Origins of Sayings
Discussion
Apparently in Shakespearean times a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick; but the stick could be no thicker than his thumb. Hence the Rule of Thumb.
Another one I always remembered for some reason; During King James’ reign he brought in an unpopular tax based on the number of windows per property. The more windows you had the more tax you had to pay. Hence look up now at old buildings in many cities and you will see many bricked up apertures where there had once been windows, as a way of avoiding this tax. The term Daylight Robbery was coined as a result.
What else you got?
Another one I always remembered for some reason; During King James’ reign he brought in an unpopular tax based on the number of windows per property. The more windows you had the more tax you had to pay. Hence look up now at old buildings in many cities and you will see many bricked up apertures where there had once been windows, as a way of avoiding this tax. The term Daylight Robbery was coined as a result.
What else you got?
Nautical terms
Freeze the balls off a brass monkey- reference to cannon balls
Not enough room to swing a cat - cat of nine tails was a whip. Below deck there wasn’t enough room to swing the whip.
Three square meals - plates on board were square so they wouldn’t roll around when stored vertically.
Freeze the balls off a brass monkey- reference to cannon balls
Not enough room to swing a cat - cat of nine tails was a whip. Below deck there wasn’t enough room to swing the whip.
Three square meals - plates on board were square so they wouldn’t roll around when stored vertically.
Three Sheets to the Wind:
Don't be taken aback to hear that sheets aren't sails, as landlubbers might expect, but ropes. These are fixed to the lower corners of sails, to hold them in place. If three sheets are loose and blowing about in the wind then the sails will flap and the boat will lurch about like a drunken sailor.
Don't be taken aback to hear that sheets aren't sails, as landlubbers might expect, but ropes. These are fixed to the lower corners of sails, to hold them in place. If three sheets are loose and blowing about in the wind then the sails will flap and the boat will lurch about like a drunken sailor.
Howaboutthis said:
Three Sheets to the Wind:
Don't be taken aback to hear that sheets aren't sails, as landlubbers might expect, but ropes. These are fixed to the lower corners of sails, to hold them in place. If three sheets are loose and blowing about in the wind then the sails will flap and the boat will lurch about like a drunken sailor.
Great stuff, cheers.Don't be taken aback to hear that sheets aren't sails, as landlubbers might expect, but ropes. These are fixed to the lower corners of sails, to hold them in place. If three sheets are loose and blowing about in the wind then the sails will flap and the boat will lurch about like a drunken sailor.
I love stuff like this!
Theatrical term - “Break a leg,” meaning good luck.
In the days of musical hall/ variety, many acts would be lined up by the producers, not all would get on stage.
The curtains or flats at the side stage hiding the wings are called ‘legs.’
For an act to get paid, they had to get on stage - break the leg line dividing side stage from the stage. So breaking a leg meant you got paid for the night!
In the days of musical hall/ variety, many acts would be lined up by the producers, not all would get on stage.
The curtains or flats at the side stage hiding the wings are called ‘legs.’
For an act to get paid, they had to get on stage - break the leg line dividing side stage from the stage. So breaking a leg meant you got paid for the night!
Very old terms.
'Gadzooks' is a corruption of 'God's hooks'.
The Cockney 'Cor Blimey' is a similar corruption of, 'God Blind me.'
In mediaeval times, a baker would be heavily penalised for selling customers short. So, bakers would habitually
add an extra loaf, bun or whatever when preparing an order of 12. This was known as a 'Baker's dozen'.
Some more of nautical origin.
Anything on or above the open deck is in plain view so it's 'Above board'.
Ships carried an iron ball attached to a long handle. This would be heated and used in sealing the pitch
that was put between the deck's planks to keep water out. This, a loggerhead', made a handy weapon in an onboard dispute, hence 'At loggerheads'.
In the navy, desertion was a big problem, especially in home ports. To keep sailors from deserting, wives (a woman only had to state she was
married to a sailor) were allowed on board overnight. The officer of the watch had to account for whom was aboard or AWOL. To
see that the person occupying a hammock was a sailor or a 'wife' the officer would use a command still in use today, "Show a leg."
'Gadzooks' is a corruption of 'God's hooks'.
The Cockney 'Cor Blimey' is a similar corruption of, 'God Blind me.'
In mediaeval times, a baker would be heavily penalised for selling customers short. So, bakers would habitually
add an extra loaf, bun or whatever when preparing an order of 12. This was known as a 'Baker's dozen'.
Some more of nautical origin.
Anything on or above the open deck is in plain view so it's 'Above board'.
Ships carried an iron ball attached to a long handle. This would be heated and used in sealing the pitch
that was put between the deck's planks to keep water out. This, a loggerhead', made a handy weapon in an onboard dispute, hence 'At loggerheads'.
In the navy, desertion was a big problem, especially in home ports. To keep sailors from deserting, wives (a woman only had to state she was
married to a sailor) were allowed on board overnight. The officer of the watch had to account for whom was aboard or AWOL. To
see that the person occupying a hammock was a sailor or a 'wife' the officer would use a command still in use today, "Show a leg."
Falconry derived sayings:
Fed Up
We’ve all been fed up with someone or something at one point in our lives, but this term had its origins with a hawk who had eaten its fill of food. The hawk was “fed up” and unwilling to fly or hunt anymore for the falconer. We are often “fed up” when something bothers us, we don’t want to do something anymore, or we’re just not interested, e.g. “I’m fed up with my job.”
Under Your Thumb
A falconer had to maintain a tight control of their bird, and this happen when they would hold the leash of the bird tightly under one thumb while the bird was perched on their hand. Today it means having control over someone in some way, and usually not a good way, e.g. “I have him right under my thumb.”
Wrapped Around Your Little Finger
A falconer may have had the leash of the bird under their thumb, but to provide a little extra security, they would wrap the remaining strands around their little finger. This way if the bird somehow broke free, they would still be tethered to the falconer and would have been able to be brought under control. Today it’s used to mean that someone has complete control over someone else and can get them to do their bidding in some way, e.g. “I have my Dad wrapped around my little finger.” And no, it didn’t derive from the Police song Wrapped Around Your Finger, but now we know where it came from.
Haggard
A haggard is a falcon that is caught in the wild as an adult. Since this type of bird was more difficult to train than one caught while young or taken directly from the nest, haggard came to mean wild or hard to tame. In modern terms haggard morphed in meaning to describe someone who looks worn out and rough, e.g. “That guy on the corner looks haggard.”
Waiting With Bated Breath
With bated breath was first used in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, but its origins are from falconry. When falcons want to “bate from the block”, or fly away, they try to take off but are held near their perch on their leash. They get short of breath doing so, but have to wait for the falconer to release them, hence the term “bated breath”. Today its used to mean listening while holding your breath, waiting for something to happen, e.g. “He awaited her response with bated breath.”
End Of My Tether
This saying goes along with “bated breath” actually. It usually occurred from the actions of a young, untrained falcon who had bated from their perch and was being secured by the tether. Not knowing what they were supposed to be doing, the young falcon might struggle against the tether. Of course, today it means that your frustration level has peaked, and you can’t take it anymore. It’s possible that, “at the end of my rope”, or “at the end of my leash” also derived from this saying since tether and these words mean the same thing, e.g. “My kids have me at the end of my tether (rope,leash)”
A Boozer
The term for when a bird of prey drinks is called bowsing. A bird that drinks a lot is called a “boozer”. Of course the modern take on this term is someone who drinks a heavy amount of alcoholic drinks, e.g. “That guy is quite a boozer.”
Codger and Caddy
Falcons are carried on a portable square perch called a cadge. The birds were carried on the cadge since multiple birds were used for the hunt. Think of it like a bench where the birds waited to get in the game. The word “Codger” derived from the word “cadger”, the people that carried the cadge. Cadgers were usually older falconers who carried the birds on the cadge. Today it means an older person, usually someone that is eccentric or feisty, e.g. “His uncle is a feisty codger.” To take this term further, the word “caddy” may also have derived from this term. Since the cadger gave certain falcons to the falconer based on what was needed, a caddy gives golf clubs to the golfer in a similar manner.
Fed Up
We’ve all been fed up with someone or something at one point in our lives, but this term had its origins with a hawk who had eaten its fill of food. The hawk was “fed up” and unwilling to fly or hunt anymore for the falconer. We are often “fed up” when something bothers us, we don’t want to do something anymore, or we’re just not interested, e.g. “I’m fed up with my job.”
Under Your Thumb
A falconer had to maintain a tight control of their bird, and this happen when they would hold the leash of the bird tightly under one thumb while the bird was perched on their hand. Today it means having control over someone in some way, and usually not a good way, e.g. “I have him right under my thumb.”
Wrapped Around Your Little Finger
A falconer may have had the leash of the bird under their thumb, but to provide a little extra security, they would wrap the remaining strands around their little finger. This way if the bird somehow broke free, they would still be tethered to the falconer and would have been able to be brought under control. Today it’s used to mean that someone has complete control over someone else and can get them to do their bidding in some way, e.g. “I have my Dad wrapped around my little finger.” And no, it didn’t derive from the Police song Wrapped Around Your Finger, but now we know where it came from.
Haggard
A haggard is a falcon that is caught in the wild as an adult. Since this type of bird was more difficult to train than one caught while young or taken directly from the nest, haggard came to mean wild or hard to tame. In modern terms haggard morphed in meaning to describe someone who looks worn out and rough, e.g. “That guy on the corner looks haggard.”
Waiting With Bated Breath
With bated breath was first used in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, but its origins are from falconry. When falcons want to “bate from the block”, or fly away, they try to take off but are held near their perch on their leash. They get short of breath doing so, but have to wait for the falconer to release them, hence the term “bated breath”. Today its used to mean listening while holding your breath, waiting for something to happen, e.g. “He awaited her response with bated breath.”
End Of My Tether
This saying goes along with “bated breath” actually. It usually occurred from the actions of a young, untrained falcon who had bated from their perch and was being secured by the tether. Not knowing what they were supposed to be doing, the young falcon might struggle against the tether. Of course, today it means that your frustration level has peaked, and you can’t take it anymore. It’s possible that, “at the end of my rope”, or “at the end of my leash” also derived from this saying since tether and these words mean the same thing, e.g. “My kids have me at the end of my tether (rope,leash)”
A Boozer
The term for when a bird of prey drinks is called bowsing. A bird that drinks a lot is called a “boozer”. Of course the modern take on this term is someone who drinks a heavy amount of alcoholic drinks, e.g. “That guy is quite a boozer.”
Codger and Caddy
Falcons are carried on a portable square perch called a cadge. The birds were carried on the cadge since multiple birds were used for the hunt. Think of it like a bench where the birds waited to get in the game. The word “Codger” derived from the word “cadger”, the people that carried the cadge. Cadgers were usually older falconers who carried the birds on the cadge. Today it means an older person, usually someone that is eccentric or feisty, e.g. “His uncle is a feisty codger.” To take this term further, the word “caddy” may also have derived from this term. Since the cadger gave certain falcons to the falconer based on what was needed, a caddy gives golf clubs to the golfer in a similar manner.
Tyre Tread said:
Falconry derived sayings:
Fed Up
We’ve all been fed up with someone or something at one point in our lives, but this term had its origins with a hawk who had eaten its fill of food. The hawk was “fed up” and unwilling to fly or hunt anymore for the falconer. We are often “fed up” when something bothers us, we don’t want to do something anymore, or we’re just not interested, e.g. “I’m fed up with my job.”
Under Your Thumb
A falconer had to maintain a tight control of their bird, and this happen when they would hold the leash of the bird tightly under one thumb while the bird was perched on their hand. Today it means having control over someone in some way, and usually not a good way, e.g. “I have him right under my thumb.”
Wrapped Around Your Little Finger
A falconer may have had the leash of the bird under their thumb, but to provide a little extra security, they would wrap the remaining strands around their little finger. This way if the bird somehow broke free, they would still be tethered to the falconer and would have been able to be brought under control. Today it’s used to mean that someone has complete control over someone else and can get them to do their bidding in some way, e.g. “I have my Dad wrapped around my little finger.” And no, it didn’t derive from the Police song Wrapped Around Your Finger, but now we know where it came from.
Haggard
A haggard is a falcon that is caught in the wild as an adult. Since this type of bird was more difficult to train than one caught while young or taken directly from the nest, haggard came to mean wild or hard to tame. In modern terms haggard morphed in meaning to describe someone who looks worn out and rough, e.g. “That guy on the corner looks haggard.”
Waiting With Bated Breath
With bated breath was first used in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, but its origins are from falconry. When falcons want to “bate from the block”, or fly away, they try to take off but are held near their perch on their leash. They get short of breath doing so, but have to wait for the falconer to release them, hence the term “bated breath”. Today its used to mean listening while holding your breath, waiting for something to happen, e.g. “He awaited her response with bated breath.”
End Of My Tether
This saying goes along with “bated breath” actually. It usually occurred from the actions of a young, untrained falcon who had bated from their perch and was being secured by the tether. Not knowing what they were supposed to be doing, the young falcon might struggle against the tether. Of course, today it means that your frustration level has peaked, and you can’t take it anymore. It’s possible that, “at the end of my rope”, or “at the end of my leash” also derived from this saying since tether and these words mean the same thing, e.g. “My kids have me at the end of my tether (rope,leash)”
A Boozer
The term for when a bird of prey drinks is called bowsing. A bird that drinks a lot is called a “boozer”. Of course the modern take on this term is someone who drinks a heavy amount of alcoholic drinks, e.g. “That guy is quite a boozer.”
Codger and Caddy
Falcons are carried on a portable square perch called a cadge. The birds were carried on the cadge since multiple birds were used for the hunt. Think of it like a bench where the birds waited to get in the game. The word “Codger” derived from the word “cadger”, the people that carried the cadge. Cadgers were usually older falconers who carried the birds on the cadge. Today it means an older person, usually someone that is eccentric or feisty, e.g. “His uncle is a feisty codger.” To take this term further, the word “caddy” may also have derived from this term. Since the cadger gave certain falcons to the falconer based on what was needed, a caddy gives golf clubs to the golfer in a similar manner.
Thanks Tyre Tread, really interesting stuff Fed Up
We’ve all been fed up with someone or something at one point in our lives, but this term had its origins with a hawk who had eaten its fill of food. The hawk was “fed up” and unwilling to fly or hunt anymore for the falconer. We are often “fed up” when something bothers us, we don’t want to do something anymore, or we’re just not interested, e.g. “I’m fed up with my job.”
Under Your Thumb
A falconer had to maintain a tight control of their bird, and this happen when they would hold the leash of the bird tightly under one thumb while the bird was perched on their hand. Today it means having control over someone in some way, and usually not a good way, e.g. “I have him right under my thumb.”
Wrapped Around Your Little Finger
A falconer may have had the leash of the bird under their thumb, but to provide a little extra security, they would wrap the remaining strands around their little finger. This way if the bird somehow broke free, they would still be tethered to the falconer and would have been able to be brought under control. Today it’s used to mean that someone has complete control over someone else and can get them to do their bidding in some way, e.g. “I have my Dad wrapped around my little finger.” And no, it didn’t derive from the Police song Wrapped Around Your Finger, but now we know where it came from.
Haggard
A haggard is a falcon that is caught in the wild as an adult. Since this type of bird was more difficult to train than one caught while young or taken directly from the nest, haggard came to mean wild or hard to tame. In modern terms haggard morphed in meaning to describe someone who looks worn out and rough, e.g. “That guy on the corner looks haggard.”
Waiting With Bated Breath
With bated breath was first used in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, but its origins are from falconry. When falcons want to “bate from the block”, or fly away, they try to take off but are held near their perch on their leash. They get short of breath doing so, but have to wait for the falconer to release them, hence the term “bated breath”. Today its used to mean listening while holding your breath, waiting for something to happen, e.g. “He awaited her response with bated breath.”
End Of My Tether
This saying goes along with “bated breath” actually. It usually occurred from the actions of a young, untrained falcon who had bated from their perch and was being secured by the tether. Not knowing what they were supposed to be doing, the young falcon might struggle against the tether. Of course, today it means that your frustration level has peaked, and you can’t take it anymore. It’s possible that, “at the end of my rope”, or “at the end of my leash” also derived from this saying since tether and these words mean the same thing, e.g. “My kids have me at the end of my tether (rope,leash)”
A Boozer
The term for when a bird of prey drinks is called bowsing. A bird that drinks a lot is called a “boozer”. Of course the modern take on this term is someone who drinks a heavy amount of alcoholic drinks, e.g. “That guy is quite a boozer.”
Codger and Caddy
Falcons are carried on a portable square perch called a cadge. The birds were carried on the cadge since multiple birds were used for the hunt. Think of it like a bench where the birds waited to get in the game. The word “Codger” derived from the word “cadger”, the people that carried the cadge. Cadgers were usually older falconers who carried the birds on the cadge. Today it means an older person, usually someone that is eccentric or feisty, e.g. “His uncle is a feisty codger.” To take this term further, the word “caddy” may also have derived from this term. Since the cadger gave certain falcons to the falconer based on what was needed, a caddy gives golf clubs to the golfer in a similar manner.
Fed up, under your thumb, wrapped around your finger, bated breath, end of my tether and boozer. Used all of these loads of times in general conversation and had no idea where they'd come from. Every day's a school day!
Question for you if you don't mind... Off the cuff: I have a vague memory of someone once telling me that it derives from falconry (or similar), something to do with the bird sitting on the cuff of its handler's sleeve. Is this right?
Tyre Tread said:
A Boozer
The term for when a bird of prey drinks is called bowsing. A bird that drinks a lot is called a “boozer”. Of course the modern take on this term is someone who drinks a heavy amount of alcoholic drinks, e.g. “That guy is quite a boozer.”
Is this also connected to 'Bowser' as in container for liquid?The term for when a bird of prey drinks is called bowsing. A bird that drinks a lot is called a “boozer”. Of course the modern take on this term is someone who drinks a heavy amount of alcoholic drinks, e.g. “That guy is quite a boozer.”
The exception proves the rule.
Means a rule that still holds in exceptional circumstances can be said to be proven.
Hoist by your own petard.
A petard was a mine intended to blow up your enemy.
Gone pear shaped.
Originally supposed to have been an aviation term meaning 'that looping manoeuvre was not as circular as it should have been'. Other theories are available.
Means a rule that still holds in exceptional circumstances can be said to be proven.
Hoist by your own petard.
A petard was a mine intended to blow up your enemy.
Gone pear shaped.
Originally supposed to have been an aviation term meaning 'that looping manoeuvre was not as circular as it should have been'. Other theories are available.
Gordon Bennet and Gorblimey
Bennet was a wealthy publisher known to be of highly erratic in behaviour. I think he was also a racing driver in the early 1900s. Although American, his name became to be used as a mark of incredulity and is thought that 'Gorblimey' evolved from this as well.
Bennet was a wealthy publisher known to be of highly erratic in behaviour. I think he was also a racing driver in the early 1900s. Although American, his name became to be used as a mark of incredulity and is thought that 'Gorblimey' evolved from this as well.
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