Ups-A-Daisy! It's More Cliches! Quiz

Answer: Her restaurant met the expected standards.

To say something is "up to par" is to say that it is "normal", that it has reached the standard that is usually accepted as satisfactory and perhaps as average. Most assume that the origin of the expression "up to par" lies in the sport of golf; however, the word is older than the game.

The word comes from the Latin "par", which means "equal", and the English use of the word was originally to refer to something that was equal to the value of something else used as a standard. One of the earlier references to "par" as an idiom occurs in Laurence Sterne's 1767 novel "Tristram Shandy": ". . . the livre or two above par for your supper and bed".

Answer: under the counter

Something sold "under the counter" is something sold surreptitiously. The expression refers to making a transaction or trade secretly because the parties involved in the exchange know that their actions would be considered unethical or illegal. This idiom arose during World War II when several shopkeepers kept items hidden under the counter to sell to friends or loyal customers when so many things were being rationed or were in short supply. Hiding the items literally under the counter kept the products out of sight but in reach for a very quick exchange.

Answer: Julius Caesar

The expression comes from Mark Antony's famous eulogy in "Julius Caesar".

For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel:
Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him!
This was the most unkindest cut of all. . . .

In the earlier scene when Caesar is murdered by the conspirators of the Senate who stab him to death, Caesar seems incredulous and appears to lose any will to live when he sees Brutus has stabbed him. In fact, this is when he famously remarks, "Et tu, Brute?" Caesar has considered Brutus to be one of his closest friends and allies and sees no point in continuing after this "most unkindest cut". Historically, there is no evidence that Caesar ever said, "Et tu, Brute?" Furthermore, Caesar was well aware of Brutus's dissatisfaction with Caesar's rule of Rome; Brutus, at an earlier time, had sided with Pompey the Great in a civil war against Caesar and had been forced to surrender to him. Despite his defeat, Brutus continued to fear Caesar's rise in power and popularity.

Answer: a mark designating a boundary or starting point in various sporting events

"Up to scratch" is practically equivalent in meaning to the expression "up to par". Something or someone described as "up to scratch" is said to be satisfactory or acceptable; he, she, or it meets the standard of approval. The expression's origin is connected to the use of the word "scratch" in several sporting activities.

In the game of cricket, for example, "the scratch" was once used to refer to the crease, an area with defined boundaries. In boxing, "the scratch" was the line where opponents met before the beginning of a match and where a knocked-down individual had to return in a certain amount of time to prove he was still coherent.

In fact, at one point, the expression was "toe the scratch", which suggests a particular connection between the figurative term and boxing.

In the early 1800s, Thomas De Quincey wrote, "No prudent champion, however game, would have chosen to offer himself to the scratch for a second round". Likewise, the use of the word "scratch" to designate a starting line, not only in boxing but also in racing, gave rise to the expression "start from scratch".

Some may ask why the word "scratch" was ever used to refer to a line or a boundary in the first place. Most likely, the reason is that players and game officials scratched lines in the dirt or some other surface in earlier versions of sporting games.

Answer: under my thumb

To be "under the thumb" is to be subservient to someone and under his or her control. One variation of the expression is to be "under the hand". While this captures the idea of control, it also suggests a sense of shelter, so most prefer the use of "under the thumb" because the thumb of the human hand is often perceived as the controlling digit. One of the earliest written recordings of this figurative use of "under the thumb" is from Samuel Richardson's "The History of Sir Charles Grandison", published in 1754: "She . . . is obliged to be silent. I have her under my thumb".

The song "Under My Thumb" was composed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and first appeared on their 1966 album "Aftermath". It was never released as a single in the United States or the United Kingdom; however, it became and has remained a fan favorite that appears on many compilation albums. Despite its popularity, or maybe because of it, just as many people have criticized the song for what appears to be a blatant defense of male dominance over women.

Answer: unwept, unhonored, and unsung

Someone who is truly unnoticed and insignificant is said to be "unwept, unhonored, and unsung", particularly if you are saying good riddance to this someone who has also been a disagreeable if not menacing individual. The expression is most often used, unfortunately, to refer to someone who has died and serves as a contrast to what one might say for a eulogy.

As was mentioned in the question, the phrase was most likely created by Sir Walter Scott. The earliest written record of its existence occurs in his 1805 long narrative poem, "The Lay of the Last Minstrel": "The wretch . . . shall go down, / To vile dust . . . / Unwept, unhonour'd, and unsung".

Answer: She needed someone who would be useful because he or she could perform a variety of tasks and jobs.

A "utility infielder" is indeed an individual who is useful in a particular enterprise because he or she has the ability and desire to take responsibility for several different tasks at the same time. In other words, he or she is a multi-tasker. Obviously, the term comes from the American game of baseball, and originally the expression was "utility fielder". Before professional baseball players became so specialized so that they are most adapted to playing a specific position on the baseball field, many players were valued for being "utility men", meaning they could play in a number of different positions if not all of them.

In 1911, Webster's dictionary defined the expression "utility fielder" as "a substitute capable of taking any position in a baseball team". "Infielder" eventually replaced "fielder" to suggest a greater sense of the person's ability to adapt to a number of roles, each one requiring a different set of skills from the others.

In the outfield, a player might more easily switch from left field to center field to right field.

However, playing in the infield requires developing a specific set of skills for each position: each of the first base, second base, short stop, and third base positions requires unique abilities to play it successfully. Of course, the skills required of the battery positions--the pitcher and the catcher--are even more specialized. Furthermore, the infield, in a typical inning of baseball, tends to see more action or work than the outfield.

Answer: the weather

If someone is not feeling well, then he or she is said to be "under the weather", or as some say "feeling under the weather". If one is caught in bad weather or is exposed to it, then one is "under the weather" in the sense that all the storminess appears to be in the atmosphere above one's head. Certainly, being caught in such a situation would be enough to make one feel bad.

However, the origin of this expression may come from a slightly more specific situation. Apparently, in earlier times when a sailor was ill or perhaps even seasick, he was sent below deck so that he was not exposed to the open air or the weather. Below deck, the sailor would be "under the weather" outside. Furthermore, there is some indication that the expression may have originally been "under the weather bow"; a "weather bow" referred to the side of the ship facing the direction from which all the bad weather was coming.

Answer: the applecart

To "upset the applecart" is to interfere with or thwart someone's plan or program. An earlier expression, apparently a Roman one, was simply to "upset the cart". "Apple" was added to "cart" later on, probably to suggest a greater inconvenience or a greater sense of frustration.

A farmer on his or her way to a market with a cart full of apples would have a very difficult time trying to pick up each and every individual piece of fruit that had spilled from the cart and tumbled and rolled all over the immediate area.

Many of the apples, of course, might also be bruised and no longer attractive for sale. One of the earliest written recordings of the expression is in "The History of New Hampshire", written in 1788 by Jeremy Belknap who was trying to explain frustration at John Adams' suggestion for the "Constitution": "Adams had almost overset the apple-cart by intruding an amendment of his own fabrication on the morning of the day of ratification".

Answer: upper crust

The "upper crust" are the aristocracy, the elite, the nobility, or the very rich. Many believe this expression is derived from a practice of reserving the top part of bread and other baked goods for the lords and ladies of society. The top parts are often believed to be best quality parts of breads and pastries baked in an oven. Around 1440, a gentleman named John Russell explained the following: "Cut the upper crust for your sovereign". Russell further explained that the bottom part should be reserved for servants and workers, and the middle part, for one's own family.

However, scholars disagree that this is a true explanation for the figurative use of "upper crust" to refer to the upper class. First of all, there is no real evidence that people did indeed practice such a method of cutting their bread, at least not on a regular basis. Second, the use of "upper crust" to refer to the upper class didn't start until over three hundred years later than the publication of John Russell's book.

It seems that at the time the phrase "upper crust" began to be used to refer to the upper class, the phrase was contemporaneously being used to refer to the Earth's surface as well as to a man's hat when he was wearing one. It's more likely, scholars argue, that people who were associating "upper crust" with something on top--the earth's surface and a man's head--began to apply the term to the small group of people who are considered to be on top or at the top, socially speaking.