the origin of sayings/phrases

[jabumbo]

some commonly used phrases have intersting origins that most people don't know, but still use the phrase because they understand what that means.

so post some here, and give the reason its used


i'll start:


"pulling all the stops" come from the organ player, who has to pull levers called stops to change the air flow for different sounds on the organ.

[hpdrifter]

You always have interesting topics and I wish to god I knew something with which to reply but I spend too much time on this freaking message board.

[mickill]

You always have interesting topics...
If this isn't the overstatement of the decade I don't know what is.

What'cha smizzokin, man?


By the way, the first person to use the infix "izz" in songform was not -- contrary to popular notion -- Snoop D-O-double G, but was in fact Frankie Smith, on his song "The Double Dutch Bus", from 1981.

"Hizzey, gizzirls! Yizzall hizzave t' mizzove izzout the wizzay sizzo Izzi cizzan gizzet pizzast... ". Ya dig?

[ms.peachy]

My favourite is that one that you hear so many people get wrong - to "cut the muster" (or "pass muster"). It's so hard for me not to giggle madly when someone says "cut the mustard." On the downside, it does make me doubt whatever they say after that, since they can't get the phrase right.

origin: to muster is to call troops together for inspection. Ergo, to 'cut the muster' is to successfully pass inspection.

[hpdrifter]

Dude, he's been on a roll. The inventions topic, this topic. Okay, a roll of 2 but its still a roll!

[jabumbo]

i like bread and butter, i like toast and jam? :confused:

[Parkey]

'donkey's years'

[ms.peachy]

'donkey's years'
Is that the same thing as "yonks"?

[Parkey]

Is that the same thing as "yonks"?
It means the same thing, yip.

I always thought it was to do with the lenght of a donkey's ears and the phrase had become blurred through mis-pronunciation

[ms.peachy]

Oh I just remembered another of my favourites: "worth your salt" comes from the Roman era, when soldiers were often paid in salt (it being a much more difficult commodity to obtain in them days). This form of pay was called a salarius, which (quel suprise) is the basis for the word salary.

[BGirl]

It's not a current expression but I learned the origin of "23 skiddoo" a couple years ago. Around the turn of the (previous) century, the intersection at 23rd St. and Broadway (where the Flatiron building is) was considered the windiest spot in Manhattan and men would gather there to watch the women's skirts & dresses blow up. Soon cops were assigned to move these men along, working the "23 skiddoo."

[kaiser soze]

thanks to Jesus we have, "I gotta take a wiz"

[DandyFop]

I know "86'ed" is from the time of prohibition. There was some secret bar called the "86th something" and when they heard the cops were coming everyone would have to scram.

[Praying Mantis]

"Mind your P's and Q's"

From the English meaning mind your pints and quarts. This was to remind someone that they were getting a little nasty from too much drinking.

[Parkey]

How about 'OK'? The World's most used lexical item, and there is no definitive consensus on where it comes from.

[Praying Mantis]

How about 'OK'? The World's most used lexical item, and there is no definitive consensus on where it comes from.


President Andrew Jackson - - story has it that he used to mark OK for "oll korrect" on court documents -

[roosta]

im fairly interested in this kind of thing, like when they do shows on TV bout such things.

a load of everyday sayings come from the bible and shakespeare.

[BGirl]

"Mind your P's and Q's"

From the English meaning mind your pints and quarts. This was to remind someone that they were getting a little nasty from too much drinking.


I heard that it came from letterpress printing. When you compose type (that is, assemble the pieces of lead type -- one for each letter -- for printing) the letters are backwards and it's easy to get the p's and q's (and b's and d's) mixed up. I've composed type and can vouch that you do need to mind your p's and q's when doing it.

[jabumbo]

the "rule of thumb" apparently came from an old british rule that a man could beat his wife with a stick as long as it was thinner than his thumb.



anyone have any ideas on "everything but the kitchen sink" ?

[mickill]

The popular phrase "slap fire out ya ass" derives from a preamble to a song called Knuckleheadz from Wu Tang Clan member Raekwon The Chef aka Lou Diamonds' (Not to be confused with Lou Diamond Phillips of La Bamba fame) 1995 magmun opus "Only Built For Cuban Linx Niggas" in which Ghostface aka Tony Starks clamors, "What? I'll smack the fuck out ya! Smack fire out ya fuckin ass! What the fuck you think this is man? Get the fuck up outta here man!".

[Bob]

"Mind your P's and Q's"

From the English meaning mind your pints and quarts. This was to remind someone that they were getting a little nasty from too much drinking.

but you should never p where you q

god i've been waiting so long to use that

[b-grrrlie]

Everything but the kitchen sink Etymology: based on the idea that if you brought many things to someone, a kitchen sink is one of the last things you would bring because it is difficult to move.


This is what the Oxford English Dict. has to say on this:

---------
everything but the kitchen sink and similar phr.: everything imaginable.

1948 Partridge Dict. Forces' Slang 106 Kitchen sink, used only in the phrase indicating intense bombardment-'They chucked everything they'd got at us except, or including, the kitchen sink.' 'The kitchen stove' was also used.
1958 Wall St. Jrnl. 23 Oct. 4/4 Gen. Trudeau said the military services often slow down development of new weapons 'because we are such perfectionists that we want everything but the kitchen sink in a weapon'.
1965 'E. McBain' Doll x. 128 Brown began searching. 'Everything in here but the kitchen sink,' he said.
1966 - Eighty Million Eyes xi. 189 We'll throw everything but the god~damn kitchen sink at you.
1967 L. White Crimshaw Memo. (1968) iii. 61 He goes out and buys himself an XKE Jaguar..it had everything but the kitchen sink on it.

---------

[Parkey]

President Andrew Jackson - - story has it that he used to mark OK for "oll korrect" on court documents -
Afraid not! That has been dis-credited by the OED...

[mickill]

Respeconise. Adj.- Calling other to heed, respect, and recognise.

Source: The New Mickill Webster's Dictionary of Cool Phrases.
In the revised edition it actually appears as "respecognize". Holla.

[marsdaddy]

By the way, the first person to use the infix "izz" in songform was not -- contrary to popular notion -- Snoop D-O-double G, but was in fact Frankie Smith, on his song "The Double Dutch Bus", from 1981.

"Hizzey, gizzirls! Yizzall hizzave t' mizzove izzout the wizzay sizzo Izzi cizzan gizzet pizzast... ". Ya dig?Odd that Snoop D-O-double G is such a thief.

The origin of the phrase "Drop It Like It's Hot" is Junvenille's "Back That Azz Up". Lil' Wayne's lyrics:

Na, na, na, na, na
After you back it up, then stop
Then wha-wha-what
Dro-drop it like it's hot
Now after you back it up, then stop
Now, wha-wha-wha-what
Drop it like it's hot
Now drop It like it's hot
Drop it like it's hot
C-M-P make you drop it like it's hot
Drop it like it's hot
Dro-drop it like it's hot
Drop it like it's hot
Dro-drop it like it's hot
Ha

[marsdaddy]

WOULDN'T TOUCH IT WITH A TEN-FOOT POLE - This expression may have been suggested by the 10-foot poles that river boatmen used to pole their boats along in shallow water.

FromThe Phrase Finder (http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/12/messages/30.html)

I call bullshit on half of these origins.

[Qdrop]

the "Whole 9 Yards" refers to the 9 yards of artillery WW1 planes carried on thier gattling guns.

when they wanted to shoot an ememy plane down, they would sometimes empty out thier ammo in the process..."he took the whole 9 yards"....

[ms.peachy]

I've been told that the phrase "to get the sack" goes back to pre-Industrial Revolution times, when if you were a carpenter, plasterer or other type of building tradesman, you would being your tools and samples of your work for your prospective emplyoer to inspect. If you were hired for a job, it would be the responsibility of the employer to keep and store your tools safely. Should he become dissatisfied with your work, your sack of tools would be returned to your care. It was sort of a way of forging a contract in a time when the majority of workers were largely illiterate and therefore would not be held to a written legal document.

That's my understanding of it, anyway. It might all be a load of bollocks but it's what one of the curators at my museum told me, and it's kinda his job to know, so...