For today's post, I thought I'd do something a little out of the ordinary... I looked up some of the most common day to day cliches and phrases, and here's what I found. I thought it was pretty interesting! (All quoted from www.joe-ks.com/phrases)
"Quick as a wink" ~ it was first recorded in 1825 to mean 1/10 of a second. (I never knew that a "wink" was actually a specific measurement!)
"Brand spanking new" ~ originally, doctors would spank babies when they were first born, so as to get them crying and breathing ~ means "new and unused"
"Can it" ~ abbreviation for "cancel it"
"Chip on his shoulder" ~ based on an American schoolboy custom, about 200 years old. When two boys were arguing and itching for a fight then one would place an actual chip of wood on his shoulder and challenge the other to knock it off. If the challenge was taken up, then the proper fight started.
"Dressed to the Nines"/"The whole nine yards" ~ Common lore has it that a tailor making a high quality suit uses more fabric. The best suits are made from nine yards of fabric.
This may seem like a lot but a proper suit does indeed take nine yards of fabric. This is because a good suit has all the fabric cut in the same direction with the warp, or long strands of thread, parallel with the vertical line of the suit. This causes a great amount of waste in suit making, but if you want to go "dressed to the nines", you must pay for such waste.
"Fit to be tied" ~ means to be very angry or livid. "Tied" in this case refers to being bound as in a straight jacket. The need for being tied is to control ones actions to prevent from acting on the anger.
"Hunky dory" ~ Huncho-dori was a major street in Yokohama that was frequented by American sailors on leave during WW1. To be in Huncho-dori was to be enjoying leisure activities, and having a good time.
Alternative: The archaic English word "hunk" meant "goal" and is probably derived from the Dutch "honk" also meaning "goal". To have reached one's goal is to be satisfied and happy.
"In a jiffy" ~ A jiffy is the unit of time it takes light to travel a centimeter in a vacuum: 0.0000000000033357 seconds, or (3.3357x10^-11) seconds, or (3.3357 times 10 to the power of minus 11) seconds. It's quite doubtful that if someone says they'll 'do something in a jiffy' that they'll accomplish the task!
"In the nick of time" ~ Even into the 18th century, some businessmen kept track of transactions and time by carving notches (nicks) on a "tally stick." Someone arriving just before the next nick was carved would arrive in time to save the next day's interest - in the nick of time.
"Mind your P's and Q's" ~ meaning to behave properly. Comes from the early pub days when beer and ale was served in pint and quart containers. The tab was kept on a chalkboard used to count the pints and quarts consumed. To watch your P's and Q's is to control your alcoholic intake and behavior.
"On the ball" ~ means to be on top or in control of the situation. The 'ball' in this instance is a baseball and the 'on' is the spin which the pitcher applies to the ball in order to make it curve during flight. On a good day there will be lots of spin and curve to confuse the batter. The pitcher is said to be 'on the ball'. The expression first appeared in print in 1912 and was clearly in use before then.
"On the dot" ~ means precise and accurate. This phrase comes from the comparison with the minute hand of a clock being exactly over the dot on the dial when it's precisely on the minute.
"Pushing the envelope" ~ to approach or exceed known performance boundaries. This expression comes out of the U.S. Air Force test pilot program of the late 1940's.
The envelope refers to a plane's performance capabilities. The limits of the planes ability to fly at speeds and altitudes and under certain stresses define what is known as its performance envelope. It's an "envelope" in the sense that it contains the ranges of the plane's abilities.
"Pushing the envelope" originally meant flying an aircraft at, or even beyond, its known or recommended limits.
"Rub it in" ~ Short version of "Rub salt in the wound". Salt in an open wound causes it to sting.
"Square meal" ~ British war ships in the 1700s including the HMS Victory did not have the best of living conditions. A sailors breakfast and lunch were sparse meals consisting of little more than bread and a beverage. But the third meal of the day included meat and was served on a square tray. Eating a substantial meal on board a ship required a tray to carry it all. Hence a "square meal" was the most substantial meal served.
"The cold shoulder" ~ In England, a welcome or important visitor would be served a delicious hot meal. A guest "who had outstayed his welcome, or an ordinary traveler" would get a cold shoulder of mutton.
"Wing it" ~ Doing something with little or no preparation. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests that "Wing It" refers to the hurried study of the role in the wings of the theater.
Alternate: The expression derives from an unprepared stage actor standing in the wings and cramming desperately before hearing a cue that will force him onstage.
I hope you enjoyed those!
Today is a walking day, and I'm so glad for it. I did end up running yesterday and it went pretty well aside from the fact that my knees are still sore. I iced them again after I was done running, and I think it's helping. I'm going to try and be more conscious of drinking water (as in, drink more of it) today.
It's perfectly beautiful and sunny again today, and I'm looking forward to taking Cillian out in his stroller. He loves being outside, so the more time I can get outside with him before it starts getting too cool, the better. He usually falls asleep for the end portion of our walks too, which is always nice.
I hope you get outdoors today... it is so gorgeous! Rake some leaves or take a walk or just sit outside with a glass of apple cider. It is the epitome of the perfect fall day. I live for these days.
Here's the Quote of the Day:
"Many people suffer because they fail to receive recognition through vain, worldly honor, or fail to become rich in pointless, mundane things. It doesn't occur to them that in the other life - the real life - such stuff is not needed, nor can they take it with them. To that place, we can only take our works, which here and now acquire us a passport for that great and holy journey."
~ Elder Paisios the Athonite
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