Idioms & Clichés — where did they
come from?
An idiom is
a word or phrase in which the figurative meaning is different than the literal
meaning of the word. There are approximately 25,000 idioms in the English
language.
As authors
know, using clichés is considered a no-no. They are expressions, ideas or
elements which have become overused, even considered trite and a mark of
inexperience or lack of originality. However, used sparingly, such cliched expressions,
particularly used in writing dialogue, is acceptable. When writing idioms or
clichés in dialogue in historical settings, it’s useful and interesting to know
when it was first used.
Looking up
the origins of old and popular phrases, I could have easily “gone down the
rabbit hole!” — Sorry, I couldn’t resist! Below is just a few of the
thousands of idioms and clichés, many we still hear today. I should add that a
few of the origins are speculative or could have come from more than one
source.
Rabbit hole — comes from the Lewis Carroll 1865
classic, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. In its opening chapter, “Down
the Rabbit-Hole,” Alice follows the White Rabbit into his burrow, which takes
her to the strange world of Wonderland. Over much of the 20th
century, rabbit hole has been used to mean bizarre and irrational experiences.
Now, more often, we say we fell down the rabbit hole, meaning we got interested
in something to the point of distraction. Thanks to the wealth of information
on the Internet, those “rabbit holes,” can be extremely engrossing and
time-consuming!
Kick the
bucket — taken
literally, it means someone walked up and kicked a bucket out of his way.
However, this common idiom is not taken literally, but implies that the person
has died. The idiom originated from a reference to someone hanging himself by
standing on a bucket and then kicking it away, thus “kicking the bucket.”
Burning
the midnight oil —
meaning working hard or late at night. Back before electricity, lamp oil was
used for lighting and one literally burned the lamp oil at midnight.
Jumping
on the bandwagon —
In the mid-1800’s, circuses paraded around town before setting up with
bandwagons leading the parade. Politicians started renting the bandwagons to
speak to the crowds. Eventually, the phrase took on the meaning to go along
with whatever became popular.
At the
drop of a hat — In
the 1800’s, it was customary to drop a hat to begin a race instead of a
gunshot.
Heard it
through the Grapevine
— meaning something heard unofficially or indirectly. At the turn of the
century, information was transmitted across the country via the telegraph
system with thousands of miles of wire strung several feet above the ground
with poles at equal distances. People thought the wires and poles looked like
the strings used to secure vines and began calling the telegraph lines “the
grapevine.”
Straight
from the horse’s mouth — meaning that you are getting the truth from an indisputable source.
Its origin came from the fact that a horse’s teeth can tell you a lot about the
age, health and general condition of the horse.
Bite the
bullet — When there
was no painkiller available, soldiers would bite down on a bullet during
surgical operations to help withstand the pain. Bite the bullet now means to
endure something necessary but displeasing.
Riding
shotgun — I’m sure
western authors know this meaning and where it came from. In the Old West, the
person who sat next to the driver was often equipped with a shotgun to protect
the coach from would-be robbers. So “riding shotgun” is a person riding in the
front seat of a vehicle next to the driver.
Sleep
tight — used to tell
someone to sleep well. One possible origin of this phrase dates back to when
mattresses were supported by ropes. To sleep tight, meant that the ropes were
pulled tight, providing a firm bed.
Flying
off the handle —
meaning suddenly becoming enraged. This phrase is said to have come from poorly
constructed axes of the 1800’s that would detach from the handle.
Cost an
arm and a leg — meaning
expensive. This strange phrase actually has a very interesting connotation. The
story goes that in 18th century, people would have their portraits painted
without certain limbs showing. Having limbs show is said to have cost more
because it took the artist more time and effort to paint arms, hands and legs.
As I said at
the beginning, I found researching such phrases and idioms fascinating. I’ll
end this post with one more interesting bit of trivia. Many phrases,
expressions and proverbs in existence today either originated or popularized by
their use in Shakespeare’s work. Whether theses phrases were already in use
or he created them, his plays provide us with the earliest use of many of them.
All that glitters is not gold.
Bated breath
Be-all and end-all
Break the ice
Come what may
Faint-hearted
Forever and a day
For goodness’ sake
In a pickle
In my heart of hearts
Mum’s the word
Own flesh and blood
Laughing stock
Love is blind
Naked truth
Neither rhyme nor reason
Too much of a good thing
Wear my heart on my sleeve
Wild-goose chase
Thanks for stopping by and “Happy Trails To You,” My favorite
expression of good will, taken from Roy Rogers’ theme song. For you young’uns,
he was the iconic cowboy back in the 50’s & 60’s.
