An idiom is a phrase that has a figurative meaning, whereas a phrase is a group of words that have a literal meaning. There are many phrases and idioms that we use in the English language that we never give a second thought to. With that being said, however, you'll be surprised to know that many of the most common phrases we use in speech actually have the most sinister of origins. Here are a few common phrases with rather sinister origins which you might not have even guessed in your wildest imagination:
1. "Riding shotgun" - Although it might be the ideal place to ride during a road trip, riding shotgun in the Old West was a much more serious matter. Stagecoach passengers literally rode with a shotgun in their hands in order to scare off robbers to ward off would-be attackers.
2. "Highway robbery" - These days, most people would refer to being charged Rs.100 for a cup of coffee as a highway robbery. With that being said, its original definition meant literally robbing travelers on or near a highway. It's thought that the phrase was first used way back in 1611. Highways were unsafe with far less traffic to deter robbers.
3. "Paint the town red" - Painting the town red is often associated with getting glammed up before heading out for a night of drinking and dancing, but that's not what it meant back in 1837. As the story goes, the Marquis of Waterford went out for a night of drinking with some friends. They all proceeded to become quite severely intoxicated, and set about destroying property in the small English town. Things got really crazy when they stumbled upon some red paint, and literally began painting the town red. Doors, a tollgate, and a swan statue were among the victims...
4. "Pulling your leg" - You'd probably think that pulling someone's leg is just a bit of light-hearted fun, but it meant something much more sinister back in 18th and 19th-century London. Thieves would drag their victims to the ground by their legs so that they were easier to steal from.
5. "Paying through the nose" - Paying through the nose for something is never a pleasant experience, but at least your face remains intact throughout. The Vikings took paying through the nose quite literally - they used to slit someone's nose from tip to eyebrow if they refused to pay tax.
6. "Read me the riot act" - If you were ever read the riot act as a child or teenager, it might have meant being confined to your room for a few weeks without being able to watch television. In 18th-century England, however, it meant that you could face time behind bars. The Riot Act of 1715 stated that groups of 12 or more people gathered on the streets could be deemed a threat to public safety, and therefore ordered to be broken up. Refusal to disperse could also have led to arrests and forcible removals.
7. "Letting the cat out of the bag" - Nowadays, letting the cat out of the bag means spilling someone's secret, however, the phrase used to mean something completely different back in Medieval times. Back then, farmers would purchase piglets from markets, which would usually be handed over in bags. The thing is that unscrupulous dealers would swap out the pigs they were supposed to be selling for much less expensive cats. This theory is quite hotly disputed.
8. "A baker's dozen" - Back in 13th-century Britain, there was a law called the Assize of Bread and Ale. It stated that if bakers were caught selling low-quality bread or undersized portions, they could have their hands chopped off. That's why a group or set of 13 is referred to as a baker's dozen - it was a sure-fire way of them keeping their hands!
9. "Meeting a deadline" - Meeting a deadline had a very different meaning during the American Civil War than it does today. A deadline was a line inside the area where Federal prisoners were kept. If any of them attempted to cross the line, they would be shot and killed.
10. “Time to face the music” – In Great Britain and the Early American colonial era, disgraced military officers were drummed out of their regiments when discharged.
11. “Dressed to the nine” – Dressed to the nine meant the one was rich enough to literally purchase entire nine yards it took to make a tailor-fit outfit including a vest, jacket, etc.
12. “Get off your high horse”- Before the advent of cars owning a horse was a sign of prominence, since nobility and high ranking military officials were primarily the ones who owned them. Getting off the high horse meant to humble oneself.
13. “Jump on the bandwagon” – In the mid-1800s, circuses would parade around town before setting up their tents, with bandwagons leading the parade. They drew large crowds, and politicians started renting space on the bandwagons to get face time with the audience.
14. “Burning the midnight oil” – In a time before electricity was invented, candles and oil lamps were used for lighting up the dark nights. When one stayed up late to work, one would literally burn the lamp oil at midnight.
15. ‘In the nick of time” – Through the 18th. Century, businessmen often kept track of their debts owed and interest built on loans by carving nicks on a ‘tally stick’. When someone arrived to pay off their debt before the next nick was carved, they’d save that day’s worth of interest – hence, nick of time.
16. “Pull out all stops” – This originated from the time when organists would literally pull the stops from every pipe on an organ to play at maximum volume.
17. “At the drop of a hat” – To start a race instead of a gunshot it was customary to drop a hat to signal the start.
18. “Blackballed” – In 18th century social clubs, membership was voted upon by a committee. Typically an anonymous vote was cast using different coloured balls. A positive vote for membership was cast by a red ball and a negative one by a black ball. Some clubs required only one black ball vote to reject an applicant’s membership.
Often the common phrases we say actually have bizarre origins we never even think about. Some go way back, while some may surprise you with their bizarre origin stories. I have in 3 previous blogs discussed about similar English idioms and how they originated. You can re-visit them by clicking on these hyperlinks:
https://surajitbrainwaves.blogspot.com/2022/07/the-story-behind-english-idioms.html
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
I hope to keep gathering more of them for you to enjoy.
Startling revelations, dear Surajit; real eye-openers! Thank you!
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