Everyday communication is sprinkled with them: old cliches and sayings that color our speech and illustrate our points. Most of us use them without giving much thought to their literal ties. And while the messages behind some cliches are obvious and self-explanatory, there are others that prompt one to ask, what the heck does that mean?
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth
For those who don’t know, this means to basically be thankful for a gift, and not mull its value. Now, if you don’t know what a gift horse is, this can be confusing. Adding to that would be the question of why someone would ‘look him’ in the mouth to begin with.
In the times that the phrase was coined, horses were quite the commodity, as their uses were many. One of the ways to possibly determine a horse’s age is to look at its teeth, surely the younger the better. So it was probably rude to go digging around the mouth if someone gave you a horse as a gift, at least while they were still standing there.
Egg on my face
What? Did they run out ways to say “I wish I hadn’t said that,” and just decide to choose words at random to form a new phrase? No, it seems that this possibly means what it says, and actually speaks to the embarrassment of having eaten breakfast in a sloppy manner, resulting in residual egg on the face. While it originated here in the U.S. (not so long ago, maybe post-1950s), it was also used in England. In 1972 Lord Chalfont reflected in ‘The Times’ of London: “There is something reassuringly changeless about the capacity of the highest military authorities for getting egg on their face.”
( “The Dictionary of Cliches” by James Rogers (Ballatine Books, New York, 1985)
Jack of all trades
Well, the obvious question is Who is Jack? Though it’s actually not a who, rather a what. Describing one who is skilled at or knowledgeable in several areas, this phrase has been around since the early 1700s. In these days ‘Jack’ was a generic term for ‘man.’ Apparently the phrase was later extended with ‘and master of none,’ thus taking what was a compliment and turning it into something less so.
Pass with flying colors
We know that to pass with flying colors is a good thing, the question is where are all these colors? And how are they flying? This is actually a literal reference, derived around the 1700s from ships sailing triumphantly into port with flags flying from all the mastheads. Before long it was being used figuratively.
A flash in the pan
This one refers to something that initially shows promise of being significant, then quickly diminishes. What is unclear, though, is the terminology used: what kind of a pan? What makes a flash happen in a pan? Who would take a picture of the inside of a pan? (maybe those were just my thoughts)
This one originated right here in the United States, and the term is actually describing what would sometimes occur with a certain type of rifle: the powder would flash in the pan and not fire the rifle.
Perhaps in these times as many people carried rifles as they do cell phones today.
Tongue-in-cheek
This just sounds weird. And it doesn’t appear to have anything to do with how seriously something should be taken. Apparently when we speak or write in a satirical manner about a topic, it’s categorized as “tongue-in-cheek.” It’s also the case when we simply do not mean what we are saying, but are saying it for reasons of sarcasm or to avoid the result of being honest.
The reason behind this expression is that the act of placing one’s tongue inside the cheek actually causes a wink, which we know is commonly used to signal others that one is joking or not serious about what he is saying. The term first appeared in print in the early 1820s, coined by none other than Sir Walter Scott.
Eat crow
This saying, meaning to recant words previously spoken in a particularly embarrassing fashion, was born here in the U.S. some time around the middle of the 19th century. It seems nothing beyond the simple indelectable nature of a crow explains its reference. Though one might still wonder why, if that is the only reason for being chosen, it wasn’t any number of unappealing edibles instead.
Mind your Ps and Qs
The meaning here is simple: to make sure all is in order; pay attention to your details. The reasoning behind these specific letters is not as clear. Historically there has been debate over what the P and the Q stand for. Some say they represent the words pint and quart pertaining to the tallying of pints and quarts in English pubs.
Others have said this actually served as a reminder for children learning to write to be sure not to confuse the lower case p with the lower case q. While there are likely other explanations out there, at least we know that this phrase was not just derived from random letters of the alphabet to express the sentiment.
Dressed to the nines
What are the nines? This is at least what I’ve always wondered. And what do ‘nines’ have to do with being dressed up nicely? This phrase was born possibly as early as the 18th century, and in this time ‘the nines’ indicated perfection, or the highest standard. There were also later attempts to establish the significance of the number nine. One of the possibilities was a reference to the fact that a tailor would use nine yards of fabric to make a suit or shirt.
Crocodile tears
Alluding to the fact that while crocodiles do have lachrymal glands and produce tears, they don’t actually cry. It is further attributed to the ancient belief that crocodiles weep as they devour their prey. Since it’s quite apparent that regret or remorse does not plague the beast, this is perhaps from where the allusion to insincerity was born. So it is today used to describe one who is displaying a level of emotion or crying which is less than genuine.
Chip on your shoulder
Yes, to have a chip on one’s shoulder is to be embittered, defensive and angry. But a chip of what? And why would it be on my shoulder? In 19th century America, it was apparently common for men to carry a piece of wood on their shoulders and dare another to knock it off in an effort to initiate a physical altercation. With the way the saying is used today, people walk around with chips on their shoulders for years. It’s no wonder they’re so grumpy.
These are just some of the weird sayings I hear all the time, and cannot help but wonder what in the world people were talking about when they first said them.
Reference:
- “Dictionary of Cliches” by James Rogers (Ballantine Books, New York, 1985)
