Popular phrases and their origins
I commonly will use phrases and cliches when speaking with friends and even when typing on here. However, a lot of times if I really think about it the expression doesn't actually mean what it says. Because i use my time wisely, I took it upon myself to discover the origin of a few of these expressions.
source
"Can't hold a candle to"....
Example: "The new Star Wars films are good, but they can't hold a candle to the original trilogy
I found that this phrase's origin is from when skilled workers needed to work in dark environments before the discovery of electricity. Someone who was training would literally hold a candle for the teacher / skilled craftsmen. Truly unskilled people wouldn't even be trusted with holding the candle properly
"Don't count your chickens before they hatch"
I have said this many times and a lot of people think they know the origin because it seems so obvious in that many of the eggs that a chicken produces are not necessarily going to become chickens. However, this is not entirely accurate although it does make sense.
The real origin is Aesop said it in a parable about how a woman was carrying a pail of milk on her head dreaming of how she was going to turn the milk into cream and then butter, then sell it at the market to buy eggs that will turn into chickens who will lay more eggs and soon i will have a poultry farm and sell some of the chickens at market for a gown and will attract the attention of men and she will "toss her hair and pass them by." She mimics the "tossing of hair" and spills the milk . Her mother then said "Do not count your chickens before they are hatched!"
"Let the cat out of the bag"
"caught red handed"
The origin of this is actually a law regarding the butchering of an animal that doesn't belong to you. Having fresh meat in one's house was not evidence enough at the time, a person had to actually have the blood of said animal on their hands in order to be convicted. So I suppose the only people who were convicted of these crimes didn't have access to water or a cloth.
This is getting to be too long so I'll leave it at that. If you know the origin of a popular phrase and put it in the comments, I will reward you with a high upvote if I didn't already know it. See ya!
The "don't count your chickens before they hatch" origin I am proud to say I knew, but only because I read Aesop's Fables to my kids before bed.
I definitely am not qualified to be leaving a comment about the origins of my favorite sayings. I'm lucky if I even say them right. One I find I have used many times is "the pot calling the kettle black", but I have to be careful, because I naturally want to say "the cat calling the kettle black." :)
i would find it more amusing if someone said "the cat calling the kettle black" and just carried on talking as if they really thought that was the saying.
My sister commonly says "he aint no spring peach" knowing fully well what the actual saying is. I commonly say "it aint rocket surgery" and rope people into explaining to me what it really is and i'm like "oh really?? Thanks professor!"
I love to use some of these wrong phrases like "the cards were rolled again" xD
It's interesting that there are a lot phrases which are also used in multiple languages. For example the one with the cat and the bag, in German we use the phrase "don't buy the cat in the bag" but it's more or less the same.
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I normally use my misuse of common statements to identify character traits in other people... when i say "it isn't rocket surgery!" and a person corrects me in a condescending manor, I probably don't want to be friends with that person :)
Haha that's a good way to check if they are ok xD
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I think "the cat calling the kettle black" fits with modern times better. I just think of a Halloween-ish cat.
I'm pretty sure I have heard someone say "he ain't no spring peach" before, and I thought for a moment in confusion, then just figured I didn't know the saying properly :)
Rocket surgery does sound really hard though, lol.
I like don't count your chickens before they've hatched! As an investor, this one could have gotten thrown in my face on one major occasion in my life....let's just refer to it as the 2008 housing crisis. Lesson learned, and never to be repeated.
I really like your style here, you're blog is great. I don't have much time to curate and follow others so I'm a big fan of auto vote, you just made my list. However I'll certainly do my best to stop by from time to time. Have a great day! From Bali Indonesia! -Dan "World Travel Pro!"
Thanks pal
Mostly I think some of these are idioms and basically one needs the sense of another meaning to these phrases to really understand the meaning like a know a few to kiss the dust, pay a French visit, throw in the towel and so many others, thank you for educating us.
Popular phrase : I came, I saw, I conquered.
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I focus on dripping chickens, parents used to think that every chicken that drips of course has chicks that are different characters, the problem is that I don't know
Very interesting! It is funny how entertaining it can be when we really start to dig into the origins of words and phrases. There are some that are much more dark than these ones and it almost makes you(well me) cringe when I think about them Very cool post!