interesting:
Chance one's arm: (take a risk)
Soldiers sometimes chose to engage in conduct they knew was against regulations or they would disobey an order which could lead to punishment. They could receive a demotion and lose the ranking stripes on their arm, thus 'chancing their arm'.
Alive and Kicking: (lively and active - used in response when asked how one is feeling)
Fishmongers coined the phrase to advertise the freshness of their product. The fish are so fresh they are clearly alive as they kick (flap) about.
John Doe: (stand-in name for an unknown person)
During the rein of King Edward III of England there was a legal debate over the Acts of Ejectment. A hypothetical name was given, John Doe (Doe was used as pronoun in those days and John was by far the most common name in England), for a man who leased his land to another hypothetical man, Richard Doe. Richard Doe is said to 'eject' (evict) John Doe from the land. The debate was an essential turning point for legal theory and the names continued to be used from that point forward in legal settings, eventually spilling into more common usage. Even today John Doe is the first name given to an unidentified person in legal proceedings while Richard Doe is given to the second.
Let the cat out of the bag: (spoil a secret or ruse)After Muslims invaded Europe in the 1700's their conquest reached all the way to the British Isles. Under their dominance the consumption/sale of pork was outlawed. Therefore, farmers would put a pig that was to be sold in a sack often tying it closed. Some farmers would deviously substitute a valueless animal, such as a cat, instead of the pig. An unwary buyer would make the exchange without ever looking in the sack to check the animal. However, if the buyer opened the sack before making the purchase or if the seller didn't secure the sack well enough they might let the cat out of the bag, revealing the trick and ruining the sale.
Axe to grind: (ulterior/selfish motive or [the word later included the meaning] private grievance)
To make a point in his book Too Much for Your Whistle, Ben Franklin told a personal story about his childhood. As a young man he once complied to turn a heavy grindstone after a man flattered him into doing so. Really, the man was only interested in grinding his axe. So, after the man had sharpened his axe his attitude toward young Ben changed. The experience taught Franklin to be wary of 'smooth talkers'; maybe they just have another axe to grind. (Perhaps the later meaning of the word sprung from the viewpoint of Franklin since he was tricked into doing something for nothing and now had a private grievance with the man.)
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth: (don't be picky when given a gift or encountering a chance benefit)A young horse is much more desirable than an older one. To quickly tell the age of a horse you can look at his teeth. As they age their gums recede just like humans who take poor care of their teeth. If you were to receive a horse as a gift it would be considered bad manners to inspect the horse's mouth to try to determine how old (and thus how valuable) it is. Similarly...
Straight from the horse's mouth (reliable source of information)
This is also referring to the method of inspecting a horse's teeth. For a potential buyer there is no more reliable method to determining the truth of a seller's claims regarding the horse's age.
Go berserk: (act wildly or frenzied)
Berserkers were Norse warriors acclaimed for intensity and rage in their fighting. They also proudly wore bear skins (bear-sarks in Icelandic) instead of protective armor.
Apple of my eye: (a cherished person or thing)
Originally it was thought that the pupil of the eye was orbicular and solid like an apple. The part about it being precious or cherished comes from Deut. 33:10 which says in part: "He began to encircle him, to take care of him, to safeguard him as the pupil (apple - KJ Version) of his eye" - New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.
Sleep tight: (sleep well)
Before box springs many beds had criss-crossing ropes tied tightly between the bed frame to hold the mattress up. If the ropes loosened it would make sleeping very uncomfortable as the mattress began to sag. Many beds had a tool which looked like an iron peg that could be twisted to tighten the ropes. So those going to sleep were reminded to tighten the ropes on their beds before going to sleep.
Bite the bullet: (undergo a difficult situation/make a hard choice)
Before the days of anaesthetic, soldiers were given a bullet to clench between their teeth when surgery was required, especially amputation.
Blow a raspberry: (imitating the sound of breaking wind with one's mouth)See a man about a dog: (something one says when unwilling to tell their true destination)
This was a line from a long-forgotten play in 1866 called Flying Scud. The eccentric old jockey is looking to get away from a sticky situation and says, "Excuse me Mr. Quail, I can't stop; I've got to see a man about a dog."
These are just a few of the hundreds of English idioms, some older and some very recently adopted. What are some of your favorites? Do you know what they mean? Feel free to leave a comment.
- Axon
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