Origins of Idioms Trivia

1. With which massive war of the 1700s did the expression "Going at it bare-headed" originate?

From Quiz Origins of Idioms

Answer: Seven Year War

The Seven Year War, fought between 1754 and 1763, was one that involved all the great European nations at that time in history. Such was its ferocity and range that the five main continents at that time were all involved. To a degree, it could be described as a World War long before the later World Wars of the 20th century. Once again, as had been the case for many centuries prior, the two major combatants in this disastrous engagement were England and France. At its conclusion, which ultimately resulted in the loss of one and a half million lives, the balance of power in Europe was irrevocably altered. At the 1760 Battle of Warburg which took place during the Seven Year War in present day Germany, British General John Manners, the Marquess of Granby, made a name for himself for leading the British army in such a ferocious charge against the French forces that both his hat and wig blew away. This resulted in the expression "Going at it bare-headed" and, to the day, the British Blues and Royals regiment still holds to the tradition of saluting even if not wearing full headwear regalia. Today we understand this saying to mean giving some desired goal one hundred per cent of effort, physical or mental.

From Quiz Bright as a Button

Answer: Military Brass Buttons

The general consensus of the origin of the expression "bright as a button" came from the shinny brass buttons worn by the military, with brightness also indicating cleverness used by the military and their strategising.

From Quiz From the Biblical to the Vernacular

Answer: Bush

This saying means that it is better to appreciate what you actually have in your possession than to go chasing after unrealistic goals that may never be achieved. It can be found in the KJV of the Bible in Ecclesiastes 6:9-11, where it states, most sensibly, that "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush; mere dreaming of nice things is foolish; it's chasing the wind". Unfortunately, human beings being what they are, full of rather endearing foibles and faults, have taken this wise quote, and, in England during the Middle Ages, called several pubs after it instead.

From Quiz Phrases Coined In The King James Bible

Answer: Matthew and Mark

Matthew 12:25 reads: "And Jesus knew their thoughts [the Pharisees], and said unto them, 'Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand'." In Mark 3:25, he echoes the phrase: "And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand." In his speech on June 16, 1858, accepting the Illinois Republican party's nomination for United States senator, Abraham Lincoln echoed this phrase: "A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free."

From Quiz A Wing and a Prayer

Answer: Dante's "Divine Comedy"

Dante Alighieri wrote "The Divine Comedy" between around 1308 and 1321. In this poem, Dante travels through Heaven, Purgatory and Hell. In the 1814 English translation of Dante's work, "Abandon hope all ye who enter here" is described as the sign above the entrance to Hell.

From Quiz English is a Biblical Language!

Answer: out

This idiom means to spend a lot of money or more money than you usually do, especially when you are celebrating. Eg: Let's push the boat out since it's your birthday. In the NIV Bible its roots are found in Luke 5:3-7. Jesus borrows Simon Peter's boat and pushes out a little from shore to teach the people. Then to reward him he asks him to put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch. Disbelievingly Peter replies, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." The Bible records that when they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break! Even with their partner's boat's help they were unable to load their catch!

From Quiz Where Does That Phrase Come From?

Answer: François Villon

François Villon is believed to have been born in 1431 and died some 33 years later in 1464. Villon was a French poet, thief, killer, barroom brawler, and vagabond. He is perhaps best known for the interconnected poem (closer to short stories) "Testaments" written while Villon was in a French prison. In the "Ballade des dames du temps jadis" (itself a part of "Testaments") Villon originally asked in French, "Mais où sont les neiges d'antan?". In the 19th Century the poem, with its questions, was translated to English by the English poet and artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti as "Where are the snows of yesteryear?". The phrase has been a popular refrain for centuries. Little is known for certain about Villon other than the fact that after his death his works became immensely popular. In the English lexicon the phrase "where are the snows of yesteryear" has achieved Villon a sort of contradictory immortality. The poem itself is a lament on the transitory nature of life and the certainty of death, as Villon asks in successive verses where the "snows" (famous women) of classical literature have gone. Villon's work, however, has stood the test of time and is quoted and referenced in such varied works as Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" and D.H. Lawrence's "Lady Chatterley's Lover". Rimbaud and Baudelaire are both well known French poets from the 19th Century who credit Villon as an influence.

From Quiz The Book of Proverbs

Answer: If the business fails it's due to bad leadership

The origin of this proverb is not truly known but it is mainly attributed to the Turks. The proverb can be found in "Observations on the religion, law, government, and manners of the Turks", which was written in 1768 by James Porter.

From Quiz Why Did I Say That?

Answer: From fresh fish flapping in fishmonger's carts

The phrase originated in the 18th century among London fishmongers.

From Quiz Finish My Proverb

Answer: The head down

The meaning of this saying is that if any empire, country or organisation fails, the blame is to be found in its leadership. Many countries have different variations of this proverb, but they basically all agree on its inherent meaning. The English version of this proverb was first heard in that country in the late 17th century and said to be included in John Josselyn's 1674 "An Account of Two Voyages to New England". However, the general consensus is that it originated in Turkey. In Sir James Porter's 1768 book "Observations on the Religion, Law, Government and Manners of the Turks", he states, "The Turks have a homely proverb applied on such occasions: they say 'the fish stinks first at the head', meaning that if the servant is disorderly, it is because the master is so".

From Quiz Where did that come from?

Answer: Very drunk.

Just to keep the landlubbers on their toes, sailors often use words which aren't what they seem. You'd think a sheet was a sail wouldn't you? Well, it isn't. A sheet is usually a rope that is used to haul on a sail. On a square-rigged sailing ship, each of the three lower course sails has a sheet to haul it around. If the ends of the sheets are not fastened down, they will fly in the wind and the sails will be out of control. The more sheets left to fly, the more out of control the sail. There is actually a hierarchy of drunkenness - one sheet in the wind means a little bit drunk and three sheets in the wind means you are doing a David Hasselhoff. In days gone by, hanging round on a ship usually meant you'd been caught doing something naughty and were suffering punishment. (This often involved hanging around from the yardarm). Breaking wind in bed can be fun but it's hardly nautical in origin - real sailors sleep in hammocks. Breaking wind in bed is a part of a game known as "Dutch Ovens" in highbrow circles. I have another name for it but it won't get past the censors.

From Quiz Origin Of Phrases

Answer: The "doornail" is the solid stud against which a door knocker is struck. The assumption is that anything that takes such a constant pounding must surely be totally lifeless

I appreciate that claims of origin may differ occasionally, therefore I have cross referenced the book "Pig In A Poke" against at least two websites as detailed within each "Interesting Information section. Variations on the phrase once included "dead as a herring", "dead as Julius Caesar" and "dead as a tent peg". It is the doornail that survived them all. www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/38250.html www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-dea1.htm

From Quiz Common Expressions

Answer: A song

It's a tag from 'The Isle of Beauty', a song written by English poet Thomas Haynes Bayly (1797-1839). Having looked over some of his verse, which seems to be of the same school as that of Patience Strong and Helen Steiner Rice, I can understand why Bayly is one of England's forgotten poets.

From Quiz Idiomatically Speaking: Part Deux

Answer: Dogs

This idiom has a very interesting origin. It goes back to Pre-Christian times in Northern Europe, the wind was explained as a big dog chasing the rain (cats) across the sky. The dog was the faithful servant of Odin, a Norse god of wisdom.

From Quiz Idiomatically Speaking.

Answer: Mutton Pie

It got its name from Christopher Cat, a pastry chef, who was a genius at making them. It was called a Kit Cat.

From Quiz To Coin a Phrase

Answer: Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell never pretended to be a handsome man, and took delight saying that he had to be taken 'warts and all'.

From Quiz Origin of the Phrase

Answer: The inscription at the entrance to Hell in the "Divine Comedy"

"Divine Comedy" was written by Dante and his real name was Durante Alighieri; he was born in Florence in May or June, 1265.

From Quiz Wonder Where That Expression's From?

Answer: Mercuric Nitrate

Mercuric Nitrate is a inorganic mercury compound that was used in the 19th Century to 'carrot' or lay felt in the making of hats. The use of the compound caused hat-makers to experience tremors and a physical distubance as the result of mercury poisoning, essentially a nerve toxin. The effects affected such a number of people in the industry that it was subsequently banned. Lewis Carroll (aka Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) used the unfortunate circumstances in the hat industry as the name of one of the characters from his story 'Alice in Wonderland', the Mad Hatter who holds the tea party that the White Rabbit leads Alice to.

From Quiz Origins of Idioms

Answer: Falconry

This saying's origins lie in the medieval sport of falconry, where those beautiful high speed predatory birds were trained by man to hunt, seize and kill small animals. Falcons have fine, tapering wings which enable them to dart and change direction in the skies at amazing speeds. That coupled with their sharp sense of sight and hunting instincts practically guaranteed no prey would escape. Today we understand this saying to mean that any asset of some kind that we actually possess is better than the prospect of receiving several more that may not ever materialise.

From Quiz Bright as a Button

Answer: Ear

"Playing by ear" means doing something without planning; you take it as it comes and go with the flow. The expression is believed to go back as far as the 16th century, and has revivals in the 20th century related to sports. Now it can relate to anything.

From Quiz From the Biblical to the Vernacular

Answer: Drop

This saying means that any contribution or achievement or solution of any kind is only a small part of what is really necessary to bring something to a satisfactory conclusion - a very small part of an overall whole, in other words. It can be found in the KJV of the Bible in Isaiah 40:15, where it actually states that "Behold, the nations are as a drop *OF* a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing". Over time, however, the saying has gradually evolved to slightly alter that original wording.

From Quiz Phrases Coined In The King James Bible

Answer: Psalms

Psalm 107:27, discussing the effects of a storm on "those who go down to the sea in ships," reads: "They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end"; that is, they have done all they could and have nowhere left to turn. In the KJV, Psalms has 150 chapters, 2461 verses, and 42,704 words; Jeremiah has 52 chapters, 1364 verses, and 42,654 words; Genesis has 1533 verses and 38,262 words; and Isaiah has 66 chapters. [biblebelievers.com]

From Quiz A Wing and a Prayer

Answer: The Bible

This expression is derived from Job 19:20. "My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth". Megadeth, an American thrash metal band, did release a song "Skin O' my teeth" in 1994. However, as noted above, the Bible is the original source.

From Quiz English is a Biblical Language!

Answer: wall

This phrase translates that imminent danger has become apparent. In the NIV Bible in the Book of Daniel chapter 5, Belshazzar, the son of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, was indulging in a drunken party and debasing sacred Temple vessels by using them as wine goblets when a disembodied hand wrote, "mene mene tekel upharsin" on the palace wall. His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking. Daniel interprets the message, telling King Belshazzar that he will be overthrown.

From Quiz Where Does That Phrase Come From?

Answer: bad breath

The phrase was used to sell Listerine mouthwash. To promote their product, Listerine allegedly sought out and retold the personal experiences of girls who desperately wanted to settle down but seemed always to be passed over for the all important marriage proposal. The ads with the phrase were first used in the 1920s. The intent of the ad was to give the "poor" left out girls a possible explanation for their lack of success in snaring a man. The ads, mostly in magazines and newspapers, usually depicted a woman complaining to a friend that she couldn't get a marriage prospect. The "friend" pointed out that the woman was "getting on for thirty" and she had bad breath; and that unless the unmarried girl cleared up her bad breath (using Listerine) she would never be the bride. The advertisements sold millions of bottles of mouthwash, and perpetuated the myth that marriage was a women's purpose; they also gave the English language a new saying. Today "always a bridesmaid never a bride" is used mostly to describe someone (team or group) that come close to success but cannot quite reach the goal. While couched in archaic sexist phraseology the concept remains universal and the saying lingers.

From Quiz The Book of Proverbs

Answer: Confessed

"A fault confessed is half redressed" Is an old English proverb meaning that confession is the beginning of forgiveness. This proverb can be found in Henry George Bohn's 1855 "Handbook of Proverbs 285".

From Quiz Why Did I Say That?

Answer: From President Theodore Roosevelt's daughter, Alice

The color was named for Alice Roosevelt Longworth or 'Princess Alice' who spent her childhood in the White House and was a long time leader of Washington society. The color was further popularized by the song "Alice Blue Gown".

From Quiz Finish My Proverb

Answer: Any door

The general meaning of this proverb is that money can usually buy anything, or get a person to do any deed. The first person known to have recorded this was English playwright John Lyly in his 1580 work "Euphues and his England". He worded it somewhat differently by stating in the 'ye olde English' of the time that "Who is so ignorant that knoweth not, gold be a key for euery locke, chieflye with his ladye" intimating that money would gain a gentleman admittance at any time into his lady's grace and favour. Hmmm, that's a bit insulting to the fairer sex. Obviously feminism wasn't big in those days.

From Quiz Where did that come from?

Answer: Tories loyal to the crown during the American War (of Independence).

Charles Lynch was a Virginia planter who ran an irregular court, which tried Tories who were thought to be fomenting revolt in 1780. This court had no power but still ordered severe punishments, including tarring and feathering, whippings and the seizure of property. Several sources suggest that the court was, in some cases, used for personal gain rather than the attainment of justice. The court was granted retrospective authority by the Virginia General Assembly in 1782. Seven thousand French and Spanish seamen were captured at the Battle of Trafalgar. A significant proportion of these were lost, along with their British captors, in the violent storm which blew up immediately after the battle. The majority of the survivors were held in England as POWs until Napoleon was finally stopped. The terms "lynching", "lynch mob" and the like have come to be associated particularly with the murder of African-Americans in the southern states of the US. While lynchings were not limited to African-Americans, they formed a huge majority among the victims of lynch mobs. The blues song "Strange Fruit" came from a poem written by Abel Meeropol, a Jewish high-school teacher from the New York. The poem describes the lynching of two black men. Meeropol ended up adopting the sons of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were executed as Russian spies in the US during the cold war. Later examinations of the case against the Rosenbergs suggest that Ethel may have been hard done by if not actually lynched. Confederate soldiers during the Civil War are not known for any association with lynching. However, in the post-war years, they were predominant in the frontier lands where summary justice was common. Check out John Wayne movies and the "necktie parties".

From Quiz Origin Of Phrases

Answer: A "pale" is a pointed stake used in a fence. Beyond the "pale" was deemed to be wild and barbarous

A "pale" is a pointed stake in a fence construction which by extension came to refer to the fence itself. It was particularly associated with Ireland in the Middle Ages whilst under the English crown. As the English power shrank so did the areas they controlled and the phrase was coined to refer to areas increasingly beyond English control, i.e. "beyond the pale" that were deemed to be returning to a wild and barbarous state. Yes I know that a bucket is a "pail" and not "pale" but the false answer was irresistible! www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/64100.html www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-pal2.htm

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