Idioms are common linguistic expressions comprising of a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words. We have all been using them, often unknowingly e.g. over the moon, see the light, because we are so used to listening to them. Usually, an idiom is figurative in modern contexts but once had a literal meaning. These literal meanings, or idiom origins, can help a learner of English to understand where a phrase originated. Linguists interested in etymology know that appearances are deceptive, and even some words that sound fresh may actually be centuries old. We have the Renaissance to thank for their appearance in the English language.
The Renaissance was a cultural explosion, a golden age for all arts that traveled across Europe from the 14th and the 17th centuries, bringing an end to the Middle Ages. In English literature, this time was also characterized by the formation of Modern English. William Shakespeare significantly expanded the English vocabulary with many fun and quirky words and phrases and so was responsible for creating many famous idioms.
Crocodile tears: When we say that someone sheds crocodile tears, we mean that the person is insincere or fakes sorrow. However, this saying comes from a medieval myth stating that crocodiles shed tears while eating their prey. The source of this false belief is a 14th-century book named The Travels of Sir John Mandeville. The novel retells the supposed travels of a brave adventurer through Asia, including the following passage about crocodiles, “These serpents slay men, and ate them weeping, and they have no tongue.” Mandeville’s image of a weeping reptile captured the interest of William Shakespeare, who used the phrase crocodile tears in his works and turned it into the idiom we still use today.
Warts and all: If you’re willing to love someone, warts and all, it means that you’re accepting of them in their entirety, with all his/her imperfections. The authorship of the phrase belongs to Oliver Cromwell, the English general who temporarily overthrew the British monarchy and ruled the British Isles as Lord Protector in the 1650s. While Cromwell had his portrait made, he ordered the painter to depict him realistically, without flattery, with his warts and all.
Play devil’s advocate: This expression sounds pretty contemporary, but it traces its beginnings back to the 16th century. Today, the phrase refers to deliberately arguing for a contentious opinion to provoke debate. But back in the 1500s, the devil’s advocate was an actual law profession. Whenever a candidate was considered for sainthood within the Catholic Church, an attorney called advocatus diabolus was invited to participate. The lawyer’s part was to argue against the saint’s canonization by pointing out his or her flaws.
What the dickens! No, this idiom has nothing to do with Charles Dickens, the 19th-century writer. It is centuries older than the famous English author! Language historians have spotted this expression in Shakespeare’s works, so it dates back to at least the 16th century. But what does ‘dickens’ refer to? Researchers say it was likely a euphemism for the Devil. Today we usually use the expression ‘what the hell!’
Be true to yourself: This idiom means be whom you are, don’t try to change to make yourself particularly likable. It only makes sense that these wise words are uttered in a story where the main character is constantly confused about his role in life and everything going on around him - Shakespeare’s Hamlet. However, these words of advice appear in the play in a rather unexpected and ironic context. In the play, it is Polonius, Ophelia’s father and by all considerations, the most tediously verbose character, who gives his son, Laertes, a long list of life advice as the youth departs for France. His final words are, “This above all: to thine own self be true.”
Playing it by ear: This refers to someone’s flexibility in planning - rather than sticking to a schedule, you’re willing to decide your course of action on the spot. This general meaning of this phrase only emerged in 20th century America, but the expression was used in the context of music since the 16th century. As a musical term, playing something by ear means a musician’s ability to reproduce a song they have heard without seeing the notes, just out of memory and perception.
By and large: By and large is pretty much a synonym of “to a great extent” or “all things considered,” but it didn’t always have these meanings. Like many contemporary idioms, such as 'loose cannon' and 'taken aback' the phrase 'by and large' began as a nautical term. The idiom dates back to the 16th century, and it consists of two parts: Large - describes a vessel sailing with the wind propelling the boat from behind. By - a ship that’s traveling in the general direction of the wind. Combined together, by and large is a situation in which a ship can sail in any direction relative to the wind.
A Hobson’s choice: This means there is no choice at all, and the origins of this phrase are a fun little story that dates back to the 16th century. Back in the day, many people would hire a horse to travel, much like Ola and Uber today. Thomas Hobson was in the business of hiring out horses in Cambridge. And Hobson was famous for never letting customers select which horse they would hire. Instead, the customers had to commit to the horse that was nearest to the stable entrance. Essentially, they were given Hobson’s choice. And this way, one Englishman’s quirk created an idiom we still use today.
Pie crust promises: A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. After baking it has a crus at the top which readily breaks. Pie Promises are like pie crusts: easily made, easily broken. The phrase was first uttered as a complaint from a 17th-century political satire newsletter called Heraclitus Ridens. The words are attributed to Thomas Flatman, an English poet, who said, “He makes no more of breaking Acts of Parliaments, than if they were like Promises and Pie-crust made to be broken.”
Wild goose chase: Surprisingly, the origins of this expression have to do with not geese, but horses! This phrase most likely originated in the 16th century with a type of horse race where a single horse would start running through a path in the woods. A second horse would follow the first one, trying to follow the path of the lead horse exactly. More subsequent horses would follow, until the race reminded spectators of a flock of geese all exactly following the one in front—but admittedly wilder. Hence, wild goose chase.
Till the cows come home: When we think about animals that might take a really long time to get somewhere, we probably think of sloths or turtles but not cows. But for farmers trying to finish a busy day by milking the cows, usually the final task of the day was the time that they had to wait for the cows to return to the barn probably felt like an incredibly long time. The phrase likely dates back to the 16th century, where the phrase appeared in print for the first time in a French textbook. “I am tied by the foote till the Cow come home,” read a line of the 1593 textbook Ortho-epia Gallica.
Red herring: A clue that is meant to mislead or distract someone. During the 17th century, hunters would train their dogs to follow the correct scent. They would do this by placing pungent smoked fish in trees to distract the dogs, so they would become used to ignoring irrelevant scents.
I have two more blogs on English idioms and in case you are interested please click these hyperlinks:
https://surajitbrainwaves.blogspot.com/2021/05/the-origin-of-common-english-idioms.html
https://surajitbrainwaves.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-origin-of-common-english-idioms-2.html
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