Did You Know -Why We Say That? (Part 2)

We all uses terms and phrases everyday and never know where they came from or what the origin of them is.  From time to time we like to shed some light on some of these sayings and share what their origins are.Here is a list of 10 common phrases that we thought you might enjoy having the info on:

Jaywalker
Jay Birds who ventured out of their rural forests and into the urban areas often got confused. They often endangered their lives walking anywhere they wanted, including into traffic.  Sophisticated city people laughed at their erratic behavior. So, now anyone who crosses the street in a reckless or illegal way is called a Jay Walker (and sometimes fined).

No Spring Chicken

New England chicken farmers discovered that chickens born in the Spring brought better prices, rather than old birds that had gone through the winter etc.  Sometimes farmers tried to sell the old birds as a new spring born chicken.  Smart buyers often complained that a tough fowl was “no spring chicken” and so the term now is used to represent people past their plump and tender years.

Break the Ice

All cities that grew as a result of being on rivers (for trade) suffered during bitter cold times when the river froze.  Even large ships got stuck, making them icebound for weeks.  Small sturdy ships known as “icebreakers” were developed to precede the ships, breaking the ice and making a path.  This was important for the ships to get the goods to market.  And so, every boatman knew that in order to get down to business, you first had to break the ice.  Today it represents any sort of start to a project.

Lock, Stock and Barrel

In old days, a rifle (or musket) had 3 major parts: A lock, a stock of wood and a metal barrel.  Each part was totally useless without the other one.  They had to all work together or, well, you got nothing.  But when they were all in sync, what a BLAST!  Thus, when a person chose to put everything 100% into an decision, action or commitment and not just half-heartedly, he is said to be doing it “lock, stock and barrel”.

Beat Around the Bush
This comes from boar hunting in which the noblemen hired workers to walk through the woods beating the branches and making noises to get the animals to run towards the hunters.  Boars were dangerous animals with razor-sharp teeth (you really did not want to meet one-to-one, especially with no weapon).  So the unarmed workers avoided the dense undergrowth where the boars might be and beat around it, rather than going into it.  Thus, this evasive technique was termed “beating around the bush” and today it represents anyone who avoids approaching anything directly.

Know Beans
This phrase comes from an old riddle often told in rural country stores.  The question:  How many blue beans does it take to make 7 white beans? Do you know?  If you don’t then you are said to “not know beans.”  The answer is: 7 blue make 7 white. Why?  When you peel 7 blue you get 7 white.  The term today about “you don’t know beans ” refers to anyone who doesn’t know anything that should be common sense or general knowledge.

Nip it in the Bud

Horticulturist learnt years ago that in order to produce good fruit, a plant had to have a lot of buds snipped off.  This improved garden produce, but was disastrous to individual buds.  It became proverbial that when a bud was nipped off, it would definitely no longer produce any fruit.  Today the word is used to refer to a sudden halt in any plans or project in which no further progress will result.

Shindig

Maggie Valley, North Carolina is the Square Dance capital of the world.  And the term comes from the fact that many rookies who try to square dance end up swinging their foot wildly, often digging into the shins of their partners or other dancers.  So naturally any dancing event where there were marks on its participants became known as a shindig.

Over a barrel

Punishment in the old days often meant that a person deserved more than just tar and feathers, and deserved a public whipping.  In order to prevent him from escaping during this whip lashing, he was tied to an over-turned barrel (top body bent to the curve of the barrel while feet remained on the ground.)  Thus there was no way this person could escape his punishment. Today the term “to have over a barrel” means that someone is in a position in which there is just no way for them to escape their punishment or whatever other dreadful outcome is coming to them.

The Handwriting on the Wall

We know it today as a sign of some upcoming doom. But the origin goes back to the bible when Belshazzar, the successor to King Nebuchadnezzar got drunk one night and drank from  sacred vessels from the temple of Jerusalem. Afterwards, it is said that a mysterious hand appeared and wrote 4 strange words on the banquet room wall.  Only Daniel (the prophet) could interpret this writing, which he said was ominous. So, any warning today is referred to as “the handwriting on the wall.”

And now you know “why we say that” 🙂