Today without a clue means to have no knowledge of something, but it once had a different meaning.A clue (also spelled clew) was a globular ball formed from coiling worms or the like or, more specifically, a ball of thread. In Greek myth – the tale of Theseus and the Minotaur. Theseus entered the labyrinth […]
Discover, Share, and help us Preserve our lost and forgotten stories. Become an Alabama Pioneers Patron Unlock all Alabama Pioneers stories Alabama Pioneers members see thousands of stories, biographies and nostalgic items like this everyday. In colonial days your dinner plate was a square piece of wood with a “bowl” carved out to hold your […]
The phrase BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES means to prepare for trouble. It has a nautical background. ‘Hatch’ is an ‘opening in the deck of a ship’ meaning. Ships’ hatches, more formally called hatchways, were commonplace on sailing ships and were normally either open or covered with a wooden grating to allow for ventilation of the […]
The word PANDEMONIUM which means wild and noisy disorder, confusion or uproar comes from a poem. It actually comes from John Milton’s poem Paradise Lost. the name of the capital city of Hell in his epic poem “Paradise Lost”. He derived the word from the Ancient Greek Pandæmonium which read as πᾶν (pan, “all”) (equivalent to English […]
The phrase KNOCK ON WOOD – Traditionally, when you speak of your own good fortune, you follow up with a quick knock on a piece of wood to keep your luck from going bad. Unlock all stories Join our Alabama Pioneers Patron Community! Become an Alabama Pioneers Patron Before Christianity and Islam, many pagan groups and other […]
The phrase BATS IN THE BELFRY means crazy or eccentric. The phrase has the sound of a phrase from Olde Englande and it certainly has the imagery to fit into any number of Gothic novels based in English parsonages or turreted castles. In fact, it comes from the USA and is not especially old. This […]
The phrase KATY BAR THE DOOR – dates back to 1437. Discover, Share and help us Preserve our lost and forgotten stories. Become an Alabama Pioneers Patron A lady by the name of Catherine Douglas was attempting to save Scottish King James I when he was under attack. The story goes that the room the […]
The phrase: MAN DOES NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE comes from the Bible Discover, Share and help us Preserve our lost and forgotten stories. Become an Alabama Pioneers Patron Deuteronomy 8: 2-3: And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that […]
The idiom PUT A SOCK IN IT – generally means to keep quiet. The origin of this saying goes back to the old days when sound reproduction instruments, like the gramophone, had no volume control. Often times the sound was so loud that it was unbearable. Therefore, people literally put a sock into the place […]
Chew the Fat -Today this means to have a long friendly conversation with someone. This idiom has several possible sources as listed below. It is not clear which one is accurate. Discover, Share and help us Preserve our lost and forgotten stories. Become an Alabama Pioneers Patron Sailors, while of resting and conversing would chew […]
