There’s nothing like a good idiom or saying to sum up how you feel. Something really interesting about old phrases is that a lot of them have been in use for centuries.
That means that a lot of sayings we use today might not be related to anything we would be able to recognize as meaning the same thing.
Click next to learn the interesting histories of some of our most commonly-used phrases.
1. “Get off your high horse”
WritingExplained dates this one to the 1300s. They say that the phrase first appeared in John Wycliff’s book English Works, which describes war horses walking along with a procession.
These horses are literally taller than other horses, and people began to use this saying as a way of describing someone who acts like they think they are better, or above, others.
2. “Carbon copy”
Beginning in the 1870s, carbon paper was used to make copies of documents. This kind of technology hadn’t existed before.
Essentially, a sheet of carbon paper would be inserted between the original document and the blank piece of paper that was going to be a copy. We now use this phrase to mean an exact copy of an original.
3. “Take it with a grain of salt”
The Idioms credits the ancient writer Pliny the Elder for this one: “It is said that Pliny the Elder translated an ancient antidote for poison in 77 A.D., which recommends taking the antidote with a grain of salt.”
This phrase typically means one should have some healthy skepticism about what they’re hearing.
4. “At the drop of a hat”
This phrase means something begins very suddenly. It dates back to the American Wild West.
Often a race or a duel would begin with someone firing off a gun. But sometimes a hat was used instead – and when it dropped and landed on the floor, the race would begin.
5. “Dressed to the nines”
The origins of this 19th-century phrase, meaning, “dressed extremely well,” are somewhat murky.
Some people believe that this saying originated because it took nine yards of fabric to make a full three-piece suit.
Other people point out, however, that the saying “to the nines” existed before this phrase and that it seems like the “dressed” part was simply added on.
6. “Burning the midnight oil”
The 1635 book Quarles’ Emblems, first used the phrase “midnight oil,” which refers to the oil in an oil lamp.
This phrase means that you are awake late at night doing work.
7. “Blackballed”
Meaning “getting banned or excluded,” this phrase originated in 1770.
In polite society, people would cast votes in order to decide whether or not to allow someone into their social club. On a ballot, the downvotes would be made with a black ball.
8. “Pulling out all the stops”
You might be surprised to learn that this often-used phrase comes from organists.
According to the American Guild of Organists, organ pipes are controlled by “stops.”
In order to keep specific pipes silent, the organist will push in the stops. In order to make sound, the organist pulls out the stops and makes beautiful, loud music.
9. “Close, but no cigar”
This saying isn’t quite as old as some of the others on this list, but it still dates back to the 1920s.
Cigars used to be the top prize in carnival games.
Someone losing the game and therefore not winning a cigar would prompt the carnival workers to say this now-famous phrase.
10. “Straight from the horse’s mouth”
This phrase comes from when horsemanship was more popular in the 19th century.
It means that the information that you have comes from the most original source or best authority, and it refers to how stable boys and horse trainers often had a better knowledge of a horse’s condition and ability to win a race than their owners did.
11. “Time to face the music”
Back in New England around the 1830s, it was custom that a disgraced army officer or soldier would be sent home with a specific song playing on the drums. They were literally facing the music for whatever wrong actions had led them there.
12. “Roll up the window”
This may come as a shock to some younger readers, but when cars were first invented, you had to crank the windows open and closed with a crank located near your feet.
(Anyone born before 2000 can feel free to roll their eyes now!)
Although power windows, the kind we are all used to today, were first invented for luxury cars in 1941, this phrase came about at a time when getting a breeze in the car was much harder than it is today.
13. “Put your best foot forward”
Shakespeare used this phrase in his 1595 play King John, writing “Nay, but make haste; the better foot before.”
It typically means to begin something with bravado and your best self.
14. “Jumping on the bandwagon”
A bandwagon was a phrase coined by PT Barnum to describe the wagon that carried his circus’s band. His circus would ride into town parade-style and sometimes politicians would use bandwagons for their electoral campaigns.
People jumped on the bandwagon to express their support for a designated candidate.
15. “As mad as a hatter”
That Alice In Wonderland character’s name actually did make sense! Turns out, hatmakers in the 18th and 19th centuries used the dangerous chemical mercury nitrate as part of their hatmaking process.
This led to the workers developing many ailments such as shakes and hallucinations.
Fortunately, hat makers do not use this chemical anymore.
It’s incredible to see how many phrases we still use today come from centuries ago! It will be interesting to see what sayings we use today will stick around in the future.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
