The origins of some common expressions

Email from JKS Weertasekera

& THINGS I NEVER KNEW.  Some Images attached.

'A SHOT OF WHISKEY'

In the old west a .45 cartridge for a six-gun cost 12 cents, so did a glass of whiskey.

If a cowhand was low on cash he would often give the bartender a cartridge in exchange for a drink. This became known as a "shot" of whiskey.

THE WHOLE NINE YARDS

American fighter planes in WW2 had machine guns that were fed by a belt of cartridges.

The average plane held belts that were 27 feet (9 yards) long. If the pilot used up all his ammo he was said to have given it the whole nine yards.

BUYING THE FARM

This is synonymous with dying. During WW1 soldiers were given life insurance policies worth $5,000. This was about the price of an average farm so if you died you "bought the farm" for your survivors.

IRON CLAD CONTRACT

This came about from the ironclad ships of the Civil War. It meant something so strong it could not be broken.

Let one’s hair down

.What it means: Kick back, relax.

Origin: Back in medieval times, aristocratic women would wear their hair high and tight, only letting it down once they were at home and out of the public eye.

PASSING THE BUCK / THE BUCK STOPS HERE

Most men in the early west carried a jack knife made by the Buck knife company.

When playing poker it was common to place one of these Buck knives in front of the dealer so that everyone knew who he was. When it was time for a new dealer the deck of cards and the knife were given to the new dealer.

If this person didn't want to deal he would "pass the buck" to the next player. If that player accepted then "the buck stopped there".

RIFF RAFF

The Mississippi River was the main way of traveling from north to south. Riverboats carried passengers and freight but they were expensive so most people used rafts.

Everything had the right of way over rafts which were considered cheap. The steering oar on the rafts was called a "riff" and this transposed into riff-raff, meaning low class.

SLEEP TIGHT

Early beds were made with a wooden frame. Ropes were tied across the frame in a criss-cross pattern.

A straw mattress was then put on top of the ropes. Over time the ropes stretched, causing the bed to sag. The owner would then tighten the ropes to get a better night's sleep.

SHOWBOAT

These were floating theaters built on a barge that was pushed by a steamboat. These played small town along the Mississippi River.

 Unlike the boat shown in the movie "Showboat" these did not have an engine. They were gaudy and attention grabbing which is why we say someone who is being the life of the party is "showboating".

OVER A BARREL

In the days before CPR a drowning victim would be placed face down over a barrel and the barrel would be rolled back and forth in a effort to empty the lungs of water. It was rarely effective. If you are over a barrel you are in deep trouble.

Turn a blind eye.

What it means: To ignore the reality.

Origin: Horatio Nelson had a blind eye. Once when he was given the signal to stop attacking a fleet of Danish ships, he raised his telescope up to his blind eye and declared that he doesn't see a signal. He was eventually victorious, the cheeky bastard.

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BARGE  IN

Heavy freight was moved along the Mississippi in large barges pushed by steamboats. These were hard to control and would sometimes swing into piers or other boats. People would say they "barged in".

HOG WASH

Steamboats carried both people and animals. Since pigs smelled so bad they would be washed before being put on board.

The mud and other filth that was washed off was considered useless "hog wash".

CURFEW

The word "curfew" comes from the French phrase "couvre-feu", which means "cover the fire". It was used to describe the time of blowing out all lamps and candles. It was later adopted into Middle English as "curfeu", which later became the modern "curfew".

In the early American colonies homes had no real fireplaces so a fire was built in the center of the room. In order to make sure a fire did not get out of control during the night it was required that, by an agreed upon time, all fires would be covered with a clay pot called-a "curfew".

BARRELS OF OIL

When the first oil wells were drilled they had made no provision for storing the liquid so they used water barrels. That is why, to this day, we speak of barrels of oil rather than gallons.

Don’t throw the baby out with the

bathwater.

What it means:

Don’t get rid of your valuables along with the unnecessary things.

Origin: This one is nasty, fair warning. In the 1500’s, people would bathe once a year, and they wouldn’t change the water between people. The adult males would go first, then the females, then the children. By the time it was the kids turn, the water would be murky. So murky in fact, that the mothers had to take extra care to be sure that they didn’t throw the baby out when they were dumping the water. That would be extremely upsetting.

HOT OFF THE PRESS

As the paper goes through the rotary printing press friction causes it to heat up.

Therefore, if you grab the paper right off the press it’s hot. The expression means to get immediate information.

Give a cold shoulder.

What it means: Being antisocial towards someone.

Origin: In the olden days of England, it was customary for the host to give their guests a cold piece of meat from the shoulder of a mutton, pork, or beef chop when they wanted their guests to leave. It was kind of a polite way of saying “Get outta here, Butters”.