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The Origins of 18 Familiar Phrases

neatorama.com — 'Put on your thinking cap' or just 'wing it' while we try to 'stump you' on the origins of these popular phrases. If you 'get off Scott free' you'll be 'painting the town red'.

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  • chicoer2001, on 10/10/2007, -5/+11Pig in a Poke reminds me of "European Vacation"
    • crashingechelon, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3"pig in a poke it's good to be a pig...oink..oink oink"

      It's been a while since i've seen that movie
    • D3NNIS, on 10/10/2007, -9/+5TUMP SOMEONE

      Meaning: Ask someone a question they can’t answer
      Origin: Actually refers to tree stumps. “Pioneers built their houses and barns out of logs … and they frequently swapped work with one another in clearing new ground. Some frontiersmen would brag about their ability to pull up big stumps, but it wasn’t unusual for the boaster to suffer defeat with a stubborn stump.” (From I’ve Got Goose Pimples, by Marvin Vanoni)

      PAINT THE TOWN RED

      Meaning: Spend a wild night out, usually involving drinking
      Origin: “This colorful term … probably originated on the frontier. In the nineteenth century the section of town where brothels and saloons were located was known as the ‘red light district.’ So a group of lusty cowhands out for a night on the town might very well take it into their heads to make the whole town red.” (From Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins Vol. 3, by William and Mary Morris)

      STAVE OFF

      Meaning: Keep something away, albeit temporarily
      Origin: “A stave is a stick of wood, from the plural of staff, staves. In the early seventeenth century staves were used in the ‘sport’ of bull-baiting, where dogs were set against bulls. [If] the dogs got a bull down, the bull’s owner often tried to save him for another fight by driving the dogs off with a stave.” (From Animal Crackers, by Robert Hendrickson)

      WING IT

      Meaning: Do something with little or no preparation
      Origin: “Originally comes from the theater. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests that it refers to the hurried study of the role in the wings of the theater.” (From The Whole Ball of Wax, by Laurence Urdang)

      PUT ON YOUR THINKING CAP

      Meaning: Carefully and thoughtfully consider something
      Origin: In previous centuries, it was customary for judges to put a cap on before sentencing criminals. Because judges were respected thinkers, it was referred to as a “thinking cap” (From Gordon’s Book of Familiar Phrases)

      PLAY FAST AND LOOSE

      Meaning: Stretch the truth or meaning of words or rules, deceive or trifle with someone
      Origin: This term dates from the 16th century. It comes from a game called “fast and loose,” which was played at fairs. Operators rolled up a strap and left a loop hanging over the edge of a table. To win, a player had to catch the loop with a stick before the strap was unrolled. But they never won. Cheating operators rolled it up in such a way that the feat was impossible. (From Have a Nice Day – No Problem! by Christine Ammer)

      BOTCH A JOB

      Meaning: Repair badly
      Origin: “In old England, bodgers were peasant chairmakers … They produced, by traditional handicraft methods, simple and serviceable objects. When chairmaking was transformed into high art, the bodgers was correspondingly downgraded to ‘bodge’ or ‘botch,’” which came to mean an item or service of poor quality. (From To Coin a Phrase, by Edwin Radford and Alan Smith)

      IN HOCK

      Meaning: Broke; have all of your belongings in a pawn shop
      Origin: Comes from the Old West. In a common gambling card game called “faro,” “the last card [to be played] was called the hocketty card. It was said to be in hocketty or in hock. When a player bet on a card that ended up in hock he was himself in hock, at risk of losing his bets.” (From The Whole Ball of Wax, by Laurence Urdang)

      TAKE ANOTHER TACK

      Meaning: Try a different strategy
      Origin: “Sailing ships could not move directly into the wind but had to tack – zigzag back and forth with the wind first on one side, then on the other. If a skipper approaching harbor found that his vessel couldn’t make the harbor mouth on the starboard tack, he was obviously on the wrong tack, and would have to take the other (port) tack.” (From Loose Cannons and Red Herrings, by Robert Claiborne)

      GOT OFF (OR GO) “SCOT-FREE”

      Meaning: Escape punishment
      Origin: “In the thirteenth century, scot was the word for money you would pay at a tavern for food and drink, or when they passed the hat to pay the entertainer. Later, it came to mean a local tax that paid the sheriff’s expenses. To go scot-free literally meant to be exempted from paying this tax.” (From How Does Olive Oil Lose its Virginity?, by Bruce Tindall and Mark Watson)

      SLUSH FUND

      Meaning: A hidden cache of money used for illegal or corrupt political purposes
      Origin: “Derived from Scandinavian words meaning ‘slops,’ this phrase is derived from the nineteenth-century shipboard practice of boiling up large pots of pork and other fatty meats. The fat that rose to the top of the kettles was stored in vats and then sold to soap and candle makers. The money received from the sale of the ‘slush’ was used for the crew’s comfort and entertainment.” (From Eatioms, by John D. Jacobson)

      TAKE SOMEONE DOWN A PEG

      Meaning: Humble someone who is self-important and conceited
      Origin: “The expression probably originally referred to a ship’s flags. These were raised or lowered by pegs – the higher the position of the flags, the greater the honor. So to take someone down a peg came to mean to lower the esteem in which that person is held.” (From Get to the Roots, by Martin Manser)

      BUY A PIG IN A POKE

      Meaning: Buying something sight unseen
      Origin: “The poke was a small bag (the words pouch and pocket derive from the same roots), and the pig was a small pig. As related in Thomas Tusser’s Five Hundredth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1580), the game was to put a cat in the poke and try to palm it off in the market as a pig, persuading the buyer that it would be best not to open the poke because the pig might get away.” (From The Dictionary of Cliches, by James Rogers)

      TOUCH AND GO

      Meaning: A risky, precarious situation
      Origin: “Dates back to the days of stagecoaches, whose drivers were often intensely competitive, seeking to charge past one another, on narrow roads, at grave danger to life and limb. If the vehicle’s wheels became entangled, both would be wrecked; if they were lucky, the wheels would only touch and the coaches could still go.” (From Loose Cannons and Red Herrings, by Robert Claiborne)

      KNOCK OFF WORK

      Meaning: Leave work for the day
      Origin: “[This phrase] originated in the days of slave galleys. To keep the oarsmen rowing in unison, a drummer beat time rhythmically on a block of wood. When it was time to rest or change shifts, he would give a special knock, signifying that they could knock off.” (From Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins Vol.2, by William and Mary Morris)

      DOES THAT RING ANY BELLS?

      Meaning: Does that sound familiar?
      Origin: “Old-fashioned carnivals and amusement parks featured shooting galleries, in which patrons were invited to test their marksmanship by shooting at a target – often with a bell at the center: if something was right on target, it rang the bell. Similarly, to say that something ‘doesn’t ring a bells’ means that it doesn’t strike any ‘target’ (evoke any response) in your mind.” (From Loose Cannons and Red Herrings, by Robert Claiborne)

      BEAT THE RAP

      Meaning: Avoid punishment for wrongdoing
      Origin: “It is likely that this slang Americanism originated in anther expression, take the rap, in which rap is slang for ‘punishment,’ facetiously, from a ‘rap on the knuckles.’ One who takes the rap for someone else stands in for the other’s punishment. Beat the rap … often carries with it the connotation that the miscreant was actually guilty, though acquitted” (From The Whole Ball of Wax, by Laurence Urdang)

      BE ABOVEBOARD

      Meaning: Be honest
      Origin: Comes from card playing. “Board is an old word for table.” To drop your hands below the table could, of course, be interpreted as trying to cheat – by swapping cards, for example. “But if all play was above board this was impossible” (From To Coin a Phrase, by Edwin Radford and Alan Smith)
    • hfactor, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Are those actually well-known? I`ve never heard them used, except the "ring any bells" phrase.

      /foreign
  • GoodOldJacob, on 10/10/2007, -1/+10I've been taken down a peg! A whole peg!
    • Sornos, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Dugg for a Simpson's quote that apparently no one recognizes.
  • turnthepage, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2I've been in hock all this time. Who knew?
  • guest2117, on 10/10/2007, -7/+1jack off?
  • tnatharik, on 10/10/2007, -4/+12What is the origin of "digg it"?
  • xTRUMANx, on 10/10/2007, -3/+21TAKE IT UP A NOTCH

    Meaning: Take things to a higher level, enter the next phase
    Origin: Year 3000. Take it up a notch became a catchphrase for the world renowned chef Elzar who brought the word to prominence in his t.v. show whenever he was about use his spice weasel. Usually, the phrase is followed by a BAM for emphasis.
    • gossipninja, on 10/10/2007, -3/+3i though the phrase was "kick it up a notch" that was then followed by BAM
    • FrederikNS, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2No, it's actually "Knock it up a notch"
  • univerio, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2My favourite: "Touch and go."

    I sure wish it meant something else...
    • Paroparo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Grope and run?
    • ostracize, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2They're all euphemisms for sex:
      "STUMP SOMEONE"
      "PLAY FAST AND LOOSE"
      "GOT OFF “SCOT-FREE”"
      "TAKE SOMEONE DOWN A PEG"
      "BUY A PIG IN A POKE"
      "KNOCK OFF WORK"
      "BEAT THE RAP"
  • Azimuth1, on 10/10/2007, -2/+15"Origin: Actually refers to tree stumps."

    I always thought it came from Cricket. In Cricket, the batsman can go out by being "stumped".
    • Erectile, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6That's what I would've thought too, seeing as being stumped is often a pretty confusing way to be dismissed.
    • thirdman, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1A lot of those are debatable, another possible origin for "stumped" is the same derivation as "stump speech" - where someone makes an outdoor speech to an audience, large tree stumps being a natural perch for rural orators. As heckling was a big part of this practice, the verb "to be stumped" took on the meaning of being stuck for an answer.
    • jimbob3636, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0I think everyone is wrong here. What i heard is that it does go back to pioneer times but it refers to pulling wagons. They would often be pulling their wagons over newly cleared land with lots of stumps. Whenever the stump was too tall, the stump would break the axle and the wagon would be stumped and wouldn't be able to continue. Not 100% sure though
  • CamelToad, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Uncle John's has helped me think my way through countless stools.
    • chaos36, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0My favorite book series. Been throgh 8 or 9 of em now
    • VeganG, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Maybe you need more fiber. You could try eating the pages after you read them.
  • Threlly, on 10/10/2007, -4/+4Why does the writer insist on mentioning the 'frontier' or 'old west', but neglects to mention the origin of almost all the other sayings ?
    Buried as inaccurate.
  • JazJon, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Someone post more history links, I remember reading about "dont let the bed bugs bite" and other phrase history.
  • Caleb83, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Be aboveboard! I've always wondered what this means, ever since I read it in this article. Thankfully, the etymology is right below.
  • peranadigital, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1There's a whole lot of maybe in this list.
  • fudgeigor, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Got a bee in your bonnet? Wheres that?
  • boyo81, on 10/10/2007, -3/+6This is a lot of guesswork if you ask me...

    Stumped - about tree trunks. Hmmm. It is pretty obviously a cricket reference. If you (as a batsman) are not in your crease when the ball is either bowled or fielded then the bails are knocked off and you are 'stumped'.
    • SillyRabbits, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2I think a few of those explanations are a little questionable. Even some of the ones that I know are correct, give a really poor explanation that's only half true.
  • Poco, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Funny that the origin quotes are taken from books like "The Whole Ball of Wax" and "To Coin a Phrase" but there is no mention of those two phrases in the list.
  • TheHappyRobot, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I want someone to go whole-hog on a longer list, lickity split!
  • patman76, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3If you caught somebody pulling a scam when buying a "pig in poke" you had "let the cat out of the bag"
    • davidphan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0actually, the cat out of the bag means the truth is out.

      See my comment below by davidphan for the details.
  • 2oonhed, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Now that's a horse of a whole different color so don't get your bowels in an uproar if you get your tit caught in the ringer.
    ...and don't take any wooden nickels.
  • mrkmrk, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1The description, at least to me sounds like Michael's speech in the Business School episode (S03E17, mind you).

    "It could be... a.... thingmajig. Or a hoozy-whatsy. Or... a 'Whatchamacallit.' *throws candy, lands on the floor* Now. You need to sell those in order to have... a 'Paaay Dayyy.' *throws candy* And, if you sell enough of them, you will make... a '100 Grand.' *throws candy, hits student in the face* Satisfied? *holds up a Snickers*"
  • macditty, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1i know that "drop a dime" on someone, meaning to snitch, or report to police comes from way back before pay phones were $.75, and only cost a dime. the snitch would call the police when something went down, 'dropping a dime' on the criminal. or at least thats what ive come to think it means anyway.
  • macditty, on 10/10/2007, -3/+0i know that "drop a dime" on someone, meaning to snitch, or report to police comes from way back before pay phones were $.75, and only cost a dime. the snitch would call the police when something went down, 'dropping a dime' on the criminal. or at least thats what ive come to think it means anyway.
  • Egg333, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Better title: "Origins of things you remember Grandpa saying"
  • macditty, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1how about them apples? whats that have to do with the price of eggs in china? anyone?
  • snypa, on 10/10/2007, -4/+4Another one to the list: RULE OF THUMB: old enligh law where a man could only beat his wife with a stick no thicker than ones thumb.
    • Cyclops0T8, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Actually that's just urban legend. The word actually originates from using the thumb for measurement.
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thumb
      • doughardison, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1..also a line from the dike, who on her first day of work at the slaughterhouse becomes acquainted with the brothers MacManus, in 'Boon Dock Saints'.
        If I recall correctly, this was about the time she punched one of the brothers in the sack.
  • BritSwedeGuy, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1I'm pretty sure more than one of these are wrong, too many of them are claiming US origins when they're probably British and far older - the full OED would probably have the actual sources.
    e.g. "Stumped"? Cricket.
  • mrdorian, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0these dont ring any bells at all!
  • opusaz, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Dugg for including sources.
  • racheldorman, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1The BBC are about to run a second series of 'Balderdash & Piffle' covering a similar topic, helping the Oxford English Dictionary to update the origins they publish for some of the words and phrases we use in modern-day English in the UK:
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/wordhunt/
    For all the research that has gone into both series, it would be a lot harder to fault the credibility of these sources!
  • glasnostic, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Our local sports caster here in San Antonio who recently retired was the origin for “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings”.
  • Revenuer, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1With all due respect to the game of cricket, I always assumed to stump someone referred to the tradition of political debates of old being held (literally) on tree stumps and to stump someone meant to ask a question they couldn't answer during said debate.
  • fugeelama, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1http://www.duggmirror.com
  • davidphan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0The cat is out of the bag is also derived from the bagging of Cats and Pigs

    The Cat out of the bag means that the truth is out

    At fairs, pigs were sold and put in bags. However, sometimes cats would be used instead of pigs. So when the cat was revealed, the truth was out that the cat was in the bag not the pig.
  • doughardison, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1How about 'floating an air biscuit'?

    Seemingly originated from the movie 'Weird Science', but could be found to pre-date, if sufficient research were applied
  • MovieBlog, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Here's my favorite site for word origins:
    http://word-detective.com/backidx.html

  • bovious, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1My! How very...authoritative.
  • colsandurz45, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1posh
    port out, starboard home
    british people who sailed to N. America wanted rooms on the corresponding sides of the boat to avoid too much sunlight in their room, which heats it up.
  • Panthereater, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I'd like to know who coined the term "from the get go". Ugh, every time i hear it i cringe.
  •  

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