ShangralaFamilyFun.com - Shangy's Word and Phrase ORIGINS Page!

Shangy's Word/Phrase Origins Page:

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"AN ARM AND A LEG"
If I had to guess at the inspiration for "cost an arm and a leg," I'd say that it was probably an outgrowth of the older phrase "I'd give my right arm for," meaning that the speaker would be willing to make a great sacrifice to obtain or do something, which dates back to the mid-19th century. "An arm and a leg" may simply have arisen as an attempt to top that already grisly level of sacrifice. :WordDetectives

"BAKER'S DOZEN"
The popular tale behind this phrase's origin is that a medieval law specified the weight of loaves of bread and any baker who shorted a customer was in for dire punishment. So, baker's would include a thirteenth loaf with each dozen just to be safe. The story is partly true. There was such a law, but the practice of adding an extra loaf to the dozen had nothing to do with fear of punishment.

The weight and price was strictly regulated and the only way for distributors to make money would be to give the middlemen extra loaves. The baker would give the huckster a thirteenth, or vantage, loaf for each dozen. This extra loaf provided the profit for the middleman. :WordOrigins.org
"TO BE ON THE BEAM"
By this very modern expression we mean "to be on the right course;" hence, right, accurate, correct. It comes from the use of directional radio beacons established along lines of airplane travel. A continuous pulsating note emitted from the beacon is heard at its greatest intensity by an aviator when he is directly upon the course along which he should be traveling, fading off to dimness if he departs from the course to one side or the other.

"BEAR MARKET"/"BULL MARKET"
Bulls and bears. As I've said before, I evidently failed to inherit whatever gene enables folks to understand the stock market, so everything that follows is hearsay. Simply put (for folks like me), "bulls" are optimistic investors, and "bears" are pessimists. A "bull market" is one in which stock prices are rising, a "bear market" one marked by falling prices.

The pessimism of bears takes a curiously optimistic form: they sell stock that they do not yet own. Bears "sell short," betting that when the time comes to actually buy and deliver the stock they have sold, the price per share will have fallen, and they'll be able to fulfill their sales contract at a profit. Bulls bet the opposite -- that the market is rising, and that they'll be able to later sell the stock at a still higher price.

There's a controversy about how bears got their name, but the most logical theory traces it back to an old English proverb: "Don't sell the bearskin before the bear is caught" (which, of course, is exactly what bears do). Bolstering this theory is the fact that short sellers were known as "bearskin jobbers" in the 18th century.

"Bulls" most likely got their name simply from the contrast (and alliteration) with "bear," and also possibly because both bull and bear "baiting" were popular sports in old England. Bulls are also powerful and aggressive (and a bit stupid), while bears are more contemplative and apt to retreat. :WordDetective
"BEDLAM"
Bedlam meaning madness, uproar, or confusion comes from the Hospital of Saint Mary of Bethlehem in London. The hospital was founded as a priory in 1247 and is first mentioned as a hospital in 1330. In 1547 it was incorporated as a lunatic asylum. So, the modern sense is an extension of the idea of a lunatic asylum. :WordOrigins.org

"A BIG SHOT"
A big shot is a person of importance. This slang use is quite recent, developed within the current century, but it is a lineal descendant of "a big gun," dating from the middle of the last century, and which in turn sprang from the union of "a great gun" and "a big bug" of the early nineteenth century.
"A BIGWIG"
Once upon a time (the 1700's, to be precise), there was no hairspray and no blow-driers. Every day was a bad hair day, as it had been for most of human history. Consequently, almost everybody above the poverty line -- men, women, and sometimes even children -- wore wigs. But not all wigs were equal. While Joe Schmoe trudged through life wearing his ratty little two-shilling bargain number from Wigges 'n Stuffe, Lord Gotrocks sported a luxurious, expensive, and, of course, very large wig. Regular folks found these rich people and their fancy wigs so annoying that by the early 1800's "bigwig" had become a mocking slang term for the wealthy and powerful. And though the wigs are mostly gone (or at least a lot smaller), "bigwig" is still used as slang for someone who probably isn't as important as he thinks he is. :WordDetectives
"BOONDOCK"
It derives from the Tagalog word bundok, meaning "mountain." It was adopted into the language by occupying American soldiers in the Philippines as a word meaning any remote and wild place. By 1909, only some ten years after the American conquest of the islands, the word had caught on enough to rate an entry in that year's Webster's New International Dictionary. Despite this, however, it remained primarily a military slang term, especially among Marines, until the 1960s, when, probably because of the Vietnam War, it gained wider, civilian usage. :WordOrigins.org
"BOOTing Up A Computer"
Means to start it up by loading its operating system into its working memory, which then, on a good day, gets the whole system up and running. "Boot" in this sense is short for "bootstraps," those small loops of leather often sewn into the tops of high boots as an aid to pulling them on. Since the 18th century the phrase "pull oneself up by one's own bootstraps" has meant to succeed by one's own efforts, without outside help. Although "bootstrap" has been used in computing circles since the 1950's, the shortened form "boot" only became popular with the "personal computer explosion" of the 1980's. :WordDetective

"BOOT Camp"
New recruits to the Navy or Marines have been known as "boots" since World War I. One theory is that the term dates back to the 1890's, when sailors were required to swab the decks of ships barefoot. Some recruits rebelled and donned rubber boots, thereafter being known as "rubber boot sailors," or "boots" for short. :WordDetective

"BREAD AND BUTTER"
Only one source (the Dictionary of American Regional English, or DARE) of many that I checked even mentioned the phrase. DARE explains it as "an exclamation used when two people walking together are momentarily separated by someone or something coming between them." The earliest citation listed by DARE is from The Federal Writers Project "Guide to Kansas" published in 1939, where the "bread and butter" ritual is described as a "ubiquitous" incantation among schoolchildren of the area. If it was ubiquitous in 1939, the ritual is probably much older, possibly dating back to at least the 19th century.

As to its meaning, I think it's simply one of a number of rituals children follow, on the order of "step on a crack and break your mother's back," designed to invoke magical protection from bad luck. In this case, the fact that bread and butter "go together" gives the ritual power as an affirmation of togetherness, lest a momentary separation be an omen of permanent one. :WordDetective

"BUSBOY"
Busboys were originally known as "omnibuses" in the late 19th century, a term which came from the Latin "omnibus," meaning "for all." "Omnibus" was a popular word in the 19th century with a variety of uses, having first been applied to the large public horse-drawn coaches which marked the first appearance of urban mass transit. The motorized descendants of these omnibuses are known today, of course, as "buses."

While busboys of the period may or may not have ridden to work on buses, they were known as "omnibus boys" or "omnibuses" themselves because their job was to do anything and everything that might be useful in the restaurant. "Omnibus" in this restaurant sense first appeared in 1888, and the first written example of the shortened form "bus-boy" has been traced to a 1913 issue of "The Industrial Worker" (the newspaper of the Industrial Workers of the World, or "Wobblies," by the way) although the word was almost certainly in use long before then. :WordDetective

"CATCH AS CATCH CAN"
This is what we say these days when we mean to catch in any manner that one can devise, by hook or by crook. But six hundred years ago when the expression was new our forefathers said, "catch that catch may."

"CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD"
In the late 1700's many houses consisted of a large room with only one chair. Commonly, a long wide board was folded down from the wall and used for dining. The "head of the household" always sat in the chair while everyone else ate sitting on the floor. Once in a while an invited guest would be offered to sit in this chair during a meal who was almost always a man. To sit in the chair meant you were important and in charge. Sitting in the chair, one was called the "chair man of the board." Today in business we use the expression/title "Chairman of the Board."
"TO RAKE (HAUL, BRING, OR FETCH) OVER THE COALS"
Until comparatively recent times the sin of heresy was, in many centuries, punishable by death. In England, during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, one found guilty of departing from the creed and tenets of the church might be condemned to death by burning. Thus the earliest uses of this expession, back in the sixteenth century, referred to the literal punishment of heretics---one would be fetched over the coals unless he speedily reformed his actions and beliefs. From the use of the expression as a threat, almost at once it became a synonym for the sense in which we use it today: to reprimand severely, to censure caustically.

"TO COIN A PHRASE"
The verb to coin originally meant to literally mint a coin. It dates to the 14th century. In the late-16th century, the sense generalized to become to create or invent something. In 1940 the specific usage of coin a phrase came into use. :WordOrigns.org

"COLD Enough To Freeze The Balls Off A BRASS MONKEY"
In days of old when ships went to sea with cannon & cannon balls to fight off enemies or pirates, the cannon balls had to be stacked on deck ready for use. A convenient way to stack them was to place a metal ring on the deck and pile the balls on it in a pyramid. The ring was made of brass to avoid sparks when gunpowder was around and became known as a "brass monkey."

When the ship was sailing in cold water in the winter it could get so cold that the brass ring would contract more that the iron cannon balls (different coefficients of expansion) and thus this expression.

"COMPUTER BUGS"
The Term "Bugs" came from one of the first computers built. The early computers were massive. You could walk inside the chassis and they were mostly made of old style vacuum tubes. The cost alone to fire up our ancestors was a whopping $75.00. The tubes themselves were also massive and expelled great amount of heat and, you guessed it, a lot of light. Before they would boot up this monster, the Jurassic geeks would send in their young to sweep out or shoo the "Bugs" from the inter workings of the early age IBM.
ANDERS from Norway adds this for us: 'The expression bug was used earlier (notably Edison) for an unknown fault that causes a mechanism to dysfunction.' "COP - COPPER"
To cut to the chase, the police sense of "copper" and "cop" probably comes originally from the Latin word "capere," meaning "to seize," which also gave us "capture." "Cop" as a slang term meaning "to catch, snatch or grab" appeared in English in the 18th century, ironically originally used among thieves -- a "copper" was a street thief. But by the middle of the 19th century, criminals apprehended by the police were said to have themselves been "copped" -- caught -- by the "coppers" or "cops." And there you have the etiology of "cop." Case, as the cops say, closed. :WordDetectives
"DAVY JONES LOCKER"
No one knows exactly how "Davy Jones' Locker" came to be a metaphor for the deep sea. The phrase first showed up around 1751. One theory is that it is after a person named "Davy Jones," a 16th century English barkeeper. Legend has it that the ill-tempered Jones kept his rum stores hidden in a locker in the back room of his tavern. Since sailors never got near Davy Jones' rum locker, goes the story, the phrase came to be adopted as a metaphor for the deep from which no sailor returned. There is, alas, no historical evidence supporting this. More likely is "Jones" is the Biblical Jonah, who was swallowed by a big fish. Supporting this is "Jonah" being a sailors' term for bad luck to a ship. As to the "Davy" part, one theory traces it to the West Indian "duppy," a colloquial term for "ghost." But yet another possibility is that it is a reference to Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, often invoked by Welsh sailors of the day. Putting St David together with Jonah in one phrase used to denote the worst fate that can befall a seafarer may seem illogical, but this is the lore and legends of sailors we're talking about here. :WordDetectives
"DEAD AS A DOORNAIL"
A doornail is a large-headed nail. To make sure such nails didn't pull out of the wood, the sharp end pointing through the wood was pounded down, or deadened, hence the expression. "DEVILED EGGS"
When stuffed eggs were first introduced, they were covered with pepper so hot that one bite brought to mind the fires of hell.
"DUTCH TREAT - GOing DUTCH"
This is one of several derisive terms referring to the Dutch. Dutch treat is an Americanism dating to the 1880s. It refers to the supposed Dutch trait of being miserly. The adverbial form go Dutch dates to 1914. :WordOrigins.org

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"EAGER BEAVER"
Though its reputation has been questioned in recent years, the beaver has long been noted for its persistent industry. This reputation gave us the simile, "to work like a beaver," some two hundred years ago. Industrious persons have long been likened to the beaver. We English-speaking peoples are gluttons for rhymes, such as hodge-podge, helter-skelter. Therefore, within the past few years, some bright spirit did the best he could to refer to someone who was particularly avid as an "eager beaver."

"EUREKA"
This is from the Greek heureka, meaning "I have found it". Legend has it that Archimedes made this exclamation when he realized that objects placed in water displace an amount of water equal to their own volume. King Hiero of Syracuse had supplied a goldsmith with gold to make a crown. But the king was not certain that the smith had used all the gold and so he asked Archimedes to test the crown. Archimedes was stumped until one day when climbing into his bath he noticed the water displacement and realized that he could measure the volume of the crown through displacement. :WordOrigins.org

"FACE THE MUSIC"
The source of this phrase is generally thought to have been theatrical, referring to an actor who, however nervous, must come boldly on stage before his public; thus literally facing the music, or the orchestra in the pit below the footlights. But other explanations have been offered. Some ascribe it to military origin. If so, its first meaning may have been simply to take one's place in the line of assembly, facing the band. Or it may have referred to a cavalry mount that must be trained to show no restiveness when the band starts to play. Or it may have referred to a cavalryman dishonorably dismissed from service, who it's said, when drummed out of camp would not only be facing the music of the drums but also would be facing the rear end of his horse!

"A FLY IN THE OINTMENT"
This modern version suggests that something unpleasant may come or has come to light in a proposition or condition that is almost too pleasing; that there is something wrong somewhere. The older version was "a fly in the amber," meaning that something is as unexpectedly out of place as the fly that one occasionally finds embedded in fossilized amber.

"FREELANCERS"
Why do we call people who work off-staff "freelancers?"

The cynics among freelancers will tell you that they are called that because many clients expect them to work practically for free. They are also free to do without employee benefits such as vacations and medical coverage. On the other hand, they do get to set their own hours, write off an espresso and a croissant with a friend as a business expense, and work at home in their underwear.

The term originated in the Middle Ages to describe a mercenary knight whose lance was for hire. He was free of any attachment to a particular lord and could be employed on a project-by- project basis--assault a castle, rescue a damsel, the usual stuff. Eventually the term was applied to anyone who was paid by the project or the piece. :A BROWSER'S DICTIONARY by John Ciardi

"ON THE FRITZ"
"On the fritz" means not operating properly. It has been traced by the Oxford Dictionary back to 1902, labeled of AMERICAN origin. The theory is that it all started with the comic strip known as THE CAPTAIN AND THE KIDS or THE KATEZENJAMMER KIDS. It was one of the earliest strips and still appears in many papers. The customary Sunday sequence called for two madcap youngsters, Hans and Fritz, to cause all sorts of trouble for their elders, the Captain and his sidekick. By the end of the strip, their actions had the effect of putting whatever plans the Captain made permanently on the Fritz. :Taken from the Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins, 2nd Edition

"FUN AS A BARREL OF MONKEYS"
One monkey arouses a great deal of amusement. Two more then double the interest and amusement. If one were to release a barrelful of monkeys, we must suppose that their antics would become hilariously comical.

"A GARGOYLE"
The root of "gargoyle" is the Old French "gargouille," which literally means "throat." The word "gargoyle" first appeared in English in the 15th century, adopted from the French, as a term for the elaborate and bizarre carved figures of animals found on many Gothic cathedrals in Europe. Perhaps the most famous gargoyles in the world adorn Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.

According to legend, back in seventh century France a huge and hideous dragon named Gargouille lived in the River Seine near Rouen. This monster, with a long, reptilian neck (thus the name) and fearsome wings, terrorized the countryside, devouring ships and demanding human sacrifices from the townsfolk of Rouen. Finally, in return for everyone in town converting to Catholicism, Saint Romanus subdued the monster by making the sign of the cross. The townsfolk then burned the critter at the stake and mounted his head on the town wall as a monument to their ordeal. Thus, it is said, began the tradition of putting gargoyles on buildings.

If you look closely at the gargoyles on a Gothic cathedral, you'll notice that they serve a purpose beyond ornamentation. They function as downspouts, gathering the rainwater from the gutters and projecting it usually through the creature's "gargouille" or "throat" away from the building's foundations. The bizarre shapes of the carvings may have been either a ploy to ward off demons or an attempt to attract and convert pagans. :WordDetective
"GOB" Referring To SAILORS
There are three theories on this one. This term first showed up in regard to sailors around 1909 and may have come from the word gobble. Reportedly, some people thought that sailors gobbled their food. The term also may come from the word gob, which means to spit, something sailors also reportedly do often. English coastguardsmen were referred to as gobbies because of their spitting habits.

Another theory on the sailors being called gobs stems from the same reason they were called "Tars." They would put a gob of tar on their hair to hold it back and out of the way and it also helped to hold down on lice. And on the Dalmatians, don't forget I work for a fire company, one of the main reasons for the dalmatians is the little known fact that dalmatians will not only eat horse manuer they thrive on it, true fact. :Kent - a firefighter
"GOSSIP"
Early politicians required feedback from the public to determine what was considered important to the people. Since there were no telephones, TV's or radios, the politicians sent their assistants to local taverns, pubs and bars who were told to "go sip some ale" and listen to people's conversations and political concerns. Many assistants were dispatched at different times ... "You go sip here" and "You go sip there." The two words "go sip" were eventually combined when referring to the local opinion and thus, we have the term "gossip."

"TURN GREEN WITH ENVY"
The ancient Greeks thought that envy made the liver produce excess bile, adding a slightly greenish tint to one's complexion.

"TO BE GRILLED" From Bilitis:
The expression "to be grilled" comes from the days when a suspected criminal was literally, not figuratively, grilled--as in the days of the Inquisition.

"HALF-SEAS OVER"
This is what we say of a man when we wish to imply that he is pretty thoroughly drunk, not yet under the table and still able to get along, after a fashion, on his own two legs; not quite "three sheets in the wind." The English allusion is probably a reference to the likeness between the half-canted gait of a man when intoxicated and that of a ship heeled over in the wind, with decks half awash. There is also a theory that the expression is an Englishman's interpretation of the Dutch expression, "op ze zober," literally "an oversea beer," a particularly heady and strong beer from Holland.
"HELL-BENT FOR ELECTION."
Hell-bent, an American term, means so determined as to be regardless of the consequences, even Hell itself. A song from 1840 goes, in part:

Oh, have you heard how old Maine went?
She went hell-bent for Governor Kent,
And Tippecanoe and Tyler too!
"HIGHFALUTIN."
The origin of "highfalutin" (or the variant "highfaluting") is not known for certain, but chances are good that it began as a corruption of "high-flying" or "high-flown," meaning pretentiously affluent (or, as New Yorkers say, "hoity-toity"). Highfalutin appeared in the mid-1800's, the creative heyday of dissing the rich. Along with "highfalutin," the rich (or wannabe-rich) of the era were accused of "putting on airs," being "on a high horse," being "high-toned," "stuck up," "uppity" and "stuffed shirts." :WordDetective

"A HOG ON ICE"
A baby who has just learned to walk and is ignoring his mother's outstretched hand is said to be as independent as a hog on ice. This means cockily independent, supremely confident, and beholden to no one. Since a hog on a smooth icy surface cannot move about in a normal manner, this expression has come to be used to describe those who forge ahead, regardless of the circumstances. An old man may, when asked how he is, may reply, "Oh, fine. Just as independent as a hog on ice; if I can't stand up, I can lie down." Hogs, of course, usually have to be skidded or dragged off the ice to a firm footing.

"TO HOLD AT BAY"
Those of us who are familiar with Landseer's painting, THE STAG AT BAY, know the meaning of the phrase; when facing a desperate situation, to hold at a standstill. Despite the picture, the fact that the dogs are obviously barking or baying is just a chance double meaning of the word "bay." Our phrase seems to come from the French phrase, tenir a bay, which really means "to hold in a state of suspense or inaction."
"TO HOLD WATER"
The literal sense, such as applied to a sound pitcher or bowl, gradually acquired in the early seventeenth century a figurative meaning, as if testing a pitcher for soundness by filling it with water---if unsound, the water would leak out. Thus, figuratively, an unsound argument or fallacious reasoning would not "hold water" if it failed to stand a test.

"HOSEY"
My husband frequently says he will "hosey" something when he wants to claim it, (the last chocolate chip cookie, for example). Where does this word come from?

This word is peculiar to New England, where children used it in games when choosing sides. To hosey means "to choose," so that a child might say, "I hosey Bobby for our team."

The origin of the term is unclear. Some say that it may come from the French word choisir, meaning "to choose," or from a heavily Irish-accented pronunciation of the English word choose. :Farmers Almanac

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"TO BREAK THE ICE"
Our present figurative use came, of course, from the maritime necessity of breaking up the ice upon rivers and channels for the navigation of ships and boats in winter. The early extended sense, indicating preparation of a pathway for others, did not arise until late in the sixteenth century; the earliest instance is from the epiloque of a curious work written in 1590 by Henry Swinburne, A BRIEFE TREATISE OF TESTAMENTS AND LAST WILLES: "The author therefore in aduenteuring to breake the yse to make the passage easie for his countrymen, failing sometimes of the fourd, and falling into the pit, may seeme worthie to be pitied." From this metaphorical usage the present sense, to break down a stiff reserve between persons, was slow in developing, or at least was not recorded for another hundred and fifty years.
"AN ITCHING FOOT"
Though it is only within the past 50 years, that we in American have used this to mean a craving to travel, we have ancient precedent for such a figurative expression. Away back in the 13th century a writer used "an itching ear" to mean a craving to hear gossip, and later, one with "an itching tongue" was one with an inordinate desire to repeat gossip. Even today one with "an itching palm' craves money, There seems no end to the itching that one may have.

"BEFORE ONE CAN SAY, 'JACK ROBINSON'"
This means in a couple of shakes, two shakes of a lamb's tail, or (in plain English) immediately, with no loss of time. The expression arose during the latter part of the eighteenth century and, as far as anyone has been able to discover, it was no more than a meaningless phrase. No "Jack Robinson" attained any prominence at that period.
"JADED"
"Jaded," comes from an Old Norse word, "jalda," meaning "mare." Imported into English as "jade" in the 14th century, the word originally meant just "mare," but then came to mean "old, broken-down mare." As a metaphor, "jade" then was used to mean "worthless person," or, more specifically, "prostitute." This noun form of "jade" is now obsolete, but the sense lives on in our word "jaded," applied to someone who has, as they say, been there, seen that, and done it all. :WordDetective

"JAYWALKING"
Experts think it came about at the time automobiles were gaining in popularity in cities. In 1917, jay was a common slang word for hick, or, more kindly, a person inexperienced in the ways of the big city. Consequently, a jaywalker was somebody who was clueless about those newfangled traffic signals telling people when they could and couldn't walk.

"TO PUT THE KIBOSH ON"
This one means to put an end to, to stop, to dispose of. In SKETCHES BY BOZ (1836), Charles Dickens wrote about a place in London so squallid that even the "ladies" were usually engaged in fisticuffs. One such battle was egged on by a young boy, who roared to one of them, "Hooroar, put the kye-bosk on her, Mary!"

"IN TWO SHAKES OF A LAMB'S TAIL"
One who has seen a lamb shake its tail readily knows that this saying means with no loss of time. A lamb can shake its tail twice before one can say, "Jack Robinson." Usage appears to be entirely American, going back a hundred years or longer.

"TO GIVE A LICK AND A PROMISE"
If little Johnny has taken the facecloth and lightly washed his mouth and cheeks, he has given himself a lick and a promise--about the same as the cat would do in one hasty swab of the tongue with a promise of a complete job in the dim future. We say that one who has worked half-heartedly or in a slovenly manner has given the work a lick and a promise. The homely saying is common in both England and America and is undoubtedly several centuries old.
"ACTING IN THE LIMELIGHT"
Scottish surveyor and politician Thomas Drummond invented the limelight in 1825. The English chemist Goldsworthy Gurney also invented one around the same time, but Drummond's light became more popular. Drummond burned calcium oxide, the chemical compound known as lime, in a hot hydrogen-oxygen flame to create a brilliant white light that was bright enough to be used for surveying land and in lighthouses. The light was so intense, it could be seen almost 100 miles away.
Limelight was soon used in theaters because it was moderately safer than the gas lights that were used around the stage at that time. When an actor was "in the limelight," he or she was center stage and the center of attention, hence the expression we still use today. Limelight was eventually replaced by other, much safer lighting technology, but the phrase remained. :Van of QOTD

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"MIND YOUR OWN BEESWAX" "CRACK A SMILE" "LOSING FACE"
Needless to say, personal hygiene left much room for improvement. As a result, many women and men had developed acne scars by adulthood. The women would spread bee's wax over their facial skin to smooth out their complexions. When they were speaking to each other, if a woman began to stare at another woman's face she was told "mind your own bee's wax." Should the woman smile, the wax would crack, hence the term "crack a smile." Also, when they sat too close to the fire, the wax would melt and therefore the expression "losing face."

"NECK OF THE WOODS"
In nature, "neck" has referred to any narrow strip of water, ice or trees. So, originally, "neck of the woods" meant a stretch of woodland.

Sometime in the first half of the 19th century, people started referring to the settlements in remote wooded areas as a particular neck of the woods. The first print evidence of the expression is in 1839: "In this neck of the woods" (Spirit of Times 15 June 175/2, 1839).

In a book of Americanisms, De Vere writes about the American pioneer: "He will... find his neighborhood designated as a neck of the woods, that being the name applied to any settlement made in the well-wooded parts of the South-west especially" (Americanisms: The English of the New World, 1871).

Today, the expression is alive and well in almost every neck of the woods, though it no longer solely indicates a remote settlement.

"TO STICK ONE'S NECK OUT"
When you agree to do something that may have a bad ending, when you enter an argument in which you may turn out to be a poor second, or whenever you deliberately take the chance of being hurt, literally or figuratively, you are sticking your neck out. The saying is modern American slang, an outgrowth of the earlier, "to get it in the neck," both of them alluding to the neck of the chicken stretched for the ax. The other saying attained popularity during the last quarter of the nineteenth century.

"NEITHER HIDE NOR HAIR"
This sounds like such a typically western American expression that it is surprising to find that, though American, it is merely the reverse of an expression so old that it might have been known to Chaucer. The ancient saying was "in hide and hair," and the meaning was "wholly, entirely." The American phrase means "nothing whatsoever." Our first record of it occurs in one of the early works of Josiah G. Holland, THE BAY PATH, published in 1857: "I haven't seen hide nor hair of the piece ever since."

"IN THE NICK OF TIME"
In medieval times, sticks were used to keep track of things. Attendance was taken this way as well. As long as you made it to school before the attendance taker reached your name, you received a notch on the stick that indicated you were there. Hence, arriving "in the nick of time."

"I'M DOING JUST PEACHY"
According to Christine Ammer, who has written a whole book about food metaphors called "Fruitcakes and Couch Potatoes" (Penguin, 1995), the peach has been used as a standard of quality and beauty in English since the mid-1700's. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the first appearance of "peachy" in particular to 1926. "Peach" and its derivatives have always been equal opportunity superlatives, applied to both men ("peach of a fellow") and women ("a peachy girl"). James T. Farrell, in his novel "Young Lonigan," even described Airedales as "peachy dogs."

But why peaches? Why not? They're soft, sweet, and pretty. Of course, they've also got that really annoying fuzz on them, but Christine Ammer quotes an old Chinese proverb that goes: "Rather one bite of a peach than eat a basketful of apricots." :WordDetective

"PEOPLE Who Live In GLASS Houses SHOULDN'T Throw STONES"
The proverb appeared in Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde, written in 1385. Later, George Herbert modified it this way: "Whose house is of glass, must not throw stones at another." And in 1736, Benjamin Franklin wrote, "Don't throw stones at your neighbors, if your own windows are glass."

"PIE" AND "UPPER CRUST"
For centuries, the English have enjoyed pies. Enjoyed such a variety that it was said that you could find as much variety in pie fillings as objects in a Magpie's nest. Hence the word 'pie'.

The same cookbook informs us that centuries ago there was a shortage of shortening for making pie crusts which resulted in the invention of the flan with a lower crust only. The rich however could still afford the 'upper crust'.

"PIGS IN A POKE" AND "LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG"
In the 18th-century marketplace, piglets were sold in bags called 'pokes'. Using the old bait-and-switch technique, a salesman would replace the pig with a cat, but a wary customer might demand to look inside and 'let the cat out of the bag'.

"PIPE DREAM"
This phrase is US slang dating from the 1890s. It's a reference to smoking opium and having fantastic hallucinations. :WordOrigins.org

"PLAYING WITH A FULL DECK"
Common entertainment included playing cards. However, there was a tax levied when purchasing playing cards but only applicable to the "ace of spades." To avoid paying the tax, people would purchase 51 cards instead. Yet, since most games require 52 cards, these people were thought to be stupid or dumb because they weren't "playing with a full deck."

"Not Worth a PLUGGED NICKEL"
This is US slang dating to 1888. Back when coins actually contained valuable metal, it was a counterfeiting practice to remove the silver or other valuable metal from the center of the coin and replace it with a plug of lead or other base metal. Hence, the phrase 'Not Worth a plugged nickel'. :WordOrigins.org

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"TO TAKE FOR A RIDE"
This may be jocular or serious; one is sometimes taken for a ride when he suffers nothing more severe than being kidded, made the butt of some joke. In a more sinister sense, the person taken for a ride rarely returns. The expression was of underworld origin, coined in the United States during the wave of criminality after World War I.

"RIGHT AS A TRIVET"
A trivet is a three-legged stool or table. The name, somewhat distorted, comes from the same source as "tripod," three-footed. Anything that has three legs will stand on any kind of surface. So the phrase, right as a trivet, means thoroughly right, perfectly stable. From the evidence of literary use, the expression is little more than a hundred years old; but the fact that Thomas Hood used it in 1835, and Charles Dickens put it into the mouth of one of his characters in 1837 indicates that it had long been in colloquial speech before those dates.

"ROGER"
"Who is Roger? Referring to the use of the phrase Roger, Out to acknowledge receipt of a radio message. Roger meant "I understand," and Out meant that you were ending the conversation, but none of us knew why the term roger was used. The answer is quite simple. Usage of roger in radio transmissions dates to World War II. when Roger was the word that stood for the letter R. Roger was an abbreviation for received, and eventually became radiospeak for OK or I understand. :WordOrigins.org

"TO KNOW THE ROPES"
This means to be familiar with all the details. There have been differences of opinion about the origin of this saying, for it so happens that the phrase was first used by the gentry of the racetracks, and, because of that, some hold that by "ropes" the allusion is to the reins of a horse's harness; that one "knows the ropes" who best knows the handling of the reins. But, as with many other phrases, this one undoubtedly originated among sailors. An experienced sailor, in the days of sailing vessels, was one who was familiar with the bewildering array of ropes leading to all parts of the many sheets of canvas under which the vessel sailed. Such a man literally "knew the ropes."

"SHOO IN"
As it is properly spelled, was originally a racetrack term, and was (and still is) applied to a horse expected to easily win a race, and, by extension, to any contestant expected to win an easy victory. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first use of the term in print dates back to 1928, and the original sense of the term was not as innocent as you'd think. A "shoo in" was originally a horse that was expected to win a race, not by virtue of its speed or endurance, but because the race was fixed. The sardonic "subtext" of the original usage, now lost, was that the designated horse would win even if it were so lackadaisical in its performance that it simply wandered somehow up to the finish line and had to be "shooed in" to victory. :WordDetective

"SHODDY"
Before "shoddy" meant "inferior," it was a cheap type of fabric made of the scraps and waste left behind in the manufacture of higher grades of wool. This use of "shoddy" to mean "woolen cloth made from scraps" dates back to about 1832.

When the American Civil War came along, manufacturers realized that a great deal of money could be made in fabricating uniforms for the combatants, and some unscrupulous profiteers realized that even more money could be made by making those uniforms from sub-standard "shoddy" fabric. The resulting scandal popularized the term "shoddy" as an adjective denoting something that looks good but will probably fall apart a week after you buy it. :WordDetective

"SKEDADDLE"
Meaning 'to get out of here', dates to 1861, arising in US military slang during the Civil War. It's said to be of Swedish or Danish origin, but there is no evidence for this and may be of English or Scottish dialectical origin. :WordOrigin.org

"SLEEP TIGHT"
In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. That's where this phrase came from.

"SOFT SOAP"
There have been many terms for flattery devised through the ages, many of which have been retained in the language. "Soft soap" came into vogue sometime during the early nineteenth century, probably an allusion to the particularly unctuous quality of the semi-liquid soap that is called soft soap. Its predecessor was "soft sawder" or "soft solder," which was a soldier with a particularly oily feel that melted at low temperatures.

"TO SPLIT HAIRS"
In these days, one engaged in the occupation of splitting hairs might very likely be engaged in some profound scientific work---trying, perhaps, to find some microscopic cause for the dividing of long hair at the ends. But three hundred years ago when the phrase was coined there was no thought of such research. It meant to divide into exactly even amounts, so precisely as to afford no slightest advantage. A hundred years later, however, it became an ironic figure of speech; one who would split hairs was one who would argue endlessly over fine distinctions, and this is the sense still in use.

"TO STAB IN THE BACK"
We use this figuratively, to deliver a cowardly blow, physically or against one's character, and we usually use it with reference to such a delivery by one who was thought to be friendly. The origin goes back to the times when footpads, with a dagger beneath the cape, would unconcernedly approach and pass an unsuspecting victim, quickly flash out the knife as the pedestrian was passing and thrust it into his back, grabbing his purse as he fell and dashing away from the scene.

"TO STEW IN ONE'S OWN JUICE"
"To stew in one's own juice" is to suffer the consequences of one's own actions. This, or its variant, "to fry in one's own grease," is very old. In the latter form it appears in a thirteenth-century tale of Richard the Lion-Hearted, and there is a French equivalent, "cuire dans son jus." It is presumable that the older expression was originally literal; one fried in his own grease who, having committed some act punishable by such means, was burned at the stake.
"STRAIGHT-LACED"
Ladies wore corsets which would lace up in the front. A tightly tied lace was worn by a proper and dignified lady as in "straight laced."

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"TO LIE IN ONE'S TEETH"
To accuse a person of lying is the strongest of accusations, implying that the person is such a double-dyed liar as to be unfamiliar with the truth. It is very old, traceable to the early 1300's as in THE ROMANCES OF SIR GUY OF WARWICK, "Thou liest amidward and therefore have thou maugreth (shown ill will)."

"BY THE SKIN OF ONE'S TEETH"
The source of the phrase "by the skin of one's teeth" is the Book of Job, although the precise phrase Job used was "My bone cleaveth to my skin, and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth" (not "by"). Just what the "skin" of one's teeth might be is a bit unclear, but it probably refers to the thin porcelain exterior of the tooth, not the gums. Job evidently kept his teeth, but just barely. It is also possible that he was saying that the margin of his escape was as narrow as the "skin" of a tooth is shallow -- the equivalent of a "hair's breadth." In any case, Job clearly meant that he'd had a very hard time of it, and the phrase has been used ever since to mean a very narrow or arduous escape. :WordDetective
"THIRD DEGREE"
The phrase comes from freemasonry. A Third-Degree or Master Mason highest rank had to submit to questioning. This dates to at least 1772. The idea that the Masons' testing was an ordeal became fixed in the public mind. By 1880 the term became used for any long and arduous questioning or interrogation. Around the turn of the 20th century, it began to be applied exclusively to the police. The idea of a brutal interrogation being called the third degree was no doubt helped along by association with a third-degree burn. :WordOrigin.org

"THREE SHEETS IN THE WIND"
This means, of course, pretty drunk, reeling from too much indulgence in strong drink, somewhat more tipsy than "half-seas over." Like many other common expressions, the phrase dates back to the times when ocean navigation was entirely by sail. But in nautical use, a sheet is not a sail, as landsmen are accustomed to suppose, but a rope or chain attached to the lower corner of a sail by which the angle of the sail is controlled. In a strong wind the sheet may loosen and is then said to be "in the wind," flapping and fluttering without restraint. If all three sheets are loose, as in a gale, the vessel staggers and reels very much like a drunken person.

"THAT'S THE TICKET!"
It may sound a little far-fetched, but, nevertheless, it's true that this expression of approval had its origin in a mispronunciation of the French word "etiquette." Try it yourself. Put the accent on the second syllable. You will get "uh-tick'ut." Someone, perhaps a schoolboy, may have jocularly made a persistent point of such mispronunciation around the year 1800 or later in saying, "That's etiquette," meaning "That's the correct thing."
"TO TAKE TO THE TALL TIMBER"
This is the twentieth-century version of the nineteenth-century "to break for high timber" and with the same meaning, i.e., to decamp suddenly and without ceremony. The original notion, back in the early 1800's seems to have been literal, to make a break for heavily wooded regions so as to make pursuit difficult.
"TOP DRAWER"
This term appeared in its figurative sense around 1900 and refers to the top drawer in a bedroom dresser, where society folks usually kept their jewels and other valuables. "Top drawer" as an idiom first described people of high social standing ("Muffy's beau Teddy is from a top drawer family"), but today is usually simply used to denote a thing or service considered the best of its kind.

"TOP NOTCH"
Since about 1848 this phrase has meant "first rate" or simply "the best." Evidently, the term "top notch" originated in some sort of game or competition where the score was kept by moving markers upward on a notched board or stick. The winner, presumably would be the one whose marker reached the top notch first, making "top notch" a fitting metaphor for "the best."

Ordinarily I'd apologize for the vagueness of that explanation, but it's the best anyone can do today, and the fault really lies with the slackers back in 1848 who neglected to write down precisely what game they were playing.

"TO CARRY THE TORCH FOR ONE"
Meaning: Be devoted to (in love with) someone

Origin: During the 19th century, a dedicated follower showed support for a political candidate by carrying a torch in an evening campaign parade. Only enthusiastic followers took part in such rallies. A fellow who carried a torch didn't care who knew that he was wholeheartedly behind his candidate. Later, the term was applied to someone publicly (and obsessively) in love.

It is the torch of love that is understood in this modern American term, though sometimes no more than the torch of loyalty, for the "torchbearer" is one who is loud in his praise of a friend. But the torch has long been an emblem of enlightenment and of burning devotion, and, in 1775, Richard Sheridan used the expression, "The torch of love," in his epilogue to THE RIVALS.

"TYCOONS" ... Where Have All The Tycoons Gone?
"Tycoon" comes to us from Japanese, where a "taikun" was a military leader or "shogun." The word was adopted into American English around the middle of the 19th century and was popularized, surprisingly enough, as a nickname for Abraham Lincoln, not commonly thought of as an overbearing sort of fellow. "Tycoon" only came to be applied to businessmen after World War I.

Tycoons in their heyday were notable for getting exactly what they wanted, whether it made sense or not. Bill Bryson, in his history of the English language in the United States, "Made in America," illustrates what being a "tycoon" meant in the early 20th century. "The servants at J.P. Morgan's London residence nightly prepared dinner, turned down the bed and laid out nightclothes for their master even when he was known beyond doubt to be three thousand miles away in New York... James Gordon Bennett, a newspaper baron, liked to announce his arrival in a restaurant by yanking the tablecloths from all the tables he passed. He would then hand the manager a wad of cash with which to compensate his victims for their lost meals and spattered attire." Now THAT'S a "tycoon." Perhaps that's also why they're extinct.

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WHO Came Up With The Idea For A ROLLER COASTER?
Believe it or not, the story goes that it was Russia's empress, Catherine the Great, back in the 18th century. She was pining for winter one summer day, missing the carts that Slaves used to ride down hills of ice. She apparently thought up the idea of putting wheels on those carts in the summer, and the rest, as they say, is history.

"THE WHOLE SHEBANG"
A shebang , or chebang, is a hut or dwelling. It's of unknown origin and dates to the early 1860s. Mark Twain, in an 1869 letter to his publisher, is the first to use the phrase the whole chebang in its modern sense of the entirety. The transition from building (and everything in it) to the whole thing is a pretty natural one. :WordOrigins.org

WHY Did Old-Time Fire Trucks Have Dogs (Usually DALMATIANS) On Board?
Originally, dogs ran in front of horse-drawn steam engines, barking loudly to alert pedestrians and vehicles so the fire wagon could pass unhindered. Dalmatians were fit and loyal enough for this work, and they got along well with the horses. With the advent of gasoline- powered fire engines, the Dalmatians weren't really needed any longer, but they became a kid-friendly symbol of the honorable profession of fire-fighting. (Guest Expert: Kevin Wiens, Independence, Oregon)

WHY Was The New Testament Written In The GREEK language?
Greek was the language of the educated classes in the early days of the Christian church. It was used for commerce and international trade, much as English is today. So the New Testament writers, who were educated folks like St. Paul and Luke, naturally chose Greek. Actually, the more precise name for the language is koine, a popular form of Greek spoken in the biblical regions from the fourth century B.C. It was used for the 27 books of the New Testament.

"WITH A GRAIN OF SALT"
This catch phrase is a direct translation from Pliny's Historia Naturalis. In the original Latin it is cum grano salis. :WordOrigins.org

"YAHOO"
"Yahoo," since 1726 has meant a moronic, loudmouthed and occasionally violent hooligan. We know exactly how old "yahoo" is because the word was invented by Jonathan Swift in his fantastic tale "Gulliver's Travels" in 1726. Late in the book, Gulliver travels to Houyhnhnmland, where he encounters the Yahoos. Human in form, the Yahoos are savage in behavior, described by Swift as cunning, malicious and treacherous, but also fundamentally cowardly.

So evocative was Swift's depiction of the Yahoos' depravity that "yahoo" almost immediately entered English as a synonym for an ignorant brute. Over the years, "yahoo" has also often been invoked in the cultural realm, where those who lack an appreciation for the finer points of modern art, for instance, have been accused of being "yahoos." :WordDetective

"YANKEE DOODLE"
The song Yankee Doodle dates from 1775 and was intended to be insulting. Following the battle of Concord, during which the retreating British played it on the route back to Boston, the Americans adopted the tune as their own and the term began to acquire a complimentary sense. This, however, may not be the earliest usage of Yankee in a positive sense. :WordOrigins.org

"YOUR NAME WILL BE MUD"
This is connected somehow to the Dr. Samuel A. Mudd who treated President Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth. Doctor Mudd may or may not have been in on the 1865 assassination conspiracy with Booth, who had broken his leg escaping from the scene of his crime. In any case, Mudd was convicted of conspiracy in the trial that followed, and his name, to the general public, certainly became "mud" in the sense of the phrase -- despised and reviled.

But Doctor Mudd's name is certainly no more than an interesting coincidence, for it cannot have been the source of the phrase. "Mud" had already been in use for more than 200 years, since at least 1708, as a slang term for a fool. According to Christine Ammer, in her book "Have A Nice Day -- No Problem!" (a very fine dictionary of cliches published by Plume), "mud" was commonly applied in the 19th century British Parliament to any member who lost an election or otherwise disgraced himself.

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