Where Did That Saying Come From?

At midday on July 10, 1040, Lady Godiva famously rode on a horse naked to protest the crushing taxes levied by her husband on the peasants of Coventry, England.

Or so the legend goes. Though scholars aren’t sure if the event ever took place, the story took hold in the popular imagination, and over the centuries poets and painters retold and cemented the legend of Godvia. 

Our heroine Godiva is likely based on a real woman named Godifu, who lived during this time and was married to a man named Leofric, one of England’s most powerful men. In the 17th-century version of this colorful tale, all the townspeople averted their eyes to keep Godiva’s modesty intact — all except a lecherous tailor named Tom, who was immediately struck blind for his transgression.

Some believe the original story evolved to invent the pitiable character of Tom, likely to pass on the chaste attitudes of the time to future generations — and it worked.

Today most people only know the name Godiva from a brand of chocolates (or maybe the Queen song “Don’t Stop Me Now”). But ask anyone, and they’ll know the phrase “Peeping Tom.”

-courtesy of History Quiz

Certainly, there are so many interesting stories behind all of these sayings! This one was a new one to us!