The Origins of SAYINGS
A rework of the best in a series of posts from 2011
Do you ever wonder where the many common sayings we use every
day come from? What are the origins of expressions we hear all the
time? You may be surprised. Here are more of Cranky’s
“ORIGINS OF SAYINGS.”
"Break a Leg"
Meaning: Wish an actor good
luck.
Origin: To bend or break one’s leg
was an archaic phrase for taking a bow. In the theater, a successful
performance means taking a curtain call bow, so “Break a leg” is to wish an
actor a successful performance.
"Buy The Farm"
Meaning: Die
Origin: Farmers were
notorious for having a large mortgage on their property. When a
farmer died and he had life insurance the neighbors would remark, “At least the
insurance will pay off the mortgage. Hence – He bought the
farm!
“Don’t yank my crank”
Meaning: Don’t try and
fool me.
Origin: Fisherman knew
they had a fish on when their crank moved. As a goof it was common
for another fisherman to pull on the line which moved the crank and made the
fisherman think he had a fish. Fisherman used the expression anytime
someone tried to fool them, “Hey, don’t yank my crank.”
“There is more than one way to skin a cat”
Meaning: There is more
than one way to get a job done.
Origin: This was
obviously first said by someone who was not a cat skinner as it turns out there
is actually only one way to skin a cat.
“Use your noodle”
Meaning: Think, be smart;
use your head.
Origin: In some cultures,
pasta is the main course and served from the head of the table. Pasta or
the noodle became synonymous with the head. Thus, to be smart you
use your head, or use your noodle. (Also see “She gives really good noodle!”)
“A stitch in time saves nine”
Meaning: A little precaution saves
time in the long run.
Origin: To stitch a hem before it
unravels will save many more stitches in the future. This phrase
makes very little sense to Germans.
“Get outta the fucking car”
Meaning: Police jargon for “Sir,
please exit your vehicle.”
Origin: First used when Rodney King did
not understand “Please,” “Exit,” or “Vehicle.”
“Pissed off”
Definition: Very angry
Origin: The Pizdoff family of Scranton Pa. was known for their loudness. One
day a stranger in town noticed Mrs. Pizdoff arguing boisterously with her
husband. The stranger asked a local what was the argument all
about. The local replied, “oh, it’s nothing, there just Pizdoffs.”
“Two wrongs don’t make a right”
Meaning: Retaliation of a wrong doing
will not make things better.
Origin: In 1880, two Chinese inventors attempted to develop the
incandescent bulb. The Wong brothers failed and finally gave up on
the dream. Americans mis-interpreted a Japanese article about the effort and
“Two Wong’s no make a rite”
Turned it into a philosophical saying.
“I before E except after C or sounds like ay…”
Meaning: A spelling rule.
Origin: There used to be only three
“ie” words in the English language, believe, receive, and
neighbor. This rule is currently useless.
“Don’t look a gift
horse in the mouth”
Definition:
Accept a gift graciously and
unconditionally
Origin: Kansas farmer Seth Travers was given a plow horse as a wedding
present from his father-in-law. Before he said thank you Seth
checked to see the horse had all its teeth. He was shot by his
insulted father-in-law.
“It’s raining cats and dogs”
Definition: A really heavy rain storm
Origin: Harvey Katz and Charlie Docks were roofing a farm house when a
sudden heavy rain storm came up. Both roofers slipped on the wet
shingles. When the farm owner looked out and saw Harvey
and Charlie fall by the window he remarked,
“Look, it’s raining Katz and
Docks.”
"Smart as a whip”
Definition: Pretty fucking smart.
Origin: Ever been hit with a whip? It Fucking SMARTS!
“Dumb as a stump”
Definition: Someone is really stupid.
Origin: Most people believe this refers to a tree stump not being very
smart. Actually, it originally came as a reference to a 1900's Akron Ohio
resident who was known to be the stupidest man in Ohio; Thomas A.
Stumb.
As these are the "best of," aren't you glad I weeded out the bad ones!
