THE ORIGIN OF COMMON ENGLISH IDIOMS

 

Idioms are figures of speech that become fixed in a language. Usually, an idiom is figurative in modern contexts but once it had a literal meaning. These literal meanings, or idiom origins, can help a learner of English to understand where a phrase originated. An idiom is a phrase that is common to a certain population and is invariably language specific. So ‘khoda pahar nikli chuhiya’ in Hindi is perhaps ‘Much ado about nothing’ in English and the meaning of each has to be understood separately and a word by word translation becomes meaningless! It is typically figurative and usually is not understandable based solely on the words within the phrase.

Idioms are crucial to the progression of language. They function in a manner that, in many cases, literal meanings cannot. We use them every day, sometimes without even realizing that what we’re saying is nonsensical without the implied and widely accepted meaning behind it. You use many common idioms all the time, but have you ever stopped to take the time to think about where they came from? Many linguists have dedicated themselves to finding the origins of these idioms and we will today explore a few of them:

 

Turning a blind eye: Meaning - To refuse to acknowledge a known truth e.g. this is your first mistake; I’ll turn a blind eye once, but next time you’ll be in trouble.

Origin: While many proposed origins of this phrase are disputed, it is commonly accepted that turning a blind eye comes from a comment made by British Admiral Horatio Nelson. In 1801 he led the attack alongside Admiral Sir Hyde Parker in the Battle of Copenhagen. Nelson was blind in one eye. Parker communicated to Nelson at one point, via flags, that he needed to retreat and disengage. Nelson, however, was convinced that he could prevail if they pushed onward. Nelson then, holding the telescope to his blind eye, pretended not to see the signal—making a sly comment to a fellow officer about reserving the right to use his blind eye every now and again.

Flying off the handle: Meaning – sudden unpredictable or unreasonable or risky and angry behavior; e.g. the phrase was first found in print in The Attaché; or, Sam Slick in England by Thomas C. Haliburton in 1843. “He flies right off the handle for nothing.”

Origin: In the days before mass merchandising, poorly fastened axe heads would fly off while they were being used. The result was dangerous, hence why the phrase is used to describe risky behavior with unpredictable results.

 

Steal someone’s thunder: Meaning - win praise for oneself by pre-empting someone else's attempt to impress; e.g. Pujara scored a patient century on a turning pitch but Rishab stole his thunder with his quick fire 80.

Origin: In the early 1700s, English dramatist John Dennis invented a device that imitated the sound of thunder for a play that he was working on. The play was a disaster. Soon after, Dennis noted that another play in the same theater was using his sound-effects device. He angrily exclaimed, “That is my thunder, by God; the villains will play my thunder, but not my play.” This story made its way around London, and the idiom was born.

 

Beat around the bush: Meaning - to talk about something for a long time without mentioning the main point; e.g. Stop beating around the bush and tell me what really happened or People tend to 'beat about the bush' when trying to avoid talking about an embarrassing or difficult topic.

Origin: This common phrase is thought to have originated in response to game hunting in Britain. While hunting birds, participants would beat bushes in order to draw out the birds. Therefore, they were beating around the bush before getting to the main point of the hunt: actually capturing the birds.

 

Close but No Cigar: Meaning - almost but not quite successful or a close miss; e.g. Manchester City played excellent all throughout the Champion’s league but lost to Chelsea by a solitary goal in the final – close bit not cigar!

Origin: Carnival games give out stuffed animals as prizes nowadays, but in the late 19th century, the games targeted adults, not kids. Instead of getting a stuffed animal, winners would get a cigar. Therefore, if they almost won but didn’t earn that prize, they’d be “close, but no cigar.” By the 1930s, this phrase extended beyond fairgrounds to every day close shots.

 

Chew the Fat: Meaning - chat in a leisurely and prolonged way; e.g. It was a wonderful reunion; we were chewing the fat, telling stories about our good old days.

Origin: Originally a sailor’s term, this phrase refers to the days before refrigeration when ships carried food that wouldn’t spoil. One of them was salted pork skin, which consisted mostly of fat. Sailors would only eat it when all the other food was gone…and they often complained as they did. This idle chatter eventually became known as chewing the fat.

 

Under the weather: Meaning – to fall ill; e.g. My neighbor tested positive for Coronavirus and now I’m feeling a bit under the weather.

Origin: This idiom is believed to be nautical in nature. When a sailor was feeling ill, he would go beneath the bow, which refers to the side of the ship that would get the brunt of the wind during storms, the front of the ship. To avoid getting seasick when the waves got rough, sick sailors bunker down in their cabins – literally under that bad weather until the storm passed. This would hopefully protect them from adverse conditions, as they were literally under the bad weather that could further sicken him. Therefore, a sailor who was sick could be described as being “under the weather.”

 

White Elephant: Meaning - expensive, burdensome and worthless possession that is much more trouble than it is worth; e.g. With petrol prices skyrocketing my fuel guzzling SUV has become a white elephant for me.

Origin:  Legend has it that kings of Siam (now Thailand) used to give actual white elephants to people they wanted to punish. Yes, the elephants were valuable and respected, but that also meant that they were expensive to take care of, so the kings hoped the gift would drive the recipient into financial ruin.

 

Read the riot act: Meaning - To reprimand someone for behaving badly, with the intention of improving that person’s behavior; e.g. Kambli was a talented batsman but often played carelessly; the captain read him the riot act.

Origin: This idiom most likely comes from the real Riot Act, an act passed by the British government in 1714 to prevent unruly assemblies. In the 18th century King George I and the government were fearful of being overthrown by supporters of the previous Stuart dynasty. If crowds of more than 12 assembled, authorities could read them a portion of the Riot Act, upon which they must leave or be imprisoned. Thus, if someone is behaving in a manner that we find inappropriate, we “read them the riot act,” intending to get the unruly person to stop what they’re doing.

 

Give the Cold Shoulder: Meaning - to intentionally ignore someone or treat someone in an unfriendly way; e.g.  I thought she really liked me, but in the party she gave me the cold shoulder. This idiom doesn’t just refer to turning your back on someone but it has to be an intentional act of ignoring.

Origin: Etymologists believe that the phrase originated from medieval etiquette. After a feast, hosts in England would subtly signal that the meal was over and that it was time to leave by serving a cold slice of pork, mutton, or beef shoulder. Some believe that the idiom originated from Shakespearean times, when an unwanted houseguest was served the shoulder of whichever animal was being eaten, which was the coldest, toughest part.

 

By and large: Meaning – mostly or in general; e.g. All governments exercise a vast plethora of controls over market forces in the public interest, and by and large with considerable success.

Origin: Sailors were the first to refer to things as “by and large.” The first part of this phrase refers to the nautical term “full and by,” meaning a boat was traveling into the wind. On the other hand, “large” means the wind is coming from behind. Therefore, to be “by and large” would mean the wind is coming from any direction – giving rise to the current meaning of “in general.”

 

Spill the beans: Meaning - To leak a secret; e.g. Stop being so coy. Just spill the beans!

Origin: This one’s a bit tricky, as there is no clear-cut answer. The consensus is, however, that this is most likely derived from an ancient Greek voting process, which involved beans. People would vote by placing one of two colored beans in a vase, white typically meaning yes and black or brown meaning no. This meant that should someone spill the beans, the secret results of the election would be revealed before intended. Hence, spilling the beans is related to revealing secret information.

 

I have got it in the bag: Meaning - Secured success; e.g. I’m not even worried about the interview. I’ve got it in the bag.

Origin: Although there are other recorded uses, the version of this idiom that has become so widely accepted came about thanks to the old New York Giants (now San Francisco Giants) baseball team. It began as a superstition. In 1916 the Giants had a run of 26 consecutive wins. A bag filled with 72 extra baseballs would be put on the playing field at the beginning of each game. These balls were used to replace any that were hit into the seats or any that became too dirty. The Giants, during this crazy winning streak, fell under the impression that if they were in the lead during the ninth (last) inning, carrying the ball bag off the field would ensure their win because, according to the team, they had captured the game in the bag.

 

The proof is in the pudding: Meaning - Depending on who you ask, you’ll actually find an array of definitions for this odd idiom. Here are some of the most commonly used definitions:

1. There is evidence to back up a previously made claim, specifically evidence intrinsic to the object in question; e.g. Of course this project will be successful, the proof is in the pudding.

2. The process of achieving something isn’t important as long as the end product is good; e.g. I may have had to walk 1,000 miles to find this treasure, but the proof is in the pudding.

3. The success of something can only be measured by putting it to its intended use; e.g. you’ll have to try it out before you buy it, since the proof is in the pudding.

Origin: The reason for the plethora of definitions is most likely the Americanization of the old British idiom, which reads “the proof of the pudding is in the eating.” Whereas the British version makes at least some sense, the shortened American version is nonsensical. This led to the varied use of the idiom in a multitude of situations, with varying understandings of the definition. The British version, however, is closest in definition to the third listed above. The word proof was synonymous to test in the 16th century, which is when this idiom is thought to have surfaced. Pudding was also far different from today. It was most likely a minced-meat dish. Therefore, the true test of the success of a pudding dish is in how it tastes and not in any ornamentation or appearance. More generally, the success of something can be measured only by putting it to its intended purpose. It is unknown where the more American definitions came from, though they are used very commonly.

I will come back with more idioms soon. 

NEITHER I AM FROM MARS NOR IS SHE FROM VENUS

 

 

Recently you must have seen an advertisement on the television of a forthcoming TV serial in which the husband and wife are sipping tea when the husband asks the wife rather innocently “what are you thinking?” She in turn asks him “guess what”. He says “about your mother?” She replies “I have long stopped thinking about her”. He then says “About Suhana?” She replies “I always think about Suhana. Right now I am not thinking about her”. He then asks “About us?” She retorts “I do not want to think about us any more”. He then wonders “Now this is a problem,” to which the wife replies “the real problem is in good old days you could guess what I was thinking in your first attempt”! My wife thinks it is a very romantic advertisement but I simply can’t see the romance in it. I think it is degrading the lady because her horizon of thoughts was so restricted once that the husband could make a correct guess in his first attempt every time and even today he thinks that she can only think of her mother, her daughter and her spouse! The fact that I can never understand what my wife is thinking is because her horizon of thoughts is so vast and her world of imagination so diverse that I have no chance of having even a clue what she is thinking. And it is because of this versatility of thoughts and richness of ideas and fertility of imagination that I am so proud of her!

 

It should come as no surprise that men and women are fundamentally different, and one of the differences that stands out the most between the sexes is the way in which they tend to communicate. This is why you'll often find many women complaining that the men in their lives just don't know how to listen.

 

If my wife tells me how romantic it would be to ride a gondola on a moonlit night I would immediately agree and say “Yes!” but I will never interpret this conversation in any other way. If she wants to go to Venice for our next holiday, she will have to say it in so many words, and I will arrange everything. Women often tend to speak using emotionally-driven language that men find it hard to decipher. Men tend to be more straightforward and practical when they need something, while women tend to express their needs through how they're feeling at the time, since they tend to be more acutely aware of their surroundings.

 

 John Gray, author of ' Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus,' says that “when a man can listen to a woman’s feelings without getting angry and frustrated, he gives her a wonderful gift. He makes it safe for her to express herself. The more she is able to express herself, the more she feels heard and understood, and the more she is able to give a man the loving trust, acceptance, appreciation, admiration, approval, and encouragement that he needs.”

 

The art of conversation with a lady requires as much understanding as it does listening. Men, by nature are problem solvers. If they can't come up with an immediate fix to a given problem, then it may cause them to become frustrated or stressed, which is why some men tend to zone out of such conversations. They feel that emotionally-driven conversations are dumping an additional heavy load onto their shoulders that they're not quite sure how to deal with. Take the emotion out and give them a task, they are back in a familiar territory.

 

All happily married men know that they need to agree with their wives. Most women are involved with a thousand different things on a daily basis. They can simultaneously be mothers, daughters, wives, employees, and business owners, to name just a few. Sometimes all that they want is acknowledgement for the tireless work that they're constantly doing. Men, on the other hand, tend to want to forget their troubles after a long day. They can switch off as soon as the work ends and are usually not in a mood for heavily-loaded conversation topics which the wife may have planned for the evening. But if a husband can patiently hear, what he feels is trivial but the wife feels is not, then even if it means interrupting the ongoing IPL match, it is worthwhile for future peace.

 

Men are good at fixing things. They instinctively like to repair things, so when a woman presents a problem that she doesn't want fixed, it can tend to confuse most men. Men just want the women in their lives – mother, wife, daughter, to be happy, and discussing unfixable problems aren't usually perceived as being helpful for anything or anybody. If something can't be fixed, particularly if it is of little concern to the family, then men feel it would be better to focus on something that can be. A recalcitrant neighbor, an acquaintance who is back on drugs after returning from rehab, are stuff which men like to put in a basket labeled ‘not my concern’.

 

 Men aren't incredible multi-taskers, and usually tend to focus with laser-like precision on one issue at a time. That's why when a woman brings up a new topic while a man is already preoccupied with something else, the response might not be quite what they were expecting. This is no reason to be alarmed though, as they'll be back to their normal selves as soon as they've got their primary concern out of the way. A smart wife recognizes these moments and leaves their husband alone. The news about the shirt which the dhobi brought back with a large singed hole or the domestic help's pregnancy leave can wait a bit.

 

Let's face it; many women can easily outtalk a man. When a woman asks for a man's opinion, and then doesn't agree with his honest answer, she may immediately take over the conversation again, without allowing the man to give a complete explanation. If men and women could both agree to listen without interrupting, then life would be a lot easier for everyone involved because just like women, men too do not like to be interrupted.

 

I have a huge problem conversing from another room. Since women are far better multi-taskers than men, it makes sense that they'd be able to hold a conversation with someone who's in a different room. I, on the other hand, find such conversations far more challenging. I need some obvious visual prompts to look out for, otherwise the meaning of the conversation could be easily lost for me. In order to have a meaningful conversation with me my wife now knows that it's best to wait until I am right in front of her.

 

When dealing with a lot of stress, women tend to rapidly bounce from one subject to another. They are all over the place. As a result, men often end up baffled, trying to work out how each topic connects to the others, even if they're not meant to. In short, it would be far more constructive for women to talk about one topic at a time, making their conversations with men a great deal more fruitful. I must say we achieved this rather soon in our household.

 

But despite all these differences time spent together is the greatest tutor and men and women learn a lot from each other. That is why grey divorces come as a surprise to me and I find it very difficult to understand why after being married for 27 years some people no longer believe that they can grow as a couple? There must have been some common good things in life that they must have done together all these years and enjoyed doing so!

 

Enjoying each other’s company and finding these common likes and dislikes are vital in any relationship. We, me and my wife, both hate gossips couldn't care less about what goes on in the celebrity world. We both are miles away from work place politics and we are both avid foodies and we love music. Our ‘to do list’ and ‘to visit places’ are more or less similar but I never even dare to guess what she is thinking. Our friends say that together we make a formidable team! 

NET SMART OR NET CAPTIVE, THIS WILL DECIDE OUR FUTURE

 

 

If the internet was invented to keep in touch, it has surely done a remarkable job. It has reunited long lost friends, class-mates and colleagues, it has allowed working from home, it has allowed learning from a distance and it has allowed treating patients in remote areas from mega hospitals in the cities. We do not have to wait indefinitely for scientific journals to reach us by post and we do not have to travel across continents to attend conferences. Imagine what COVID-19 would have been like had it hit 15 years ago, before smartphones, video calls and social media. No Slack and Zoom to keep the workers busy at home and no Netflix to keep us entertained. A recent three-year study by the MacArthur foundation found that the Internet helps young people to become "competent citizens in the digital age." 

 

But this digital highway is not infallible – we are susceptible to internet outages and cyber attacks, as well as information overload. Our digital wallets can be stolen and our digital privacy can be invaded leading to unimaginable social consequences. For better or worse, the digital tools that have kept us connected and informed throughout the pandemic now also hold us captive.

 

Amidst this black and white digital divide are many shades of grey, the digital renegades to some and the digital terrorists to others. There are "digital renegades," ready to leverage the power of social networking and text messaging to topple their undemocratic governments as we are seeing right now in Myanmar. The democratic forces in Ukraine used the Internet to mobilize young people and get them into the streets during the Orange Revolution. Facebook has been used in Egypt and Saudi Arabia to fuel a series of protests. Again it was the internet which was used by the opposition in Russia to drum up support in favour of Alexie Navalni, President Putin’s strongest political opponent.

 

Digital renegades come in various shades. The post-election violence in Armenia and Kenya was well-documented on local blogs, and there were two opposing sides of these stories. The Chinese bloggers continue testing the patience of their state with numerous protest activities - coordinated over the Internet but there are some Chinese government sponsored bloggers trying to fish in troubled waters during elections in the U.S and India. Pakistani Whats App groups ferment unrest in Kashmir by posting videos of atrocities on Muslims perpetrated in China, Syria and Iraq and trying to pass them on as violence in Kashmir and when internet services are interrupted in Kashmir they cry hoarse about internet being their fundamental right and its interruption being human rights violation.

 

And then there are ‘digital captives’ whose political and social dissent has been significantly neutered by the Internet, turning them into happy consumers of Hollywood's digital marginalia. When the state is too strong and all powerful like in China and North Korea digital activism is not taken very kindly. The law of the land falls on the activists like a ton of bricks and activism is either aborted or goes underground. The official fairy tale of ‘sugar and spice and everything nice’ then keeps on repeating throughout the social media with a heavy dose of multi-cultural entertainment and a new generation of ‘digital captives’ are born.

 

Internet has given the youth living in controlled societies infinite venues for digital entertainment - without any religious or social censorship - that may not necessarily be enhancing their digital sense of citizenship and civic engagement. Risking the comfort of their bedrooms - with their hard-drives full of digital goodies - for the gloom of a prison cell does not appeal to many of them. Entertainment is being catered as a heady drug to keep them oblivious of the plight of their fellow citizens. The governments are all too happy to promote this new cult of "cyber-hedonism." Whatever keeps these troubled youths from the streets is inherently a good thing. Digital captives are, after all, cheaper to sustain than the real ones.

 

Internet as a tool of unrestricted information and mass mobilization initially showed a lot of promise. Even the most heinous dictatorships were put on alert and the internet promised a global triumph of liberal democracy, responsible governance and radical transparency. To the dismay of most policymakers and technology enthusiasts, this has not happened. The Berlin Wall may have fallen, but the Chinese Firewall has been erected in its place. So was the original premise wrong and is the Internet is not a great force for democratic change but rather the clay that keeps authoritarian regimes together?

 

This will solely depend upon how many digital natives were converted by the Internet into digital renegades and how many into digital captives. It's precisely this balance that will determine what the political landscape of Russia, China, Pakistan or Iran will look like in 10 years.

SOCIAL MEDIA IS CHANGING OUR ENGLISH LANGUAGE

 

The social media is changing the English language and enriching it with new words and phrases. As expected, the children are picking them up far more quickly but if we pay attention, we will not be left out. One of the most notable ways that social media has influenced the English language, is through the appropriation of existing vocabulary. This is called re-appropriation. Words that had existing meanings, have now been given other meanings in an online context. This then spills over into verbal communication. 

Language is an evolving thing. It’s naïve to think that the language of social media isn’t having an effect on the way we use English in day-to-day life. It’s more appropriate to consider just how much of an effect it’s having on the way we communicate. And I am not talking about LOL, OMG, RIP or TTLY. There are some more serious contributions to our  language skills. So let me help you with a few new entrants to my vocabulary. 

 

Sleeping on: not paying enough attention or missing out on something. Previously the term was used to postpone for the next day but now it means missing out, underrate or un-appreciate, e.g. Don't sleep on this new slang word, it's actually quite useful!

Hits differently: something that stands out and makes you feel nostalgic or emotional. They are usually from your childhood memories e.g. My mother's mustard fish just hits differently! Movies like The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins just hit differently. 

Bop: A really good song e.g. you must hear the item song of this movie, it's a bop! Music has over the ages been appreciated by newer words. Every generation has its own word for a good song. In the early 2000s, we called it a banger, which stems from the 1960s word headbanger that describes the head-shaking moves characteristic of rock music. Before that, we called it a jam, which comes from the 1920s jazz jam sessions. In 2021, we didn't stray too far from the jazz age, as the modern descriptor of a good song is a bop, which is a shortening of the 1940s jazz style called bebop. 

Ghost: Suddenly stop communicating with someone on social media, e.g. even though we were schoolmates due to our political differences he ghosted me. 

 

Fam: Inner circle of friends. The word is derived from family but usually incorporates both close friends and family; e.g. the pandemic is not allowing me to hang out with my fam more often.

 

High key and low key: This is a measure of your appreciation, whether it is a lot or just a bit; e.g. I like your tie high key or I like your hairstyle low key

 

Finesse: Persuade or manipulate someone; e.g. she finessed her boyfriend into doing her hospital duty. When you finesse someone into doing something for you, it means that you convince or manipulate them into doing that, even though they initially weren't ready or eager to help you.

Drag or Roast:  Both these words mean to criticize or make fun of someone; e.g. my friends drag me about being sloppy every time I drop food on my clothes while eating. When you drag someone, you criticize or complain about them, often publicly. Another word that is used instead of drag is roast; e.g. he was regularly roasted in school for his poor handwriting. 

 

CEO of: The best of something; e.g. my mother is the CEO of cooking biriyani! My grandfather is the CEO of hugs! Just like the Chief Executive Officer of a company, who is the best at his job, you are the best at your job .........or at least your children think so!

 

Glow up: A mental, physical or emotional transformation for the better; e.g. she has really had a glow up during the difficult lockdown. We've all spent quarantine in our own way. Some people got a new hobby, while others started working out or investing more time in reading or being in touch with others. In a way, we all got a glow up!

 

A whole host of words originating from social media and the wider Internet have become so commonplace that they’ve now slipped into popular usage, and we don’t even realize it. Just a few interesting words that have their origins in technology are blogosphere (the collective word for personal websites called blogs), troll (someone who creates conflict online by starting arguments or upsetting people) and buzzword (a word or phrase that is fashionable at a particular time or in a particular context). Even some acronyms have made the transition into everyday speech as words, ‘lol’ for example.

Another curious phenomenon we’ve seen in recent years is the re-appropriation of existing words and words based on brands to refer primarily to their social media context. Re-appropriation is the cultural process by which a group claims words that were previously used in a certain way and gives them a new meaning. In this way the people who engage with social media are quite literally creating new words and giving new meanings to existing words.

‘Friended’ and ‘unfriended’ are two examples of words that have been given a new meaning due to their usage online. The word ‘friend’ and ‘befriend’ is from Old English originating in the 13th Century, but it has been given an entirely new meaning thanks to Facebook (the process of adding or removing someone from your circle of friends). ‘Like’ and ‘viral’ are other popular examples of words that have had their meaning re-appropriated by social media.

So, courtesy the social media, we are all in the process of learning a newer and friendly version of English and there is no point sleeping on it. Do you remember what ‘sleeping on it’ means? Got you! It means ‘not paying enough attention to it’.