Common Idioms and Phrases: Meanings and Origins

What Is An Idiom?

An idiom is a word or, more commonly, a phrase in which the figurative meaning is different than the literal meaning of the grouping of words. There are approximately 25,000 idioms in the English language alone.

For example, there is a common saying in English. You've probably heard it. If I were to say, "Fred kicked the bucket," what would you think?

Now, you could take this literally, in that Fred actually walked up to and kicked a bucket in his path. However, those familiar with the English language know this is a common saying, or idiom, that conveys a different meaning. This sentence would not be taken literally, as the phrase "kick the bucket" has an alternate meaning, implying that a person has died.

This idiom has a rather dark origin. It came from a reference to someone hanging himself by standing on a bucket and then kicking it away, thus "kicking the bucket."

It is interesting to note that while there are different idioms for each individual language, many languages have equivalent translations of idioms found in other languages.

For instance, the phrase "kick the bucket" in English which implies, as we've discussed, that someone has died, can be translated into a phrase that means the equivalent in Ukranian, "to cut the oak (as in, building a coffin)"; in German, "to look at the radishes from underneath"; or in Swedish, "to take the sign down," and so on.

We use some of these phrases every day and yet many of us don't know how these same phrases originated. It's very interesting to learn the origins behind the phrases and how they came into existence. As you learn about idioms, you also learn about culture, as idioms are usually derived from local culture and customs in each individual language.

Now, to be fair, some of these origins may be debated. For everything you read, you can always seem to find something to counter it. Still, the important thing, I think, is to delve into the subject. You can't go wrong with doing research.

One thing's for sure: There are interesting words all around us. Even a simple dictionary can reveal volumes.

For instance, the word "welcome", which literally came from a meaning of a willed comer. They were invited and so willed to come.

Did you know that the commonly used expression "ok" or "okay" came from an abbreviation meaning "all correct?" Or did you know that the word mortgage literally means "dead pledge", the debt is finished when the debt is either paid off, or it fails. The word "scapegoat" came about referencing that in the Bible a goat was symbolically given the sins of the people.

There are a lot of idioms and words out there that have interesting meanings and origins. You should do some research on your own the next time you hear an interesting term or wonder, "I wonder how that word or phrase came into existence." Etymology is a fascinating subject and one I will probably write about many times.

So, lets explore some common idioms and phrases and take a look at the meanings and origins behind them.

 
 
Loophole
As an idiom, a loophole is defined as a way of getting out of something or escaping a difficulty, especially finding a legal technicality that allows someone to evade compliance.
Where did this term originate from?
A loophole, in the middle ages, was a small slit like opening in a castle wall that men would fire their bows or, later, muskateers, through. The only openings in a seemingly impenetrable wall were these slits, which a child or small adult could squeeze through. Thus, a loophole is a small opening, or "out," in a seemingly airtight law, which only the clever few can use.

Red Tape
This is a very common idiom. We use the term "red tape" to denote anything that may delay or hold us up, whatever the process may be. It also refers to a lot of unnecessary bureaucracy or paperwork.
This term originated from the fact that legal and official documents were tied up or bound with red tape since the 16th century. By doing so, it was often difficult to access them. Hence, the term "red tape."

"Break a Leg!"
How many times have we heard someone shout, "Break a leg!" to someone going onstage? This is a phrase that seems to be counter intuitive. Certainly, you don't want someone to actually break their leg onstage, so where did such a saying come into existence?
The phrase was first recorded in print in the early 1900s.
Eric Partridge, in his Dictionary of Catchphrases, suggests that the term originated as a translation of a similar expression used by German actors: Hals- und Beinbruch(literally, "a broken neck and a broken leg.") The German phrase traces back to early aviators, possibly during World War I, spreading gradually to the German stage and then to British and American theaters.
Why would people twist a wish for dreadful injury into one for good luck? It is suggested that it is a reverse psychology of sorts. Popular folklore down through the ages has been full of warnings against wishing your friends good luck. To do so is was thought superstitiously to tempt evil spirits or demons to do your friend harm. Instead, they would wish their friend bad fortune.
There is also evidence that some have pointed to the stage directions for the opening night of the reconstructed Globe Theater in London, which supposedly called for two actors to swing dramatically from a balcony down to the stage on ropes. One of the actors slipped and, you guessed it, broke his leg.
However, this has not been substantiated.
In either case, it has become a common and accepted expression of good luck.

A piece of cake
You hear this idiom very often, especially when someone wants to say that something is very easily done or achieved. The question is what makes cake “easy,” though? Being super hungry and eating a delicious piece of cake could be a logical answer but I am afraid that we will disappoint you. The origin of the phrase goes back to at least the 1930s and the term was recorded officially for the first time by the American poet Ogden Nash, who wrote The Primrose Path in 1936. In it there is a verse that says: “Her picture’s in the papers now, / And life’s a piece of cake.”

"Graveyard Shift", "Dead Ringer" and "Saved By The Bell"
How about when someone refers to working the graveyard shift, or a dead ringer? How about when you hear someone say, "Ahhh, saved by the bell!" What do these phrases have in common? They have a very creepy origin, indeed!
For this, too, we go back to England. If you look at a map, you'll see that England is rather small. Therefore, they started running out of places to bury people. What they did in order to solve this problem was to dig up these existing coffins out of the ground and take the bones to a bone house. They would then reuse the grave.
Sounds like a simple enough solution. However, this practice turned up a very eerie and creepy finding. An average of about one out of twenty five coffins that were being dug up to be reused were found with horrific scratch marks on the inside. They realized that somehow, people were being buried alive!
This, obviously, was an unsettling find. In order to avoid this happening in the future, they started placing a string on the wrist of the corpse before it went into the coffin. This string would lead through the coffin, and up through the ground and was tied to a bell on the ground. This way, it was thought, if a corpse was indeed not a corpse and still alive, they could ring the bell (or be a dead ringer) and have a chance to be dug up if they were still alive, and thus, saved by the bell. Someone would have to sit outside all night, working the graveyard shift, and listen for these bells.
In fact, there was so much concern about this for awhile that there were quite an array of devices invented so that the undead could escape their coffins, were they buried prematurely. Some of them were rather simple, with spring loaded coffin lids that would open at the slightest movement inside. Others were much more complex in nature, even using electrical switches, early dry cells, and buzzers as a signal someone was alive.
Now, there has been no documented case of any person actually ringing the bell and thus, saved by the bell, to my knowledge. And I must also point out that this explanation is a bit of a controversy. Some disclaim this theory, saying that while the practice of reusing existing coffins did exist, it was a lot less common than reported. It has been said that the graveyard shift simply came from nautical origins when a person had the night shift on a vessel at sea, and the shift was named such for the extreme quietness and loneliness of the shift.
It has also been reported that the term ringer simply refers to an old devious practice regarding horse racing and betting, in which a proven racehorse similar in looks was switched out for an old nag with a bad record, in a race, securing a long shot bet. A dead ringer referred to an animal that you could not tell apart from the original without a closer inspection.
I think the truth lies somewhere in between, as is the case with most stories. There has to be some truth to the original story, or so much time and effort would not have gone into patenting so many designs of coffins from 1843 to 1913 that you could escape from or signal someone above, as described previously. Maybe all these theories are true, and as is the case with much of language in general, it changes and evolves over time. This is what makes etymology, the study of the history and origin of words and tracing their developments and meanings, so interesting.

Minding Your P's & Q's
This is a phrase we hear a lot when adults are speaking to children. This is a term that has come to signify that you are taking care, watching what you are doing, getting it right.
The origins on this idiom are actually rather simple.
This one dates back to a time when local taverns, pubs and bars served up their patrons drinks by the quart and the pint. Bar maids had to keep an eye on the customers and keep the drinks coming. They had to pay special attention to who was drinking pints, and who was drinking quarts, thus, the term came to be known, "minding your p's and q's."

An Arm and a Leg
"That's going to cost you an arm and a leg!"
This is a common phrase that means simply it's going to cost to the point of sacrifice. It's going to hurt. The price is high.
Where did such a phrase come into existence?
If we step back in time to George Washington's day, we would not see any cameras. For a portrait to be taken, it had to be painted, or sculpted.
This is a rather interesting fact, but if you notice old pictures, you will notice the paintings are of faces, or perhaps a person with one arm behind their back, or both arms. The truth is, in these times, portraits were not charged by the number of people who appeared in the picture, but rather, by the number of limbs that were painted.
If they wanted a cheaper painting, then it would "cost them an arm and a leg."Artists knew it took more time and effort since arms, hands and legs were more difficult to paint.

Cold Shoulder
If someone is said to give us the cold shoulder, this means that they are disregarding, dismissing or otherwise ignoring us and treating us with disrespect. We are not welcome in their presence.
The origin of the term has been disputed over the years. However, one viable theory is that it came from serving an unwanted guest a cold shoulder of mutton, as opposed to a nice hot meal like the rest of the guests.
Another theory is that it came from keeping one's back, or at least a shoulder, in between yourself and the unwanted person. In either case, it shows disdain and disregard and the message is clear.


Mind Your Own Bee's Wax
Now, honestly, I have to admit that this one I thought was just a coined phrase mimicking the more common and literal phrase, "mind your own business."
However, it turns out this has a more defined origin. Apparently, in the early days before there was Stridex and Clearasil, the ladies would use bee's wax to smooth their complexion where they had acne.
There were actually several phrases that came from this practice.
If a lady looked too long or stared at another lady's face, they would say, "Mind your own bee's wax!" If the woman were to smile, it might crack the veneer of bee's wax on her face, thus the phrase, "crack a smile."Also, the phrase "losing face" came from when a girl would sit too close to the fire and then the bee's wax would melt.

Gossip
Gossip is a single word defined as something that is said between two or more people, usually in a derogatory nature, about someone else.
Gossip is just one word, but it actually is derived from more than one word.
Before TV, phones, and other media, politicians of old had to depend on feedback to find out what was important to people in their jurisdiction. They did this by sending their assistants out to the local taverns and pubs, where most of the people hung out, and they would sip some ale, and listen to people's conversations, and thus learn what was on people's minds and what their concerns were.
They basically were told to "go sip some ale", thus the term "gossip" was coined.

Big Wig
A big wig is generally thought of nowadays to be a person of high repute, a wheeler and dealer, someone prominent.
Back in early days, men and women used to only take baths twice a year (as bad as that sounds). Women would cover their hair so it didn't get as dirty. Men would shave their heads and wear wigs. They couldn't wash their wigs, however, so they would hollow out a loaf of bread,, place the wig inside, and bake it. This would kill any lice or bugs in the wig, and the wig came out big and fluffy due to the moisture and heat inside the loaf of bread.
This is how the term, "big wig" came into existence.
Also interesting to note is that the term "to pull the wool over someone's eyes", which we know as trying to fool someone, came into existence because of referencing pulling a man's wig over his eyes, in effect, blinding him to what you did not want him to see.
Straight from the Horse's Mouth
When we hear someone say, "I heard it straight from the horse's mouth," we know what they mean. It's truth. You cannot contest it. Although being an odd phrase, since horses obviously don't talk, we understand that it means it is something you cannot deny, it's actual fact.
The truth is, horses have always been a prized commodity down through the ages. There were a lot of dishonest people who would try to sell less than quality horses to potential buyers. They would also lie about a horse's age. However, anyone who knew anything about horses knew that you could tell the age by examining the size and shape of the teeth, literally getting the truth straight from the horse's mouth. This is how the phrase later came to mean getting the literal truth.

Heard It Through the Grapevine
This phrase has come to reference something that is heard, unofficially, or indirectly.
This phrase originated at the turn of the century when the telegraph was getting off the ground. Important information was transmitted across country using the telegraph system. The system required thousands of miles of wire to be installed, and this wire was held in place several feet above the ground with poles at equal intervals. People thought the wires and poles looked like the strings used to train vines so the telegraph lines became known as "the grapevine".
People then started referring to hearing things "through the grapevine".

Cold Enough to Freeze the Balls off a Brass Monkey
Sailing ships, including war ships and freighters, carried cannons. Cannons fire round iron balls. It was important to keep a steady supply of cannon balls, ready at a moment's notice. However, they were not easy to secure on a moving ship.
The would stack the balls in a square based pyramid with one ball on top resting on four resting on nine, and so on. They would stack the cannon balls in supplies of 30 this way. They would then make a metal plate of iron (called a monkey) with 16 round indentations to hold the cannon balls on the bottom layer.
There was only one problem. Since the balls and the plate were both made of iron and the ship was a very moist environment, the balls would easily rust to the plate, making them difficult to move.
In order to solve this problem, they made them instead out of brass.

However, they didn't realize that brass does not have the same properties that iron does, and it contracts faster and more than iron when it is chilled. When the temperature dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannon balls would come right off the monkey.
Thus, it was quite literally, 'Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey.'

Break the ice
Meaning: To break off a conflict or commence a friendship.
Origin: Back when road transportation was not developed, ships would be the only transportation and means of trade. At times, the ships would get stuck during the winter because of ice formation. The receiving country would send small ships to “break the ice” to clear a way for the trade ships. This gesture showed affiliation and understanding between two territories.

Butter someone up
Meaning: To impress someone with flattery
Origin: This was a customary religious act in ancient India. The devout would throw butter balls at the statues of their gods to seek favor and forgiveness.

Cat got your tongue?
Meaning: Asked to a person who is at loss of words
Origin: The English Navy used to use a whip called “Cat-o’-nine-tails” for flogging. The pain was so severe that it caused the victim to stay quiet for a long time. Another possible source could be from ancient Egypt, where liars’ and blasphemers’ tongues were cut out and fed to the cats. (What a treat for the cats!)

Bury the hatchet
Meaning: To stop a conflict and make peace
Origins: This one dates back to the early times North America when the Puritans were in conflict with the Native Americans. When negotiating peace, the Native Americans would bury all their hatchets, knives, clubs, and tomahawks. Weapons literally were buried and made inaccessible.

Caught red-handed
Meaning: To be caught in the act of doing something wrong
Origin: This originates from an old English law that ordered any person to be punished for butchering an animal that wasn’t his own. The only way the person could be convicted is if he was caught with the animal’s blood still on his hands.

Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater
Meaning: Don’t get rid of valuable things along with the unnecessary ones.
Origin: You won’t believe this one! In the early 1500s, people only bathed once a year. Not only that, but they also bathed in the same water without changing it! The adult males would bath first, then the females, leaving the children and babies to go last. By the time the babies got in, the water was clouded with filth. The poor mothers had to take extra care that their babies were not thrown out with the bathwater.

Give a cold shoulder
Meaning: Being unwelcoming or antisocial toward someone
Origin: In medieval England, it was customary to give a guest a cold piece of meat from the shoulder of mutton, pork, or beef chop when the host felt it was time for the guest to leave. This was a polite way to communicate, “You may leave, now.”
Go the whole nine yards
Meaning: To try your best at something
Origin: During World War II, the fighter pilots were equipped with nine yards of ammunition. When they ran out, it meant that they had tried their best at fighting off the target with the entirety of their ammunition.

Let one’s hair down
Meaning: To relax or be at ease
Origin: In public, the aristocratic women of medieval times were obliged to appear in elegant hair-dos that were usually pulled up. The only time they would “let their hair down” was when they came home and relaxed.

Rub the wrong way
Meaning: To bother or annoy someone
Origin: Early Americans, during the colonial times, would ask their servants to rub their oak floorboards “the right way”. The wrong way (not wiping them with dry fabric after wet fabric) would cause streaks to form and ruin it, leaving the homeowner annoyed. Alternatively, it could have derived from rubbing a cat’s fur the “wrong way,” which annoys them.

Get out of hand
Even though this phrase has several different meanings nowadays, the oldest of them is the one you will usually hear when someone loses control of things or a situation. According to Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins by William and Mary Morris, this expression goes back to the old days when failure to keep a firm grip on the reins would result in a team of horses getting “out of hand.”



Make the grade
This idiom is kind of revealing really and has no hidden meanings since it simply suggests that one has to reach the required standard to enter a university or get a job and so on. The more impressive thing about this phrase, however, is that it has nothing to do with taking exams as most of us would think.
The word grade is short for “gradient” and the idiom derives from railroad construction in nineteenth-century America. Back in the non-high-tech age of the nineteenth century, calculations had to be carefully made to ensure engines didn’t encounter sudden steep gradients and this is how we ended up with “make the grade.”

Sick as a dog
Even though dogs appear to physically (and mentally) deal with sickness way better than humans this idiom refers to someone who’s very sick. The origin of the phrase comes from the early 1700s when it was common to call someone who was undesirable and ill-looking “a dirty dog.”

No-brainer
We use this idiom to describe a very easy decision we make for anything that requires minimal brain activity to accomplish. This phrase has been widely used only for the past five or six decades and one of the earliest sources we have for it comes from an issue of the Lethbridge Herald of 1968, in which the following was stated about an ice hockey coach: “He’d break in on a goalie and the netminder would make one of those saves that our manager-coach, Sid Abel, calls ‘a no-brainer.’ ”

To hit the nail on the head
We often hear this idiom during intense conversations and especially when someone gets right to the precise point or says something that is verified as correct. However, no one can be sure about its exact origin but what we know for a fact is that this phrase is really old.
It appears for the first time in recorded history in 1438 in The Book of Margery Kempe, even though many scholars believe that the idiom in Kempe’s book isn’t entirely clear and probably has a different meaning from its modern use.
The best of both worlds
The phrase “the best of both worlds” refers to an item or situation that offers the benefits of two disparate or competing items or situations, often without presenting the undesirable aspects of either. To make a long story short, it means that you can enjoy two different opportunities at the same time. Even though the exact origins of the term are unconfirmed, the phrase has been a part of English since at least the late 1800s. It is believed to have derived from the saying “the best of all possible worlds,” which was used in Voltaire’s novella Candide, published in 1759, but the modern definition of the idiom usually compares only two situations as opposed to the broader comparison implied by Voltaire.

Feeling under the weather
To be “under the weather” is to be ill or to feel unwell. Originally it meant to feel seasick or to be adversely affected by bad weather and as you’ve probably guessed by now this idiom has a maritime source. In the old days, when a sailor was unwell he was sent down below deck to recover, away from the weather, something that is verified in Salty Dog Talk: The Nautical Origins of Everyday Expressions by Bill Beavis and Richard G. McCloskey.

My ears are burning
In many countries and different cultures a burning sensation in the ears supposedly means that a person is being talked about by others. The origin of this belief goes back to Roman times when augurs, religious officials who observed natural signs, paid particular attention to such things. According to the augurs, if your left ear burned, it was a sign of bad intentions by the ones who were talking about you, but if your right ear burned, then you should be happy because you were being praised.

Get up on the wrong side of the bed
It happens to all of us once in a while, especially when we know at bedtime that we have to get up and pay all the bills, including the dreaded rent, the next morning. It’s not exactly the way any of us want to start our day. But you’re probably wondering how we ended up with this idiom. Well, in ancient Rome, getting out of bed on the left side was considered a bad sign and plain bad luck and if you made that mistake your day was destined to be a very bad one.

Skeleton in the closet 
In the United Kingdom, one's shameful secrets are kept in the cupboard rather than the closet, though the origins of the near-identical idioms stem from the same exact same source. Both literal and figurative skeletons factored into its popularity, the former when William Hendry Stowell likened one's wish to hide genetic diseases to shoving bones into closets. In fictional narratives, a murderer hiding corporeal evidence oftentimes utilized out-of-the-way areas, subsequently turning safe, domestic scenes into grisly torrents of terror.
In nineteenth-century England, the periodical The Eclectic Review used this idiom in reference to a family who desperately tried to keep a son’s illness secret by hiding him in the closet quite often, especially when guests visited. This is how this idiom got its start, and today we use it to refer to when someone tries to hide a big secret out of embarrassment and shame.

Bite off more than you can chew
If someone bites off more than he can chew, it means that he has agreed to do more than he can manage. But how did we end up with such an apt idiom? “To bite off more than one can chew” dates back to nineteenth-century America, where it was common practice to chew tobacco. People would offer others a bite of their tobacco block, and some would greedily take a bite larger than they could possibly chew. People began to notice this and forewarned others not to bite off more than they could chew. Brilliant, no?

Wrong end of the stick
If you had the rotten luck (like I had, for example) to have a cruel teacher in high school who didn’t like you very much and unfortunately happened to love this idiom a little too much, then you’ve probably heard this phrase repeatedly every time you supposedly didn’t understand a situation correctly. As for its origin, this is another case where we have to be grateful to the Romans.
Back in ancient Rome people didn’t have toilet paper so they had to use a sponge on a stick every time they had to clean themselves after going number two. However, if someone wasn’t being careful when using the stick, they could pick it up by the wrong end and I’m sure you don’t need any more details beyond this point, right? Ewwwww.

Cut me some slack
This idiom is about giving a person some freedom in the way they act and respond to situations. It is believed to be nautical in origin, and concerns not pulling on the rope so as to give the other person a chance to untangle it. However, it is a phrase that’s used in a broader sense, and is roughly equivalent to “Give me a break.”

Hands down
 “Hands down” is a term meaning “easily” or “with little or no effort at all” and is used mostly in the context of a competition or comparison and that’s why we often hear it in sports discussions. Just as with most idioms, there are a few theories about its origin but it’s widely accepted that it dates back to the mid-nineteenth century and the genteel world of British horse racing. Back then, a jockey who found himself way ahead as he approached the finish line would relax his grip on the reins and drop his hands. By the late nineteenth century, the idiom had been extended to non-racing contexts, and remains in frequent use today.

Freak out
 “Freak out” is the urban term that best describes a state of shock. Do most of us know the origin of this idiom though? Well not that we know from experience but the phrase derives from the wild sixties, specifically the even wilder drug scene and “freaking out” usually referred to a bad psychedelic trip.

When pigs fly
We often use this phrase to sarcastically say that something will never, ever happen and it’s pretty much of the same meaning as another popular idiom “until hell freezes over.” “When pigs fly” is a traditional Scottish proverb, which was first written down in 1586, in an edition of John Withals’s English-Latin dictionary for children. The dictionary had an appendix of proverbs rendered into Latin, of which one was the usual form of the proverb in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries: “pigs fly in the air with their tails forward.”

Chip on your shoulder
This idiom perfectly describes all the troublemakers who go around looking for an argument or holding a grudge that eventually leads to a physical fight. As for its origin? Americans claim that it comes from an American game called Chip on Your Shoulder that kids used to play back in the 1800s. A chip of wood was placed on one’s shoulder and the other had to knock it off. When the chip was knocked off, the fight began. Similarly, back in medieval Europe a knight would throw down his gauntlet and if the opponent picked it up the challenge was accepted and the fight began.

Other side of the coin
This idiom refers to the opposite side or point of view of a situation and usually points out how most things in life can’t be entirely bad or entirely good; at least in most cases. The origin of this idiom isn’t one hundred percent verified, but it is believed that it has been around since the early days of the twentieth century when jurists, usually in order to get the full story, wanted to hear both sides since every story or argument has two sides (if not more).

Show your true colors
This phrase probably best describes a hypocrite who has been hiding behind false words or actions for a respectable amount of time. When they finally decide to reveal who they really are, and what their true character is, that’s when we say they’ve shown their true colors. The origin of the phrase derives from naval history; a few centuries ago ships used to be identified mainly by the flags or colors they flew to show which country they belonged to.
However, ships owned by pirates would often sail under fake flags from various countries to approach their prey and eventually would show their true colors by hoisting their real flags (aka a pirate flag) once they had conquered the other ship.

Get it out of your system
There are times we all want to do or say something that we’ve wanted to for a long time that we know we shouldn’t, or we’re not able to but eventually we can’t stop ourselves any longer from fulfilling that need or desire. Basically, this modern idiom describes our intention to finally get rid of a preoccupation or anxiety that has been eating away at us for quite some time.
The strange thing about this phrase is that despite being amazingly popular (millions of people in many different languages use it daily) it doesn’t have a confirmed origin but is believed to be associated with medicine, particularly with the detoxification of drug addicts in rehab.

Don’t judge a book by its cover
This is the kind of idiom that every wise man or woman should agree with and is about how we shouldn’t judge or make a decision about someone or something based on a brief impression or outward appearance. The phrase goes back to at least the mid-nineteenth century as found in George Eliot’s The Mill on the Floss (1860), where Mr. Tulliver uses the phrase in discussing Daniel Defoe’s The History of the Devil, saying how it was beautifully bound. We come upon the idiom again in a June 1867 article in the Piqua Democrat.

Play it by ear
Meaning:Playing something by ear means that rather than sticking to a defined plan, you will see how things go and decide on a course of action as you go along.
Example: “What time shall we go shopping?” “Let’s see how the weather looks and play it by ear.”
Origins: This saying has its origins in music, as “playing something by ear” means to play music without reference to the notes on a page. This sense of the phrase dates back to the 16th century, but the present use only came into being in mid-20th century America, primarily referring to sports. These days, the expression has lost this focus on sports and can be used in any context.

Raining Cats and Dogs!
Now, this is an interesting one.
This must sound like a very odd expression to someone just learning the language for the first time. There are a lot of things I have seen falling from the sky, but cats and dogs are not one of them.
How did this expression come about, then?
It's quite simple, really. It originated in England in the 1500's, when houses had thatched roofs. A thatch roof consisted of straw piled high, with no wood underneath. In cold, foggy England, this was sometimes the only place for an animal to get warm. Cats, and other small animals, like mice, bugs, and the occasional dog would wind up on the roofs.
When it rained really hard, some of the animals would slip off the roof and wash up in the gutters on the street. Hence, the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs" ended up referring to a heavy rain.
A second possibility to the origins: The origins of this bizarre phrase are obscure, though it was first recorded in 1651 in the poet Henry Vaughan’s collection Olor Iscanus. It may even be a reference to dead animals being washed through the streets by floods.
If you were into Norse mythology then you would know that cats were the symbol of heavy rain, while dogs were directly connected with Odin, the ruler of Asgard and storm god, and therefore represented howling wind. I think you get the point by now, right?

Can’t do something to save my life
Meaning: “Can’t do something to save your life” is a hyperbolic way of saying that you’re completely inept at something. It’s typically used in a self-deprecating manner or to indicate reluctance to carry out a task requested of one.
Example: “Don’t pick me – I can’t draw to save my life.”
Origins: Anthony Trollope first used this expression, in 1848 in Kellys and O’Kellys, writing, “If it was to save my life and theirs, I can’t get up small talk for the rector and his curate.”

Fat chance
Meaning: We use the expression “fat chance” to refer to something that is incredibly unlikely. Bizarrely, and contrary to what one might expect, the related expression “slim chance” means the same thing.
Example: “We might win the Lottery.” “Fat chance.”
Origins: The origins of this expression are unclear, but the use of the word “fat” is likely to be a sarcastic version of saying “slim chance”. A similar expression is “Chance would be a fine thing”, which refers to something that one would like to happen, but that is very unlikely.

Pot calling the kettle black
Meaning: We use this expression to refer to someone who criticises someone else, for something they they themselves are guilty of.
Example: “You’re greedy.” “Pot calling the kettle black?”
Origins: First used in the literature of the 1600s – notably Don Quixote by Cervantes – this expression has its origins in the Medieval kitchen, when both pots and kettles were made from sturdy cast iron and both would get black with soot from the open fire.

Once in a blue moon
Meaning: The phrase refers to something that happens very infrequently.
Example: “I only see him once in a blue moon.”
Origins: Confusingly, a blue moon doesn’t refer to the actual colour of the moon; it refers to when we see a full moon twice in one month. This happens every two to three years. It’s thought that the word “blue” may have come from the now obsolete word “belewe”, which meant “to betray”; the “betrayer moon” was an additional spring full moon that would mean people would have to fast for an extra month during Lent. The saying in its present meaning is first recorded in 1821.

Head in the clouds
Meaning: Used to describe someone who is not being realistic, the expression “head in the clouds” suggests that the person isn’t grounded in reality and is prone to flights of fancy. The opposite expression would be something like “down to earth”, meaning someone who is practical and realistic.
Example: “He’s not right for this role, he has his head in the clouds.”
Origins: In use since the mid-1600s, the origins of this expression are unclear beyond the obvious imagery of someone who is a bit of a fantasist (having one’s head in the clouds is clearly impossible – or at least it was in the days before aviation!).
Mad as a hatter
Meaning: “Mad as a hatter” refers to someone who is completely crazy. A similar expression is “mad as a March hare”.
Example: “You could ask him, but he’s mad as a hatter.”
Origins: This is an interesting one. While “hatter” refers to Lewis Carroll’s Mad Hatter character in Alice in Wonderland, the expression has its origins in the effects of the chronic mercury poisoning commonly experienced by 18th and 19th century hat manufacturers owing to the use of mercurous nitrate in felt hats. The “Mad Hatter Disease” was marked by shyness, irritability, and tremors that would make the person appear “mad.”   “Mad as a March hare” comes from the behaviour of hares during the breeding season, when they run and leap about the fields.

Driving me up the wall
Meaning: This expression is used when something (or someone) is causing extreme exasperation and annoyance. A similar expression meaning the same thing is “driving me round the bend”.
Example: “That constant drilling noise is driving me up the wall.”
Origins: The saying evokes someone trying desperately to escape something by climbing up the walls. However, it’s unknown when it was first used.

Call it a day
Meaning: This means to stop doing something for the day, for example work, either temporarily or to give it up completely.
Example: “I can’t concentrate – let’s call it a day.”
Origins: The expression was originally “call it half a day”, first recorded in 1838 in a context meaning to leave one’s place of work before the working day was over. “Call it a day” came later, in 1919.


Knight in shining armour
Meaning: A knight in shining armour is a heroic, idealised male who typically comes to the rescue of a female.
Example: “He saved me from humiliation – he’s my knight in shining armour.”
Origins: The phrase harks back to the days of Old England, when popular imagination conjures up images of chivalry and knights coming to the rescue of damsels in distress. Much of this is likely to be Victorian fantasy, as this was a period when interest in the legend of King Arthur and the Court of Camelot was high. The earliest use of the expression was in a poem by Henry Pye in 1790, which referred to “No more the knight, in shining armour dress’d”.

Know the ropes
Meaning: Someone who “knows the ropes” is experienced at what they are doing. “Showing someone the ropes” means to explain to them how something is done.
Example: “Ask John, he knows the ropes around here.”
Origins: This phrase has its origins in the golden age of sailing, when understanding how to handle the ropes necessary to operate a ship and its sails was an essential maritime skill. By the mid-19th century it was a common slang expression, and it survives to this day.

Larger than life
Meaning: The phrase “larger than life” refers to a flamboyant, gregarious person whose mannerisms or appearance are considered more outlandish than those of other people.
Example: “His colourful waistcoats and unusual taste for hats made him a larger-than-life character in the local community.”
Origins: First recorded in the mid-20th century, the phrase was famously used by The New Yorker to describe wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.


A red herring
Meaning: Often used in the context of television detective shows, a red herring refers to something designed to distract or throw someone off a trail. Hence in a detective show, a clue that appears vital to solving a mystery is often added to heighten suspense, but may turn out to have been irrelevant; it was a red herring.
Example: “It seemed important, but it turned out to be a red herring.”
Origins: A herring is a fish that is often smoked, a process that turns it red and gives it a strong smell. Because of their pungent aroma, smoked herrings were used to teach hunting hounds how to follow a trail, and they would be drawn across the path of a trail as a distraction that the dog must overcome.

Barking up the wrong tree
Meaning: If someone is “barking up the wrong tree”, they are pursuing a line of thought or course of action that is misguided.
Example: “I’m certain that he was responsible.” “I think you’re barking up the wrong tree. He was elsewhere at the time.”
Origins: The saying refers to a dog barking at the bottom of a tree under the mistaken impression that its quarry is up it, suggesting that the phrase has its origins in hunting. The earliest known uses of the phrase date back to the early 19th century.

Blow one’s own trumpet
Meaning: “Blowing one’s own trumpet” means to boast about one’s own achievements.
Example: “Without meaning to blow my own trumpet, I came top of the class.”
Origins: Though phrases meaning the same thing had been in use for centuries, the actual expression is first recorded by Anthony Trollope in his 1873 work Australia and New Zealand.



In stitches
Meaning: If you’re “in stitches”, you’re laughing so hard that your sides hurt.
Example: “He was so funny – he had me in stitches all evening.”
Origins: Presumably comparing the physical pain of intense laughter with the prick of a needle, “in stitches” was first used in 1602 by Shakespeare in Twelfth Night. After this, the expression isn’t recorded again until the 20th century, but it’s now commonplace.

Turn a blind eye
Meaning: To ignore situations, facts, or reality, or to pretend not to have noticed something.
Example: “She took one of the cookies, but I turned a blind eye.”
Origin: The British Naval hero, Admiral Horatio Nelson, had one blind eye. Once when the British forces signaled for him to stop attacking a fleet of Danish ships, he held up a telescope to his blind eye and said, “I do not see the signal.” He attacked, nevertheless, and was victorious.

White elephant 
By this point, "white elephant" has morphed into a phrase associated with intentionally tacky gift swaps, but its original usage still gets thrown about on occasion. It originally stems from literal white elephants, which South Asian royalty oftentimes kept as vanity pets. In contemporary parlance, it broadens the definition to encompassing anything huge and expensive that requires more money than its actual value to maintain.
White elephants were once considered highly sacred creatures in Thailand—the animal even graced the national flag until 1917—but they were also wielded as a subtle form of punishment. According to legend, if an underling or rival angered a Siamese king, the royal might present the unfortunate man with the gift of a white elephant. While ostensibly a reward, the creatures were tremendously expensive to feed and house, and caring for one often drove the recipient into financial ruin. Whether any specific rulers actually bestowed such a passive-aggressive gift is uncertain, but the term has since come to refer to any burdensome possession—pachyderm or otherwise.

Crocodile tears
Modern English speakers use the phrase “crocodile tears” to describe a display of superficial or false sorrow, but the saying actually derives from a medieval belief that crocodiles shed tears of sadness while they killed and consumed their prey. The myth dates back as far as the 14th century and comes from a book called “The Travels of Sir John Mandeville.” Wildly popular upon its release, the tome recounts a brave knight’s adventures during his supposed travels through Asia. Among its many fabrications, the book includes a description of crocodiles that notes, “These serpents sley men, and eate them weeping, and they have no tongue.” While factually inaccurate, Mandeville’s account of weeping reptiles later found its way into the works of Shakespeare, and “crocodile tears” became an idiom as early as the 16th century.

Diehard
While it typically refers to someone with a strong dedication to a particular set of beliefs, the term “diehard” originally had a series of much more literal meanings. In its earliest incarnation in the 1700s, the expression described condemned men who struggled the longest when they were executed by hanging. The phrase later became even more popular after 1811’s Battle of Albuera during the Napoleonic Wars. In the midst of the fight, a wounded British officer named William Inglis supposedly urged his unit forward by bellowing “Stand your ground and die hard … make the enemy pay dear for each of us!” Inglis’ 57th Regiment suffered 75 percent casualties during the battle, and went on to earn the nickname “the Die Hards.”

Resting on laurels
The idea of resting on your laurels dates back to leaders and athletic stars of ancient Greece. In Hellenic times, laurel leaves were closely tied to Apollo, the god of music, prophecy and poetry. Apollo was usually depicted with a crown of laurel leaves, and the plant eventually became a symbol of status and achievement. Victorious athletes at the ancient Pythian Games received wreaths made of laurel branches, and the Romans later adopted the practice and presented wreaths to generals who won important battles. Venerable Greeks and Romans, or “laureates,” were thus able to “rest on their laurels” by basking in the glory of past achievements. Only later did the phrase take on a negative connotation, and since the 1800s it has been used for those who are overly satisfied with past triumphs.


Read the riot act
These days, angry parents might threaten to “read the riot act” to their unruly children. But in 18th-century England, the Riot Act was a very real document, and it was often recited aloud to angry mobs. Instituted in 1715, the Riot Act gave the British government the authority to label any group of more than 12 people a threat to the peace. In these circumstances, a public official would read a small portion of the Riot Act and order the people to “disperse themselves, and peaceably depart to their habitations.” Anyone that remained after one hour was subject to arrest or removal by force. The law was later put to the test in 1819 during the infamous Peterloo Massacre, in which a cavalry unit attacked a large group of protestors after they appeared to ignore a reading of the Riot Act.

Paint the town red
The phrase “paint the town red” most likely owes its origin to one legendary night of drunkenness. In 1837, the Marquis of Waterford—a known lush and mischief maker—led a group of friends on a night of drinking through the English town of Melton Mowbray. The bender culminated in vandalism after Waterford and his fellow revelers knocked over flowerpots, pulled knockers off of doors and broke the windows of some of the town’s buildings. To top it all off, the mob literally painted a tollgate, the doors of several homes and a swan statue with red paint. The marquis and his pranksters later compensated Melton for the damages, but their drunken escapade is likely the reason that “paint the town red” became shorthand for a wild night out. Still yet another theory suggests the phrase was actually born out of the brothels of the American West, and referred to men behaving as though their whole town were a red-light district.

Running amok
“Running amok” is commonly used to describe wild or erratic behavior, but the phrase actually began its life as a medical term. The saying was popularized in the 18th and 19th centuries, when European visitors to Malaysia learned of a peculiar mental affliction that caused otherwise normal tribesmen to go on brutal and seemingly random killing sprees. Amok—derived from the “Amuco,” a band of Javanese and Malay warriors who were known for their penchant for indiscriminate violence—was initially a source of morbid fascination for Westerners. Writing in 1772, the famed explorer Captain James Cook noted that “to run amok is to … sally forth from the house, kill the person or persons supposed to have injured the Amock, and any other person that attempts to impede his passage.” Once thought to be the result of possession by evil spirits, the phenomenon later found its way into psychiatric manuals. It remains a diagnosable mental condition to this day.
By and large
Many everyday phrases are nautical in origin— “taken aback,” “loose cannon” and “high and dry” all originated at sea—but perhaps the most surprising example is the common saying “by and large.” As far back as the 16th century, the word “large” was used to mean that a ship was sailing with the wind at its back. Meanwhile, the much less desirable “by,” or “full and by,” meant the vessel was traveling into the wind. Thus, for mariners, “by and large” referred to trawling the seas in any and all directions relative to the wind. Today, sailors and landlubbers alike now use the phrase as a synonym for “all things considered” or “for the most part.”

The third degree
There are several tales about the origin of “the third degree,” a saying commonly used for long or arduous interrogations. One theory argues the phrase relates to the various degrees of murder in the criminal code; yet another credits it to Thomas F. Byrnes, a 19th-century New York City policeman who used the pun “Third Degree Byrnes” when describing his hardnosed questioning style. In truth, the saying is most likely derived from the Freemasons, a centuries-old fraternal organization whose members undergo rigorous questioning and examinations before becoming “third degree” members, or “master masons.”

By the skin of my teeth
 This incredibly common, yet bizarre, phrase obviously has no physiological origin, but most English-speaking peoples have access to its very first use. The Geneva Bible, first published in 1560, translated Job 19:20 as such, and the idiom's meaning was used in much the same as it is now. Subsequent English bibles related it as either something very similar or hewing closer to referencing gums rather than literally skinned teeth.

Green-eyed monster 
Unsurprisingly, William Shakespeare coined a bounty of idioms and expressions still used by English speakers today. His tragic drama Othello first referenced a "green-eyed monster," alluding to the jealousy and betrayal at the narrative's center. But rather than the expected vision of toothy viridian terror most people conjure up, the Bard actually used a cat seemingly playing with its captured meal before consumption.

Apple of my eye 
The Book of Deuteronomy first used this phrase in Hebrew, and Shakespeare popularized its English use in A Midsummer Night's Dream. In spite of the millennia between them, both eras believed the human pupil to be a solid, apple-like construct. This idiom was originally used in a literal sense, but over time metamorphosed into a term of endearment.

Bring home the bacon 
Etymologists remain unsure as to where exactly this particularly tasty idiom came from, though many trace it back to a Great Dunmow tradition that began in 1104. Apparently the Prior of Little Dunmow awarded a particularly dedicated married couple with an entire side of bacon as a reward for their virtue. Such practices continue in the region, occurring every four years, and even found its way into Chaucer's 1395 The Wife of Bath's Tale and Prologue.

Diddly-squat 
"Diddly-squat" originated amongst carnival professionals, and the meaning largely stayed the same once it hit the mainstream. Workers oftentimes used their own slang in order to communicate with one another in front of visitors without letting them onto what all was going on. The term apparently referred to small amounts of change proffered by gamblers, usually nickels or dimes, and nobody really seems to know how it entered into the common English vernacular.

Screaming meemies 
At least two possible origins for this bizarre phrase exist, one as 1920s slang term for intoxication, the other an onomatopoeia describing German artillery shells used in World War I. With the latter, soldiers coming home with an unfortunate case of PTSD were often referred to as suffering the "screaming meemies." From there, the idiom eventually swelled to include anyone who felt afraid or traumatized by a scary situation.



Riding shotgun 
Back when stagecoaches existed as the pinnacle of transport, the seat immediately next to the driver was reserved for individuals holding (of course) a shotgun. Such a strategic spot allowed the protectors to better ward off any bandits attempting to loot passengers. As engineering marched on into motor vehicles, the vernacular designation for the coveted spot stayed the same.

On cloud nine 
The whos and whats behind the creation of "on cloud nine" remain largely obscured, but it burst onto the scene sometime around the 1950s and spread through its use on a popular radio program. Whenever eponymous protagonist Johnny Dollar wound up unconscious, he found himself floating about the popular atmospheric locale. Although it likely existed in some form or another prior to the show, it caught on as slang for ecstasy induced by intoxicating substances — before undergoing the usual broadening to encompass any sort of profound happiness.

Talking up a blue streak 
18th Century America birthed this humorous little phrase used to describe incredibly quick speech patterns. Most etymologists and word geeks tend to think the "blue" refers to lightning tinged with the specific color. So the idiom's original metaphorical intent has stayed pretty much the exact same throughout the centuries.

Up to snuff 
Chewing tobacco once enjoyed immense popularity, but owing to its great expense was only afforded by the upper castes. Its original meaning shares similarities with today's, referring to one's financial and intellectual status. A man who was considered "up to snuff" possessed the money, smarts and sophistication necessary to fully enjoy and appreciate fine tobacco and tobacco products.

Lowbrow, Middlebrow and Highbrow 
Despite these idioms' vastly different meanings, all of them share the same pseudo-scientific roots. The once-accepted field of phrenology, which enjoyed popularity in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, wrongly posited that the size of one's forehead indicated the size of one's brain. "Highbrow," of course, was thought to indicate the most intelligence, and 1875 marked its first appearance in English vernacular.

Bitter end 
English speakers with a fondness for military vocabulary know that a "bitter" is the term for a line wound around an iron or wooden pike on a seafaring vessel's deck (also known as a "bit"). These days, Navy professionals refer to the final portions of lines as "the bitter end" regardless of whether or not it's attached to the eponymous post. And sailors and mainstream speakers alike all use the term to mean extreme loyalty to an individual, event or cause.

Blacklist 
To blacklist someone always held the same definition and connotation, though modern parlance does not usually mean a literal black list. During King Charles II's reign, however, it involved black books where he kept the names of those involved with his father's murder. "Black book" can be used interchangeably with "blacklist," but the latter is far more popular.

Flash in the pan 
Like plenty of other idioms out there, "flash in the pan" could have easily stemmed from multiple sources. The most commonly accepted history, however, involves flintlock rifles and their occasional failures to light powder and send a bullet flying. Quick-burning fads have plenty in common with the bright, burning sparks the guns created, lasting only seconds before dispersing back into nothingness.

Selling like hotcakes 
Around 1839, this tasty term likened anything that sold out quickly to one of America's most popular foodstuffs. Hotcakes and pancakes have always enjoyed a beloved spot in the nation's culinary heart, and serve as some of the best metaphors for anything that flies off the shelves. They never blew up as one major "flash in the pan" fad, but rather endured as a classic, reliable comfort food.

Funny bone 
Here, "funny" actually refers to the word's "strange" rather than "hilarious" connotation. The ulnar nerve in the elbow creates a very bizarre, tingling sensation when the surrounding bone experiences a strike. Considering the fact that it does (appropriately enough) run past the humerus in the upper arm, this idiom could still compellingly hail from elsewhere.

Let the cat out of the bag 
The most reasonable of the two historical explanations for this phrase actually ties into another one involving mammals and bagging — "a pig in a poke." Dating back to around 1530, cats often served as sneaky substitutes for their porcine peers when shady businesspeople tricked their customers. Clever consumers who exposed their deception eventually spawned the familiar idiom, which retains a similar, albeit broader, meaning today.

Fly off the handle 
Handmade axes in the United States' pioneer days weren't always the crowning achievements of technology and craftsmanship. Occasionally, a particularly poor design would result in the head unexpectedly zooming off its handle. Many people found this an apt metaphor for passionate bursts of rage, eventually birthing the phrase still in use centuries later.

Ballpark estimate 
Etymologists and word junkies alike attribute America's allegedly favorite pastime to the creation of this idiom. Similar to "in the same ballpark," it means an approximation rather than a definitive answer. The phrase refers to an outdated newspaper strategy used to gauge the number of attendants at a baseball game when nothing existed to measure it exactly.


Kick the bucket 
One of the more bizarre metaphors in the English language likens death to a bucket understandably confuses even the most eloquent and learned speakers. Probably the most likely explanation refers to a now-obsolete method of slaughtering animals for food. A "bucket" consisted of a wooden frame, from which the pigs or sheep or other livestock were hung, and the "kicking" element comes in when the expected neurological struggles ensue after death.

Lunatic fringe 
During the Roman Empire, moon goddess Luna was thought to influence one's mental health with her moody tendencies. Millennia later, President Teddy Roosevelt allegedly co-opted the word in order to best describe his opinions regarding Anarchists on the outer edges of the political spectrum. Although still largely used when referring to one's opinions on government systems, like many other idioms this one gradually expanded to include other subjects as well.

Bite the bullet
 “Bite the bullet” has a really painful meaning since it suggests accepting the inevitable unpleasant reality that is waiting for you and enduring the pain with grace. The phrase was first recorded in Rudyard Kipling’s 1891 novel The Light that Failed and its origin derives from the barbaric era before anesthetics were used in medical procedures, when injured soldiers had to bite on a bullet to help them endure the pain of an operation or amputation. Biting a bullet usually resulted in a few broken teeth aside from the pain.  The first recorded use of the phrase was in 1891 in The Light that Failed.

Back to square one 
Several different possible histories of this curious idiom exist, though only one from 1952 seems the most likely. Snakes and Ladders, known as Chutes and Ladders in the United States, may not have sent unlucky players straight to the first square. But this did not stop an Economic Journal article from wielding it as a metaphor for having to start over from the very beginning.


Extend the olive branch
Meaning: To extend the olive branch is to take steps towards achieving peace with an enemy (or simply someone with whom you have fallen out).
Example: “I thought it was about time I went over there and extended the olive branch.”
Origins: This expression has biblical origins, and was seen as an emblem of peace. In Genesis, a dove brings an olive branch to Noah to indicate that God’s anger had died down and the flood waters had abated.

Out of line 
Another simple idiom with a simple history. In the military, falling out of line meant compromising the unit's integrity and efficiency. The specialized terminology eventually entered into the mainstream lexicon, retaining the same connotations.