Historical Origins of Common Phrases

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Old No7
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Historical Origins of Common Phrases

Post by Old No7 »

Interesting historical origins of common phrases...

Probably setting myself up for a pun or two from Blaine. :wink:

Old No7

A SHOT OF WHISKEY
In the old west a .45 cartridge for a six-gun cost 12 cents, so did a glass of whiskey. If a cowhand was low on cash he would often give the bartender a cartridge in exchange for a drink. This became known as a "shot" of whiskey.

THE WHOLE NINE YARDS
American fighter planes in WW2 had machine guns that were Fed by a belt of cartridges. The average plane held belts that were 27 feet (9 yards) long. If the pilot used up all his ammo he was said to have given it the "whole nine yards".

BUYING THE FARM
During WW1 soldiers were given life insurance policies worth $5,000. This was about the price of an average farm so if You died you "bought the farm" for your survivors.

IRON CLAD CONTRACT
This came about from the ironclad ships of the Civil War. It meant something so strong it could not be broken.

PASSING THE BUCK / THE BUCK STOPS HERE
Most men in the early west carried a jack knife made by the Buck knife company. When playing poker it was common to place one of these Buck knives in front of the dealer so that everyone knew who he was. When it was time for a new dealer the deck of cards and the Knife were given to the new dealer. If this person didn't want to deal he would "pass the buck" to the next player. If that player accepted then "the buck stopped there".

RIFF-RAFF
The Mississippi River was the main way of traveling from north to south Riverboats carried passengers and freight but they were expensive so most people used rafts. Everything had the right of way over rafts which were considered cheap. The steering oar on the rafts was called a "riff" and this transposed into "riff-raff", meaning low class.

COBWEB
The Old English word for "spider" was "cob".

SHIP STATEROOMS
Traveling by steamboat was considered the height of comfort. Passenger cabins on the boats were not numbered; instead they were named after states. To this day, cabins on ships are called "staterooms".

SLEEP TIGHT
Early beds were made with a wooden frame. Ropes were tied across the frame in a criss-cross pattern. A Straw mattress was then put on top of the ropes. Over time the ropes stretched, causing the bed to sag. The owner would then tighten the ropes to get a better night's sleep.

SHOWBOAT
These were floating theaters built on a barge that was pushed by a steamboat. These played small towns along the Mississippi River. Unlike the boat shown in the movie "Showboat" these did not have an engine. They were gaudy and attention grabbing, which is why we say someone who is being the life of the party is "showboating".

OVER A BARREL
In the days before CPR, a drowning victim would be placed face down over a barrel and the barrel would be rolled back and forth in a effort to empty the lungs of water. It was rarely effective... If you are "over a barrel" you are in deep trouble.

BARGE IN
Heavy freight was moved along the Mississippi in large barges pushed by steamboats. These were hard to control and would sometimes swing into piers or other boats. People would say they "barged in".

HOGWASH
Steamboats carried both people and animals. Since pigs smelled so bad they would be washed before being put on board. The mud and other filth that was washed off was considered useless -- "hogwash".

CURFEW
The word "curfew" comes from the French phrase "couvre-feu", which means "cover the fire". It was used to describe the time of blowing out all lamps and candles It was later adopted into Middle English as "curfeu", which later became the modern "curfew". In the early American Colonies homes had no real fireplaces so a fire was built in the center of the room. In order to make sure a fire did not get out of control during the night it was required that, by an agreed upon time, all fires would be covered with a clay pot called-a "curfew".

BARRELS OF OIL
When the first oil wells were drilled they had made no provision for storing the liquid so they used water barrels. That is why, to this day, we speak of "barrels of oil" rather than gallons.

HOT OFF THE PRESS
As the paper goes through the rotary printing press friction causes it to heat up. Therefore, if you grab the paper right off the press It is hot. The expression means to get immediate Information.
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Pete44ru
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Re: Historical Origins of Common Phrases

Post by Pete44ru »

.

Interesting - Thanks for posting them ! . 8)

.
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Rimfire McNutjob
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Re: Historical Origins of Common Phrases

Post by Rimfire McNutjob »

I'll add a gun related one that I always found interesting ...

GOING OFF HALF-COCKED

Usually meaning that someone did something rash or unexpected ... often something they would regret later.

As we all know here, the half-cock notch on the hammer more or less grabs the sear making it impossible to discharge the firearm and was one of the original safety mechanisms on long guns. It would surely be an unexpected surprise for gun to go off in the half-cocked position and nothing good would likely come of it.
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Re: Historical Origins of Common Phrases

Post by gamekeeper »

Just a " flash in the pan " is one expression I have experienced for real a few times :oops:
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Re: Historical Origins of Common Phrases

Post by JerryB »

A drop in the bucket Isaiah 40:15 "Behold the nations are as a drop of a bucket" KJV 1611
Last edited by JerryB on Mon Oct 08, 2018 3:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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COSteve
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Re: Historical Origins of Common Phrases

Post by COSteve »

Done
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AJMD429
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Re: Historical Origins of Common Phrases

Post by AJMD429 »

Rimfire McNutjob wrote: Mon Oct 08, 2018 11:12 am I'll add a gun related one that I always found interesting ...

GOING OFF HALF-COCKED

Usually meaning that someone did something rash or unexpected ... often something they would regret later.

As we all know here, the half-cock notch on the hammer more or less grabs the sear making it impossible to discharge the firearm and was one of the original safety mechanisms on long guns. It would surely be an unexpected surprise for gun to go off in the half-cocked position and nothing good would likely come of it.
There's another definition I've heard involving John Wayne Bobbitt that I won't go into here.... :o :lol:
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JerryB
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Re: Historical Origins of Common Phrases

Post by JerryB »

Doc AJ, did he live in Weiner, Arkansas?
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hayabusa
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Re: Historical Origins of Common Phrases

Post by hayabusa »

I think it was Deweiner, Arkansas. :lol:
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cas
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Re: Historical Origins of Common Phrases

Post by cas »

Like most things from the internet, very suspect.

Also from the internet...

The word "shot", meaning a drink of alcohol, has been used since at least the 17th century, while reference to a shot specifically as a small drink of spirits is known in the U.S. since at least the 1920s.[2] The phrase "shot glass" has been in use since at least 1940.
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