Tag: sayings

Did You Know?

DYK: Are you straight-laced?

The phrase Straight-laced was originally STRAIT laces. The old English word strait meant tight or narrow. In Tudor times buttons were mostly for decoration. Laces were used to hold clothes together. If a woman was STRAIT laced she was prim and proper. VINEGAR OF THE FOUR THIEVES: Recipes & curious tips from the past Check […]

Did You Know?

DYK: Is your house spic and span clean?

DYK: Did you know? The saying ‘spic and span’ meant new. A span was a wood shaving. If something was newly built it would have tell-tale wood chips so it was ‘span new’ spick is an old word for a nail. New spicks or nails would be shiny. However words and phrases often change their […]

Did You Know?

DYK: To close ranks – what is the real meaning?

DYK: Did you know To close ranks means to join with someone in a cause, or agreement. In the old-time European armies, the soldiers were aligned side by side, in neat rows, or ranks, on the battlefield. When the enemy attacked, officers would order the troops to close ranks; that is, to move the rows close together, so that the enemy faced a […]