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Do you know your WORD-PHRASE Origin TRIVIA?
Hey Folks,
I've always enjoyed reading and learning about the origins of common words and phrases, and how they came about earning their meaning when they don't sound anything like what they say!? So...I'm going to post some that I've learned, and then ask if others will post some that they know of!
IT's amazing how many terms have come from nautical applications or experiences.
A Square meal: During colonial times in Brit Navy, to keep your food from sliding around the table, your plate was placed inside this square platter with raised edges, so your job earned you room and board with a "Square Meal"!
Worse than a loose cannon: Again, during wooden battle ship times, cannon were very heavy, but during battle sometimes the heavy ropes that secured them would be severed, and with the ship tossing around, this ton heavy object rolling and sliding around below deck could cause serious damage!
Got so cold it could freeze the balls "off" a brass monkey:
Same or earlier naval period, cannon balls were stored on deck in pyramid style pyles, but there was this short metal square rim around the base that held them in place. IT was made of BRASS, called the monkey. But cannon balls are Iron, and temps on deck can change tens of degrees very fast, and the brass would shrink faster than the iron, and the size leverage ratio would be reduced, and the cannon balls would then roll over=OFF the brass monkey all over the deck!!!
Threshhold In earlier times the floors of homes were made of dirt. People wove matts made of natural fibers to place at the door. The material was made from THRESH, but it could slide easily, so they had to use something to secure the thresh matt!!
Raining cats and dogs: Homes...were often built into the side of hills/mountains, mere thatched roofs and mud brick walls. Animals, domestic ones would often climb up onto the roof via the mountain side to rest, etc.. During foul weather, the roofs would often fail, and the animals would then fall thru the roof into the home, hence rained so hard it was raining cats and dogs!
Wake & Dead Ringer & Saved by the Bell:Medievel times, knowledge about death and Xsive use of alcohol caused some folks to be accidentally buried alive!
SO...first, they would lay the person out at home, and hold a "WAKE" for several days to see IF the person were merely in an alcoholic stupor/coma and see if they would AWAKEN! THEN, when they did get around to burying them, they would tie a string to their finger/hand and run it up thru the ground to a BELL on a poll by the grave. IF the person were alive, when they awoke they could/would pull on the string sounding the bell, hence a Dead Ringer, and then the person working the GRAVEYARD SHIFT would dig them back up, and they would have been saved by the BELL! This was later used during boxing as well....saved by the boxing round bell!
Making money hand over fist In ancient times, coins were minted manually, using a hammer and hand held die, the coins were placed on a table, and the person would hold the die in their fist and strike it with a hammer to imprint the image!
Okay, let's hear some more! T.C.
I've always enjoyed reading and learning about the origins of common words and phrases, and how they came about earning their meaning when they don't sound anything like what they say!? So...I'm going to post some that I've learned, and then ask if others will post some that they know of!
IT's amazing how many terms have come from nautical applications or experiences.
A Square meal: During colonial times in Brit Navy, to keep your food from sliding around the table, your plate was placed inside this square platter with raised edges, so your job earned you room and board with a "Square Meal"!
Worse than a loose cannon: Again, during wooden battle ship times, cannon were very heavy, but during battle sometimes the heavy ropes that secured them would be severed, and with the ship tossing around, this ton heavy object rolling and sliding around below deck could cause serious damage!
Got so cold it could freeze the balls "off" a brass monkey:
Same or earlier naval period, cannon balls were stored on deck in pyramid style pyles, but there was this short metal square rim around the base that held them in place. IT was made of BRASS, called the monkey. But cannon balls are Iron, and temps on deck can change tens of degrees very fast, and the brass would shrink faster than the iron, and the size leverage ratio would be reduced, and the cannon balls would then roll over=OFF the brass monkey all over the deck!!!
Threshhold In earlier times the floors of homes were made of dirt. People wove matts made of natural fibers to place at the door. The material was made from THRESH, but it could slide easily, so they had to use something to secure the thresh matt!!
Raining cats and dogs: Homes...were often built into the side of hills/mountains, mere thatched roofs and mud brick walls. Animals, domestic ones would often climb up onto the roof via the mountain side to rest, etc.. During foul weather, the roofs would often fail, and the animals would then fall thru the roof into the home, hence rained so hard it was raining cats and dogs!
Wake & Dead Ringer & Saved by the Bell:Medievel times, knowledge about death and Xsive use of alcohol caused some folks to be accidentally buried alive!
SO...first, they would lay the person out at home, and hold a "WAKE" for several days to see IF the person were merely in an alcoholic stupor/coma and see if they would AWAKEN! THEN, when they did get around to burying them, they would tie a string to their finger/hand and run it up thru the ground to a BELL on a poll by the grave. IF the person were alive, when they awoke they could/would pull on the string sounding the bell, hence a Dead Ringer, and then the person working the GRAVEYARD SHIFT would dig them back up, and they would have been saved by the BELL! This was later used during boxing as well....saved by the boxing round bell!Making money hand over fist In ancient times, coins were minted manually, using a hammer and hand held die, the coins were placed on a table, and the person would hold the die in their fist and strike it with a hammer to imprint the image!
Okay, let's hear some more! T.C.
evidence of the actual origin of the phrase "the whole nine yards", but that it was recorded in use in the early mid 60's, first around the military, USAF.
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