The Origin of Idioms

Posted in Amusement | 10 comments

Idioms. Sometimes I wonder how on earth it all started. That was the catalyst that inspired me to do some research on them and here’s what I have found.

Straight From the Horses Mouth
Meaning: This information was received from the highest authority.

Origin: In horse racing circles, tips on which horses were injured, rested, and particularly strong came from those in closest proximity to the horses themselves. The most trusted sources for horse-racing-related information were stable hands, trainers, etc. The phrase “straight from the horse’s mouth” indicated that the information came from a place even closer to the horse than its inner-circle of handlers: the horse itself.

I’m Just Pulling Your Leg
Meaning: I’m kidding you.

Origin: This phrase originated in Scotland, and it used to have a much more literal meaning. The term “to pull one’s leg” literally meant to trip someone, or “pull their leg” out from under them, causing them to fall on their face and look like a complete idiot in front of all of the cool Scottish kids. Nowadays, it’s generally used to make someone feel better after they’ve already been made to look like a retarded asshole.

The Apple of My Eye
Meaning: Someone or something that is cherished above all else.

Origins: Apparently this is a really old phrase, and one of its earliest uses dates all the way back to 885 A.D. The “apple” of the eye is referring to the pupil, which any optomologist will tell you is the most important part. The pupil was called an apple because, in 885 A.D., an apple was apparently the closest resemblance to a pupil, in that both apples and pupils were round. It seems strange at first, but keep in mind that they probably didn’t have a lot of things in 885 A.D.

Let the Cat Out of the Bag
Meaning: To reveal a secret by accident.

Origin: In medieval times, piglets were taken to the market in a sack, where they were sold to people who apparently had infertile pigs who were longing for children. If the seller was an asshole, he’d put a cat inside the bag instead, hoping to pull a fast one on the buyer. Cats, being the crafty creatures that they are, would often escape during the transaction, thereby revealing the seller’s sly secret.

A Bird in the Hand is Worth Two in the Bush
Meaning: A shitty sure thing is better than two awesome fat chances.

Origin: The earliest form of this idiom can be found in the Bible. In the book of Ecclesiastes someone says something like “a living dog is better than a dead lion”. In this context, they’re referring to the fighting power of each animal, stating that, while a live dog is not a better fighter than a lion, it will definitely be a better fighter than a dead lion.  The modification of the phrase to refer to birds probably results from this idiom being used to refer mostly to women, commonly referred to as “birds” in olden times, and presently in modern England. Therefore, the phrase really means “it’s better to have an ugly slut than two pretty prudes.”

Don’t Beat Around the Bush
Meaning: Don’t float around the issue. Get to the f*cking point already.

Origin: Most people who study idioms believe that this phrase is tied to old timey hunting practices that were utilized before you could use dynamite and booby traps to kill any kind of game, like you can today. Back then, a team of “beaters” would go into the woods and literally beat around bushes to frighten the game out of the woods and into the waiting crosshairs of lazy hunters. The hunters, however, were the only ones who were allowed to actually kill the prey. The beaters basically created a diversion. Therefore, beating around the bush is creating a distraction to avoid confronting the actual issue, or prey, as it were.

Take It With a Grain of Salt
Meaning: To accept what you hear, but be skeptical about its validity.

Origin: Salt was believed to possess healing properties. If someone suspected their meal of being poisoned, they would add a pinch of salt to combat the poisonous ingredients. The phrase “take it with a grain of salt” derived from this culinary practice and was applied to the exchange of information, the analogy being that a lie in conversation is the equivalent of poison on your food, which coincidentally are always better with a little salt.

And there you have it.