Meaning Of Common Phrases -Part II

Discovering the origins and meanings behind common phrases was so much fun we decided to continue with this exploration and share a few more with you today 🙂

The Walls Have Ears

Meaning: The walls can hear everything that is spoken within them.

The Louvre Palace in France is said to have a series of listening tubes implanted in the walls making it possible to hear what was being said from room to room. This was believed to be how Queen Catherine d’Medici discovered political secrets and plots.

Cat Got Your Tongue

Meaning: When someone can’t or won’t speak.

The origins of this common phrase are quite literal. In ancient Egypt liars had their tongues cut out and they were fed to cats.

Big Wigs

Meaning: Someone who is believed to be very important or the person who is in charge.

In the 18th century the most popular political figures wore the biggest wigs, thus the phrase “big wig” came to be associated with anyone who holds an important position.

Bury The Hatchet

Meaning: Ending a quarrel or dispute.

During talks between the Puritans and Native Americans, the men would all bury their weapons to render them inaccessible while they were negotiating.

Riding Shotgun

Meaning: The coveted seat next to the driver

In the days of old-time stagecoaches, the passenger who sat up front next to the stagecoach driver carried a shotgun to protect against attackers and robbers along the journey.

Show Your True Colors

Meaning: To reveal one’s true character or intentions

In times gone by, ships would display many different flags at the same time to confuse one’s enemy. But the rules of war dictated that one fly their own real flag before firing on, or engaging their enemy in battle. Thus when all other flags were removed except the one that represented the country of the war ship, they were at last ‘showing their true colors’.

Close But No Cigar

Meaning: To just miss being successful

In the late 19th century carnival games were geared towards adults, not children. So when a participant won at a carnival game, rather than the stuffed animals we see now at carnivals and fairs, the prize back then was a cigar. If the person playing the game was almost successful but just missed, the carnival barker would exclaim “Close….but no cigar!”

We hope you enjoy these bits of trivia and history as much as we do. We have more to share in the future and feel certain some of you may have some too. We would love to hear from you with the tidbits of historical trivia you may know, so that we can share them with all our chums!