There is nothing like a good saying or phrase, to sum up how you feel. Something really interesting about old phrases is that a lot of them have been in use for centuries. This means a lot of sayings we use today might not be related to anything we would be able to recognize as meaning the same thing.
Here are the interesting histories of some of our most commonly-used phrases.
1 “Get off your high horse”
As per historians, this phrase dates back to the 1300s. It first appeared in John Wycliff’s book English Works, which describes war horses walking along with a procession. These horses are literally taller than other horses, and people began to use this saying as a way of describing someone who acts like they think they are better, or above others.
2 “Carbon copy”
From the early 1870s, carbon paper was used to make copies of documents, this technology hadn’t existed before. Essentially a sheet of paper would be inserted between the original document and the blank piece of paper that was going to be a copy. We now use this phrase to mean an exact copy of an original.
3 “At the drop of a hat”
This phrase means something begins very suddenly. Id dates back to the American Wild West. Often a race duel begins with someone firing off a gun. But sometimes a hat was used instead-and when it dropped and landed on the floor, the race would begin.
4 “Burning the midnight oil”
A book titled Quarles’ Emblems first used the phrase “midnight oil” which refers to the oil in an oil lamp. This phrase means that you are awake late at night doing work.
5 “Blackballed”
It means getting banned or excluded from the elite group. This originated in 1770. In polite society, people would cast votes in order to decide whether or not to allow someone in their social group. On a ballot, the downvotes would be made with blackball.
6 “Straight from horse’s mouth”
This phrase comes from when horsemanship was more popular in the 19th century. It means that the information that you have comes from the most original source or best authority, and it refers to how stable boys and horse trainers often had a better knowledge of a horse’s condition and ability to win a race than their owners did.
7 “Time to face the music”
Around the 1830s, it was custom that a disgraced army officer or soldier would be sent home with a specific song playing on the drums. They were literally facing the music for whatever wrong actions had led them there.
8 “Put your best foot forward”
Shakespeare used this phrase in his 1595 play, King John, writing ‘Nay, but make haste, the better foot before’. It typically means to begin something with bravado and your best self.
9 “Jumping on the bandwagon”
A bandwagon was a phrase coined by PT Barnum to describe the wagon that carried his circus’s band. His circus would ride into town parade-style and sometimes politicians would use bandwagons for their electoral campaigns. People jumped on the bandwagon to express their support for a designated candidate.
10 “As mad as a hatter”
Hat makers in the 18th and 19th centuries used the dangerous chemical mercury nitrate as part of their hat-making process. This led to workers developing many ailments such as shakes and hallucinations. Fortunately, hat makers do not use this chemical anymore.
It is incredible to see how many phrases we still use today come from centuries ago. It will be interesting to see what sayings we use today will stick around in the future.
Waiting for your views on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
31st May 2022