We hear ‘em, but do we know where they came from? “Going To Hell In A Handbasket” Have you ever said it or heard it? The origin came from the 19th century where the phrase became associated with the American gold rush of the 1840s when men were lowered by hand in baskets down mining shafts to set explosives which could have deadly consequences.
The phrase “turn a blind eye” is often a willful refusal to acknowledge a particular reality. It dates back to a legendary chapter in the career of the British naval hero Horatio Nelson. During 1801’s Battle of Copenhagen, Nelson’s ships were pitted against a large Danish-Norwegian fleet. When his more conservative superior officer flagged for him to withdraw, the one-eyed Nelson supposedly brought his telescope to his bad eye and blithely proclaimed, “I really do not see the signal.” He went on to score a decisive victory. Some historians have dismissed Nelson’s famous quip as a battlefield myth, but the phrase “turn a blind eye” persists to this day.
Ever seen a white elephant? White elephants were once considered highly sacred creatures in Thailand and graced the national flag until 1917. They were wielded as a subtle form of punishment. According to legend, if an underling or rival angered a Siamese king, the royal might present the unfortunate man with the gift of a white elephant. While ostensibly a reward, the creatures were tremendously expensive to feed and house. Caring for one often drove the recipient into financial ruin. Whether any ruler actually bestowed such a gift is uncertain, but the term has come to refer to any burdensome possession.
“Crocodile tears” is used to describe a display of superficial or false sorrow, but the saying actually derives from a medieval belief that crocodiles shed tears of sadness while they killed and consumed their prey. The myth dates back to the 14th century and comes from a book called “The Travels of Sir John Mandeville.” The book recounts a brave knight’s adventures during his supposed travels through Asia. Among many fabrications, the book includes a description of crocodiles that notes, “These serpents sley men, and eate them weeping…” While inaccurate, Mandeville’s account of weeping reptiles found its way into the works of Shakespeare, and “crocodile tears” became an idiom as early as the 16th century.
While “diehard” typically refers to someone with a strong dedication to a particular set of beliefs, it originally had more literal meanings. In the 1700s, the expression described condemned men who struggled the longest when they were executed by hanging. The phrase became even more popular after 1811’s Battle of Albuera during the Napoleonic Wars. In the midst of the fight, a wounded British officer named William Inglis supposedly urged his unit forward by bellowing “Stand your ground and die hard …!” Inglis’ 57th Regiment suffered 75 percent casualties, and earned the nickname “the Die Hards.”
Resting on your laurel’s dates back to leaders and athletic stars of ancient Greece. In Hellenic times, laurel leaves were tied to Apollo, the god of music, prophecy and poetry. Apollo was depicted with a crown of laurel leaves, so laurel became a symbol of status and achievement. Victorious athletes at the ancient Pythian Games received wreaths made of laurel branches. Romans adopted the practice and presented wreaths to generals who won important battles. Esteemed Greeks and Romans, or “laureates,” were able to “rest on their laurels” by basking in past achievements. Later the phrase took on a negative connotation. Since the 1800s it has been used for those who are satisfied with their achievements and stopped striving for further success.
Today, angry parents might threaten to “read the riot act” to their children. In 18th-century England, the Riot Act was a very real document, and was often recited aloud to angry mobs. Instituted in 1715, the Riot Act gave the British government authority to label a group of more than 12 people a threat to the peace. In these circumstances, a public official would read a small portion of the Riot Act and order the people to “disperse themselves, and peaceably depart to their habitations.” Anyone remaining after one hour was subject to arrest or removal by force. The law was put to the test in 1819 during the infamous Peterloo Massacre, where a cavalry unit attacked a large group of protestors after they appeared to ignore a reading of the Riot Act.
Have you ever “painted the town red”? Most likely the saying owes its origin to one legendary night of drunkenness. In 1837, the Marquis of Waterford, a known mischief maker, led a group of friends on a night of drinking through the English town of Melton Mowbray. The bender culminated in vandalism after Waterford and fellow revelers knocked over flowerpots, pulled knockers off of doors and broke the windows of some of the town’s buildings.
To top it off, the revelers literally painted a tollgate, the doors of several homes and a swan statue with red paint. The marquis and his pranksters later compensated Melton for the damages, but their drunken escapade is likely the reason that “paint the town red” became shorthand for a wild night out. Still another theory suggests the phrase was actually born out of the brothels of the American West, and referred to men behaving as though their whole town were a red-light district.
“Running amok” is commonly used to describe wild or erratic behavior, but the phrase actually began its life as a medical term. The saying was popularized in the 18th and 19th centuries, when European visitors to Malaysia learned of a peculiar mental affliction that caused otherwise normal tribesmen to go on brutal and seemingly random killing sprees.
The Amok were a band of Javanese and Malay warriors, who were known for their penchant for indiscriminate violence. They were a source of morbid fascination for Westerners. The famed explorer Captain James Cook noted in 1772 that “to run amok is to “sally forth from the house, kill the person or persons supposed to have injured the Amok, and any other person that attempts to impede their passage.” Once thought to be the result of possession by evil spirits, the phenomenon found its way into psychiatric manuals and remains a diagnosable mental condition to this day.
Many everyday phrases are nautical in origin. “Taken aback,” “loose cannon” and “high and dry” all originated at sea, but perhaps the most surprising example is the common saying “by and large.” In the 16th century, the word “large” was used to mean that a ship was sailing with the wind at its back. While, “by,” or “full and by,” meant the vessel was traveling into the wind. So, for mariners, “by and large” referred to trawling the seas in any and all directions relative to the wind. Today, the phrase is used as a synonym for “all things considered” or “for the most part.”
There are several tales about the origin of “the third degree,” a saying used for long or arduous interrogations. One theory proposes the phrase relates to the various degrees of murder in the criminal code; yet others credit it to Thomas F. Byrnes, a 19th-century New York City policeman who used the pun “Third Degree Byrnes” when describing his hardnosed questioning style. Another theory suggests it is derived from the Freemasons, whose members undergo rigorous questioning and examinations before becoming “third degree” members, or “master masons.” History seems to always follow us into our lives.
Make sure you follow a Women’s Club member to obtain those raffle basket tickets.