Origins of Commonly Used Idioms

The Origin Of Commonly Used Idioms

“Pull someone’s leg”

Definition: Joking or fooling with someone.

Origin: To pull someone’s leg had much more bad intentions when it first came into use. It was originally a method used by thieves to entrap their pedestrians and afterwards, rob them. One thief would be assigned ‘tripper up’ duty, and would use different instruments or methods to knock the person to the ground. Luckily, these days the saying is much more friendlier, though being on the end of a joke might not always be fun.

Resource: http://all-that-is-interesting.com/post/5692281236/interesting-origins-of-7-common-english-idioms/2

“Bark up the wrong tree”

Definition: To make the wrong choice or pursue the wrong course.

Origin: When hunting raccoons for fur was a popular sport, hunting dogs were used to sniff them out of trees. Being a nocturnal animal, the hunter had to work at night, and the dogs would sometimes end up choosing the wrong tree, or as the idiom goes, ‘bark up the wrong tree”. The term was first used in a book by Davy Crockett in 1833.

Resource:

http://all-that-is-interesting.com/post/5692281236/interesting-origins-of-7-common-english-idioms/2

“Stool Pigeon”

Definition: anyone who is used to sell out his or her friends

The origin of this phrase goes back to when pigeons were considered a good source of food. Hunters would take a pigeon and tie it to a stool in order to attract its wild brethren. The pigeon that was tied to the stool was used to trap others of its kind.

Resource:

http://www.ranker.com/list/the-origins-of-15-common-words-and-phrases/analise.dubner

“Spill The Beans”

Definition: someone who reveals the truth or hidden secrets

In ancient Greece, voting was done with beans. White and black beans were used to determine your vote. One would vote with the bean color for their choice and drop it in a jar to be counted by the officials later. However, on a few occasions a clumsy voter would knock over the jar and reveal the beans and the outcome of the vote. Hence the idiom, “spill the beans”.

Resource:

http://www.ranker.com/list/the-origins-of-15-common-words-and-phrases/analise.dubner

“Put Up Your Dukes!”

Definition: the old-fashioned way to challenge someone to a fight.

The origin goes back to Frederick Augustus, the 2nd son of King George III. Frederick was the Duke of York and he was obsessed with fighting. Because he became well-known for fighting, fighters nicknamed their fists “Dukes of York”. The phrase later shorted to just “Dukes”.

Resource:

http://www.ranker.com/list/the-origins-of-15-common-words-and-phrases/analise.dubner?page=2

“Mind Your Own Beeswax”

Definition: to mind your own business

Personal hygiene needed much improvement in early days. As a result, many women and men had developed acne scars by adulthood from not having the right resources for a good clean showering. The women would spread bee’s wax over their facial skin to smooth out their complexions.

When they were speaking to each other, if a woman began to stare at another woman’s face she was told, ‘mind your own beeswax.’

If the woman should smile, the wax would crack, hence the term ‘crack a smile’.

Resource:

http://www.squidoo.com/origins-of-words-and-phrases

“Riding Shotgun”

Definition: sitting alongside the driver of a moving vehicle.

Back when stagecoaches existed as the main means of transport, the passenger seat was reserved for individuals holding a shotgun. Such a spot allowed the protectors to better scare away or hold off any bandits attempting to loot passengers. As engineering marched on into motor vehicles, the name for the coveted spot stayed the same.

Resource:

http://www.bachelorsdegree.org/2011/01/30/30-common-english-idioms-and-the-history-behind-them/

“Get up on the wrong side of the bed”

Definition: to start the day in a bad mood

Origin: In Roman times, it was considered bad luck to get out of bed on the left side. Hence if you exited on that wrong side, your day was determined to be a bad one.

Resource:

http://www.womansday.com/life/the-origins-of-12-common-idioms-83098

“Let the cat out the bag”

Definition: to reveal or tell a secret

Origin: First seen in several London publications in the 1700s, its origin dates well before that and refers to a then-common street fraud. Market scamsters apparently attempted to replace pigs (valuable) with cats (not so much); if the cat was let out of the bag, the gig was up. That’s related to why you don’t want to buy “a pig in a poke” (a small bag): You might not be getting the real item.

Resource:

http://www.womansday.com/life/the-origins-of-12-common-idioms-83098

“Raining cats and dogs”

Definition: raining heavily

Origin: There are about 200 theories on this one. The most probable? In 17th-century England, public sanitation wasn’t what it is today—hence during deluges, rain coursing down the streets would often carry dead animals with it. As a result, even though cats and dogs never literally showered down from above, they became associated with severe rainstorms.

Resource:

http://www.womansday.com/life/the-origins-of-12-common-idioms-83098

The Cricket In Times Square is, of course, about a cricket in Times Square, New York.  Author, George Selden, did an amazing job of writing this book and using very challenging and descriptive words.  While illustrator, Garth Williams, did an amazing job of expressing and drawing out the emotions of the characters.                                The Cricket In Times Square is,of course, about a cricket in Times Square, New York.  It all started with Chester Cricket living in a log in Connecticut.  Then one day, he saw a picnic basket and decided to drop in for a bite to eat.  Chester ended up getting trapped in the picnic basket, so when the people that owned the basket left to go back to their home state, they, unknowingly, took Chester with them. Chester soon found himself in a new place with high skyscrapers.  He began to worry how he was to get back to his “lovely” log in Connecticut.  After about two days not knowing where he was, a kid named Mario hears Chester chirping and goes to see what the noise was.  Mario found Chester and kept him as a pet.  That night Chester met two new friends: Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat (also pets of Mario.)  My favorite part of the story is when Mario and Chester go to Chinatown to try to find a cage for Chester to live in.  They find a man named Sai Fong, he has a variety of cages to sell to Mario.  The funny part is that every time Sai Fong says “cricket”, because of his Chinese accent, it comes out clicket instead. I recommend this book to whoever likes a funny story with animals as the main characters.

Dear Dad

I’ve lost track

of how long

you’ve been away

but I’m still

holding on.

I still think

about the times in Avinger,TX

when Jaydon and I

would help you fix the cars.

I still think

about the times in Avinger,TX

when we rode four-wheelers

all day and night.

I hope you will

return sooner than expected

so we have

plenty of time

to start back up

where we left off.

Even though I will be

about 20 years of age

when you return.

Speak Up And Stop Discrimination

I researched on discrimination and racism. When I took the quiz about human rights, I scored a perfect 100 with 13 out of 13 correct. I guess thats just how well I’m interested in trying to get rid of racism for good. I chose this topic because I myself am half African American and half  White and I take racism very seriously. Therefore, I need to learn more about African American history and who has tried very hard to stop racism once and for all.

My Info

Hi, My name is Devon, I’m from Texas and my favorite hobby is to play video games. I also like sports, such as, basketball, football, track, and field. My favorite thing to do outside the house, other than sports, is to ride bikes and four-wheelers, especially with friends. Some things I like to do inside the house is play indoor basketball, pool, and ,of course, video games. My favorite type of genre of video games is first person shooter. I dominate in games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Black Ops, all the newer Halo games, and etc. I like almost all types of genres, though. Fighting, racing, shooting, adventure, and strategy. Well now u know a little something about me, I hope u will tell me a few things about yourself. BYE!

Plans for Spring Break

I will ride the bus home from school, eat a decent meal before my aunt gets home,and possibly lay down on my nice, comfortable couch, and watch Regular Show. I would be playing my xbox 360 while my aunt’s out at work, but since i’m the only one home I need to stay in the living room to hear if anyone knocks on the door. When she comes home though, I will be able to. I also plan to spend most of my spring break visiting my mom and hopefully my dad, and the rest of my time visiting friends and playing video games.

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