The phrase: MAN DOES NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE comes from the Bible 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 he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every […]
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. Before Christianity and Islam, many pagan groups and other cultures—from Ireland to India to elsewhere in the world—worshipped or mythologized trees. Some peoples […]
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 BITES THE DUST – comes from Ancient Greece This phrase comes from a translation of the epic Ancient Greek poem the Illiad about the war between the Greeks and the Trojans. It was poetic way of describing the death of a warrior.
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 […]
The idiom DOUBLE-CROSS means to trick someone. Centuries ago, when illiteracy was common, and a person was asked to sign a document, they’d do so by inserting an “X” in place of their signature. This was legal. However, the process was often done under pressure (at gunpoint) which meant that the signing party had no […]
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. Sailors, while of resting and conversing would chew on salt-hardened fat. It has even been suggested that the phrase is derived from a practice […]
The idiom: RAISE CAIN comes from the Bible Cain was the first murderer according to scriptural accounts in the Bible – Genesis 4 – The biblical account, tells of how Cain and Abel, the two sons of Adam and Eve, bring offerings to God, but only Abel’s is accepted.Cain kills Abel in anger and is […]
