WORDS, PHRASES or SAYINGS - Origins, Meanings by Brownielocks. The first teensy weensy swimsuit known as the "bikini" went on sale in 1947. But how did it get its name? The male reaction to this was often described to be like an atomic bomb. Since a year prior, 1946, the Marshall Islands were used for the atomic bomb test. 167 natives were moved to Rongerik under "Operation Crossroads" by William H.R. Blandy. Later more commonly referred to as "Bikini Island Bomb Tests." Since this skimpy swimsuit created about the same earth shattering reactions as the bomb, it was explosively named the Bikini. After a few years, it was no longer capitalized and became bikini to represent a fashion style that showed a lot of skin, not necessarily for swimwear. I.E. A bikini-style top. In old days, a rifle (or musket) had 3 major parts: A lock, a stock of wood and a metal barrel. Each part was totally useless without the other one. They had to all work together or well, you got nothing.

But when they were all in sync, what a BLAST! Thus, when a person chose to put everything 100% into an decision, action or commitment and not just half-heartedly, he is said to be doing it "lock, stock and barrel." Alternate origin: lock stock and barrel also referred to when you bought a farm. Lock meant the house , stock was all the animals and barrel was the rain barrel meaning all the trivial junk, so that it was absolutely everything at the time of sale that was on the land that was sold If the previous owner left something valuable behind it was yours (too bad for them) as it had all been sold lock stock and barrel. Many years ago a heavy cloth was created in Janua (modernly known as Genoa today) and shortened to the term "jean." In 1495, King Henry VIII of England bought 262 bolts it because it didn't wear out quickly and was very prized. It remained its natural shade for years and years until one day a batch was dyed blue and turned over to tailors. For many years, the pants made from this fabric was for men only.

Only until women wearing pants became socially acceptable (around WWII?) and later in the 50's and 60's have jeans become a fashion garment for women as well as men. They are no longer worn for their durability, since today mean blue jeans are promoted for being softer and even include spandex for stretch blue jeans. In ancient Greece, voting for membership into some of their organizations was done via beans. White beans were dropped into a container who favored the candidate and brown or black beans if you didn't. Apparently the jar was not clear and (I assume) when you went to vote you kept your hands folded so no one knew if you dropped a white or black bean? Only the officials knew the actual vote results of black vs. white beans. However....on a few occasions a clumsy voter would knock over the jar and revealed all the beans! This is how the phrase got to refer to someone who reveals the truth or hidden secrets. Back in the old days, calendars were only made (or seen) by monks and made by hand in monasteries or convents. Scribes often emphasized days of Saints or other important events by using a reddish ink made from ocher (a mineral of oxide of iron).

A quick look at the calendar instantly showed all there red marks from the black, so that preparation or anticipation of those days could be acted upon. Today, we consider a "red letter day" as any important day to us in our lives such as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries or the beginning of vacations or ending of school years. Some even have them mark special emotional times such as first dates, births of babies, pay raises, etc. The prairie chicken was often observed by early settlers dancing around at dawn with their fancy mating steps, making noises and strutting as part of their courtship with the females. They were so intense on this, they actually wore some areas of the ground bare! Soon, settlers could just tell by looking at some bare land that it was the mating spots for those frisky prairie chickens, and soon got called their "old stomping grounds." Today the term is used both for areas when males and females gather to meet each other, or for any place in which a group of people just go to have fun and kick up their heels etc. For some odd reason, the number 9 has always been considered by mathematicians to have some super power?

Some say it goes back to the Holy Trinity since 3 x 3 = 9. And later in Victorian times, a person who was all dressed up was said to be "dressed to the nines." So what does this have to do with clouds? It was believed that clouds existed on a successful level of layers, and the ultimate high layer was 9. So anyone who is suddenly super happy was said to be soaring in the clouds and naturally the level of the cloud they were assumed to be on was the highest...level 9. Today another way of saying you are very happy and even in some cases, in love, is to say that you are on cloud 9. To be a redneck isn't because anger makes your neck red at all. The term comes from the South, but it refers to anyone who works outdoors, especially in the farm fields, where after a while all that sun exposure gives you a very red neck (from bending over a lot in the fields). Since many wore hats that sheltered their faces, that left them all with red necks. After years of having sun-burned necks, skin just got darker, reddish and more crusty.

So the term today, although termed for Southern farmers, can be another who works outdoors rather than in an office. PS: Along this line, there is a term called a "farmer's tan" which means you have a sun tan from your elbows down, since being outdoors in a T-shirt covers the rest of your body. It's a common phrase in California to tease outsiders (esp. from the Midwest) that they have a "farmer's tan" when in California people pride themselves on having overall tans. Another version is said that the term originated in the coal mines of Kentucky and West Virginia at The Battle of Blair Mountain, which was the largest civil uprising in US history. In 1921 WVa miners clashed with lawmen and hired hands of the coal companies when they tried to stop the miners from forming a union. Approximately, 13,000 miners with red bandanas tied around their necks (to identify them as a separate group from the others) marched on Logan county. This uprising helped showcase the conditions faced by the minors and helped shape the way unions operated. It also turned union tactics into political battles to get the law on the side of labor.

All these miners with red bandanas on their necks is said to be the origin of "red necks." Submitted 5/19/12 There is also a different version of the origin of this word from a Scottish website. Since this is rather long, I'll just put the Link up: Illiteracy was common in the old days and so when a person was asked to sign his name to a document, he would put an "X" or a cross and it was perfectly legal. Now, many times this was done under pressure and the party making the "X" had no intention of observing the terms of the contract. Oral lore stated that if a cross was doubled = one was written over the other one, then the second one voided out the first. The contract was then null. So a double-cross was often referred to someone who promised in word or writing, but changed their minds, or never even intended to obey the rules they agreed to. All companies that work around the clock have a graveyard shift. It really has nothing to do with graveyards or burial places.

Actually, any thick liquid was termed "gravy." So if you laughed till you cried you were called "gravy-eyed." And lack of sleep lead to bleary eyes, and sailors who had to stay up on deck all night were often "gravy-eyed" from weariness. When the term was said in pubs and other places on land, these people did not quite get it. Because superstitions were so rampid in those days, they assumed it had to do with graves, being dead tired, etc. So the seafaring phrase go reformed by the landlubbers to mean "graveyard shift." Another version: The "Graveyard Shift" is actually tied to the term "Saved by the Bell." First, to explain "Saved by the Bell": at one point, being buried alive was a common occurrence, so some people who were paranoid about such a fate were buried in special coffins that had a rope to pull from the inside that attached to a bell above ground.

At night a guard was set to watch the graveyard and to listen for any bells to ring, and thereby dig up the living person from underground, saving them "by the bell." The guard that sat watch overnight was said to work the "Graveyard Shift": the night shift at a graveyard. (Submitted by Jade Tibbals) In 1748, the fourth Earl of Sandwich was John Montagu who loved to gamble. Anytime he could get a game in, he would. Since his time was limited, and he couldn't formally eat, he told his servants to give him a slice of roast beef between two pieces of bread, so he could eat at the table (did not need utensils). He might not be the first to come up with this, but he was the first to do it in public and often. As a result, this concoction of meat between two slices of bread soon became known as 'the sandwich.' The term goes back to sailors who brought it to land. The stern of a boat is called the poop. During strong winds and storms, smashed against it repeatedly. Any ship's stern that showed damage from all of this was called "pooped" and lucky to still be floating after days of battering waves.

So when the sailors got ashore, in their descriptive way they would often say that they felt as tired and battered and as "pooped" as their ship. People took hold of this phrase and soon used it to describe themselves even when on land as being totally pooped out when they were really tired, fatigued and exhausted from anything. The term comes from the days of notorious pickpocket activities in London. They had their own language for different pockets that were the style of the day. For example: Jerve as a vest pocket. And Kick was a pocket on the side in a pair of pants. And the Pratt was the back pocket. Of all the pockets, the most difficult to pick was the KICK, because it was close to the victim's leg and was always moving. After a while, smart people discovered that the safest spot to keep your money was in his "side kick" or side pocket of his pants. Today the term now means a faithful partner or pet that is by ones side, often even helpful and protective. The French painter Paul Gauguin is the source for this saying. Rumor has it that admirers loved his painting but had problems pronouncing his name.

So they shortened their admiration to saying that they were just "Ga Ga." Others claim that's just nonsense. And that the word comes from the French origin for "fool" and so the word represents the sounds a mindless person makes. Alternate: The word 'gaga' originates from the French word 'gateux' (with a circumflex accent on the 'a'). 'Se gater' which means to spoil or go rotten. Soo 'gateux' or 'gaga' could translate as ' soft in the head' as in senile. (Submitted by: Harry Globus) There are two versions of where this word began in American culture. (1) One of the most notorious criminals of the Barbary Coast was Muldoon, who had so much muscle he was hard to arrest. The San Franciso newspaper led a campaign to help clean up the town. But rather than printing his name they put it in backwards = Noodlum. A bit obvious, the reported then changed the N to H = Hoodlum. So every time this criminal's activities were written up, it was as Hoodlum. Soon the name was synonymous with crime and illegal activities.

(2) Another theory is it is a derivative of the German word 'huddellump' which means miserable fellow, wretch, and scoundrel." Before the days of the electric or mechanical doorbells, anyone coming to your house just had to pound a metal knocker that was nailed to the front door. Sometimes it took a lot of heavy smacks to get attention. This meant that the nails holding this metal plate on the door got a lot of wear, eventually having the life pounded out of it and it fell out. Today anything that is totally withered or a failed project or situation that is hopeless is considered to be as dead as a doornail. Alternate origin: Nails were in short supply and high demand in colonial times. People would go out in the night and steal the nails from their neighbors doors. To prevent this from happening, the ends of the nails inside, were bent and hammered down to prevent them from being pulled out, from the outside. The nail was said to be dead and the act was deadening the nail. It could not be removed and all other uses were of that nail were eliminated....i.e. the nail was dead.

(Submitted by David Salls) Early jugglers altered a Latin phrase used during Holy Communion. They took the word "hocus" which means "here is the body..." and just formed a rhyming word go to with it for their magical presentations resulting in "hocus-pocus." The pocus added to it assumedly meant to play close attention to the object. Alternate origin: In the Middle Ages, most people were illiterate and certainly didn't understand Latin, the language of the Catholic mass. During the Eucharist in the mass, the priest would turn away from the congregation and look at the cross, making his words hard to hear and/or understand. When he raised the host (bread), he uttered the words "Hoc est corpus mei......", or "This is my body....", in Latin. The congregation didn't understand the meaning of the words, but they did know that, somehow through some magic, these words turned the bread into the actual body of Christ, the fantastic magical event of transubstantiation.

So, words that sounded like "hocus pocus" to the illiterate and uneducated masses would enable a magical and miraculous event to transpire, and, presumably, these words were a facilitator or enabler of a magical act or event. (Submitted by Jon Dill ) Shindig The general store often had a cracker barrel in which citizens of the town would gather to play games, and tell stories. Often listeners did not crack a smile at all. At other times, a lot of laughter was created. If a teller of a tall tail evoked a lot of laughter it was like hitting a bulls eye and so faces with cracked smiles mean "first class." Today the term now signifies anything that isn't first class is well..."not what it is cracked up to be." Another version: "Cracked Up" also refers to a Civil War time makeup. At this time the makeup mostly consisted of beeswax, ladies had to partially melt the makeup beside the fire before applying it, and after application it would harden.

If the lady laughed or smiled it would crack the makeup, and thereby look like her face was "Cracking Up." (Submitted by Jade Tibbals) Punishment in the old days often meant that a person often deserved more than just tar and feathers, and deserved a public whipping. In order to prevent him from escaping during this whip lashing, he was tied over-turned barrel (top body bent to the curve of the barrel while feet remained on the ground.) Thus there was no way this person could escape his punishment. Today the term "to have over a barrel" means that someone is in a position in which there is just no way for them to escape their punishment or whatever other dreadful outcome is coming to them. We live in a right-handed world, let's face it. In the ancient world, the left-side of the body or anything "left" was considered sinister, mysterious, dangerous or evil. So, innkeepers pushed the left sides of the bed against the walls so that a guest HAD to get up on the right side. Today, with queen and king side beds, most people get up on either side and don't bother to think about it.

But the term today of "getting up on the wrong side of the bed" refers to when someone is irritable or clumsy. The origin is from WWII and refers to a bomb that could level an entire block. When the boys came home, the phrase caught on to represent anything that made a real impact. This is an old-fashion phrase for nudity (or almost nude) women in photos or film. The phrase comes from the fact that a woman's skin appears to be the same creamy color as that of cream cheese. Its origin goes back to the days of music being put on records (remember those?). Each record had one side that had the main recording (hit song) and then there was always another song on the back, which often was completely different than the front song. This song on the back became known as the "flip side." In society it caught on as every argument or situation can have something on the other side totally different from what's being shown on the front. We all know it as jealousy. But how? It goes back to the Shakespearean play, "Othello" in Act III. Shakespeare used at cat's green eyes to represent jealousy and referred to it as "the green-eyed monster" in his play.

The phrase just caught on. The Handwriting on the Wall We know it today as a sign of some upcoming doom. But the origin goes back to the bible when Belshazzar, the successor to King Nebuchadnezzar got drunk one night and drank from sacred vessels from the temple of Jerusalem. Afterwards, it is said that a mysterious hand appeared and wrote 4 strange words on the banquet room wall. Only Daniel (the prophet) could interpret this writing, which he said was ominous. So, any warning today is referred to "the handwriting on the wall." This is used today to mean someone who has influence to make things happen. The term goes back to a puppeteer, who everyone knew was the man behind-the-scenes manipulating things that made the show happen. To be the Top Banana or Second Banana The term goes back to burlesque where the showgirls in the finale formed what appeared to resemble a bunch of bananas. Of course the star was usually on center top and was referred to "the top banana." In many vaudeville comedy acts, the straight man to the comedian was often referred to then as the "second banana." So, this banana ranking comes from the theatre, not the jungle.

Refers to anyone fooling around, either sexual or some underhanded business deal, etc. The phrase originates back to magicians who would wave hankies around to misdirect the attention of the audience from what was really going on. Just like magicians would rhyme words like "hocus pocus", the "panky" got added to just make a rhyme. To Let Your Hair Down Back in Napoleonic days, the nobility of Paris were highly condemned if they appeared in public without a hairdo that was pretty elaborate. This mean hours of work and a lot of hairpins. It was only when they got home could they take all those pins out and relax. Of course when the pins came out, the hair fell down. Thus, letting your hair down soon became a phrase to represent being relaxed. This is not just an old television show from the 1950's. Back in the 1880's an Irish comic/singer named Patrick Rooney created a song about Mr. Reilly, who imagined what his life would be like if he hit it rich in California. The song describes his wonderful life of leisure.

Soon, many who heard it identified with how nice it would be and would repeat the song, making the phrase represent having a real easy life. Ambassador to Portugal, Jean Nicot talked with sailors a lot. In 1560 he got some seeds from these sailors that he planted. And, so the first tobacco plants in France grew. When scientist later discovered that tobacco had a potent substance, they named it nicotine after Jean Nicot. When all know it means that everything is fine. But, the phrase originated with President Martin Van Buren, when he was running for his second term as president. He was born in Kinderhook, NY. And his nickname was "Old Kinderhook." So, his fans formed a campaign committee called the "Democratic O.K. (old kinderhood) Club."The campaign slogan spread from then on. To Read Someone The Riot Act It's real! Back in 1716, King George I of England issued a proclamation that if 12 or more people engaged in a demonstration, his officers were told to read these people this specific Act and send those rioters home. Only a few continued once the edict was read because you could be sent to prison for life.

So, once this Riot Act got read, people calmed down rather quickly. When you get information straight from the horse's mouth, it means you are suppose to be getting honest, correct information. The phrase comes from the old days when determining how old a horse was was done by looking at his teeth. So, before betting on a horse, people wanting to check its teeth to see how old this horse was. Therefore, anyone who worked around the horse (stable hand?) knew how old the horse was and could let the others know. Therefore, the information was acquired, 'straight from the horse's mouth' and not the owner of the horse. On the other hand, if someone gave you a horse for free, it was considered rude to look in its mouth and check to see how old it was. Therefore, you were not to "look a gift horse in the mouth." Today, this means not to question the quality or motive a gift you get from someone. A colorful expression that means it is raining very hard, with lightning, thunder and probably a lot of high winds. There are two ideas of how this phrase developed. One is simple: A storm sounds a lot like cats and dogs fighting. The other goes back to Norse mythology.

It is believed that witches caused storms and rode the winds in the shape of back cats. And, the God of Storms is described in Norse Mythology being surrounded by wild dogs and wolves. So, add the witchy cat-shaped winds and the wild dogs and you get "it's raining cats and dogs." This is just another way of defining the person on top, the most important person or the one in authority. The source isn't exactly that meaning. It originates from the Native American word "muck-a-muck"which meant a person who has plenty to eat. In a tribe, it was usually the chief (and his family) who had enough to eat. The settlers sort of messed up the pronunciation as well as the meaning in translation apparently. It simply means a person who is teetering on the edge of sanity. The origin is pretty simple. It goes back to the Roman belief that the moon (Luna) influenced sanity. This is a phrase today that means a way to get out of some contract. The origin goes back to the Middle Ages and defending a castle. Up at the top, designers put in small, oval windows that were tapered to be wider inside and narrower from the outside.

This made the window difficult to hit (from over the moat) by the enemies, but a good spot to defend the castle from w/o much chance of getting hurt themselves. The window was called the loophole and later the term came to represent any opening that gave an advantage to one side in an argument or contract. As odd as this seems, back in the old days most people weren't allowed credit. But, when someone did borrow, the records were often kept on the shirt cuff of the lender. When men traveled from town to town, the livery stableman often let them put what they owed on credit. There was no formal contract. But, it was written on the stable owner's cuff. So, guys who had debt owed to stables in different towns were said to live "off the cuff." Today, the phrase just means a casual business deal w/o formal, legal documentation based on a man's word or trust only. To Paint The Town Red Isn't it rather obvious that the term goes back to red light districts in towns, because that was the area where the men found most of their well...excitement? ;) Today, we refer to it as having a good time in a place, period.

And doesn't have to mean visiting prostitutes. A poke is just a heavy, thick bag attached to a stick in which pigs were carried to market. Many times, a defective pig, or not even a pig at all was in the bag. And, the sellers would offer a great "bargain" for the poke. Why didn't the buyer take a peek inside first? Because pigs were hard to catch once they got loose, the sellers often refused to let the buyers take a peek before paying. So, many times, the buyers were cheated and ended up paying for either a bad pig or not pig at all once they peeked inside the bag they just bought. Later on, the phrase soon represented anything purchased that seemed to be a good deal and was just a waste of money. --- Many times cats were put into the poke instead of a pig. When a buyer insisted on seeing what was inside the bag and found a cat instead of a pig, he confirmed that he was being cheated and the truth was revealed. Today, "to let the cat out of the bag" means to let secret or hidden information be revealed to others. It doesn't have to do with business, it could simply be telling what a Christmas present is.

Back in sailing days, a ship's food supply was stored in a lot of salt pork. After frying or boiling, a lot of fat (aka slush) was left over. Some of it was used to grease timbers. But, they had LOTS of this stuff! So, a lot was just put into storage. When they got back to port, they sold it. (I'm not sure who buys this stuff and why?) Anyway, the money from selling their slush was used to buy extras for the crew. Soon, the term "slush fund" was used to represent money that was taken from a normal budget and used for extras. More commonly, the extras meant to pay bribes for corrupt purposes, etc. By the skin of your teeth This is a phrase that means to barely escape a disaster. But, we don't have skin on our teeth (we have enamel). The origin is from the bible, the Book of Job 19:20 where Job says he's escaped by the skin of his teeth. And, as with a lot of bible verses, they slip into everyday speech. This was one. This is just a guess.

It goes back to early baseball days when the game was played in open stadiums while the sun shined only. The newspapers wanted to know how many came to the game. But, it was hard to get an exact count (and the owners/managers didn't want to tell them, especially if it was low.) So, they'd just give an estimate - give or take a few hundred. Soon, any so-so count is called a "ballpark figure" or estimate. Barking Up the Wrong Tree Settlers hunted raccoons, possums and squirrels. Most hunting dogs would chase them up a tree and then bark until their masters came and shot the animals. Sometimes, the animal managed to sneak across to another tree w/o the dog seeing. So, the dog would continue to bark up a tree that didn't have any prey. Soon, the phrase became known in social circles to mean anyone who is wrong about something and/or is being mislead. To Build a Fire Under Someone We all know that mules are pretty stubborn. Sometimes they just firmly set their legs and well... So, farmers decided that building a small fire under the mule's belly would get him moving.

There's no proof this was really done a lot by muleskinners. But, the idea and imagery was such that people started using the phrase to mean "trying to get someone to move or take some action." Isaak Walton was a fisherman and author about it. He'd stress how important it was to get that hook stuck in the fish's mouth. To do that you needed to do a sudden jerk! Therefore, to "hook" got associated with the action of "a jerk." Now, we get to schools. When the teacher's back was turned, a kid would bolt off! If he got away with it, he'd hide and not show up for role call. Soon, this represented a "jerk of defiance" similar to like a jerk to hook on a fishing pole. So, it was called "hookey" rather than simply being defiant to mean skipping school. This is just a name for barnyard excrements from chickens. The phrase first appeared in stories written by Charles F. Brown (aka Artemis Ward) in the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 1858. He used the phrase to described the political talk he was hearing from candidates.

It seemed to then catch on as a way of expressing any talk that was worthless and stupid, whether political or not. Putting on the Dog After the Civil War, lap dogs were a social status among the wealthy. Even today, look at how Paris Hilton goes around with Tinkerbell all dressed up? Back then, French Poodles were the symbol of wealth. So, anyone who was being flashy was jokingly said to be "putting on the dog." When you've got some unpleasant situation, you simply just grin and bear it and deal with it. This is what a soldier who was being discharged dishonorably had to do. He was given his walking papers, then forced to walk through the ranks of his fellow comrades while instruments played some march for ousted soldiers. The ritual wasn't fun, but the soldier had to deal with it directly. Thus, he had to face the music (instruments playing) and his fellow soldiers. This didn't mean he was guilty. Just like today, someone might have to face a bad situation that he had no cause in. If a nobleman married beneath himself, custom said that the man would give the bride his left hand, rather than his right.

This type of "left-handed wedding" was not really worth much because the man's wife or children could never gain his property. So, the marriage wasn't really valid, but just for social appearances. By the 16th century, these were no longer performed. But, society still referred to anything that on the surface appeared to be something that it wasn't as "left-handed." Today, sometimes a compliment is really meant as an insult (or a snide remark) and is referred to as a left-handed compliment because it's not really sincere. The playwright, Moliere, created a stupid character named Moron. When the American Association for the Study of the Feeble Minded assembled in 1910, they said that they didn't even have a name for the type of people they worked with. So, someone suggested Moron after the character in the play. It stuck. Someone who thinks that another person is not too bright will call them a moron. Alternate origin from Lisa Slitas: MORON really does mean an idiot, in ancient Greek! It comes from the word μωρός which means someone whole can't understand that much, and in contemporary Greek is the word μωρό which means baby.

So basically a moron is someone that has the mind of a baby. Nag Anyone who constantly annoys someone is called a nag. The origin has nothing to do with horses. The source comes from the fact that rats gnawed away at things and you could hear them constantly and couldn't stop it. The Germans took the Scandinavian word for gnawing and turned it into nag. Soon, the word turned into mean something that was constantly irritating. As far as a person, it means someone who just gnaws at someone verbally. Nothing to be Sneezed At The upper class years ago had a craze for sneezing. All the elite would carry snuff boxes with herbs, which made them sneeze when they put a pinch into their noses. It was said that a good sneeze was a way to clear one's mind. Soon, a sneeze was a way of expressing boredom. They'd hear something and if they weren't impressed, they'd sneeze afterwards. Therefore, if something wasn't sneezed at, it meant that it was important or interesting. Today it simply means it is worth taking notice of. Shoot the Bull Basically it means to be drunk. The origin comes from sailors.

Ships sailed best when all 4 sets of sails and all 4 masts were working. Sometimes, the 4th set didn't work or didn't get set up in time. When a ship was using 3 sets of sails and masts, the ship was in trouble if a gale hit them. A tossing and turning ship was similar to a drunk. So, someone who was drunk and walking rather wobbly soon was called "3 sheets (sails) to the wind." Alternate origin: On a boat, a "sheet" is a rope used to adjust the sails. An old square-rigged boat used one sheet to control each of the 4 corners of every sail. If a sail had 3 sheets (ropes) untied, it would merely flap around wildly in the wind and be useless. (Submitted by: Paul Heitkemper) This is not about drippy juice running all over. The phrase means anyone who has an easy task or job that pays a lot but doesn't really work for it as "being on the gravy train" or "riding the gravy train." The phrase originates with (1) the fact that gravy is an automatic by-product when you cook a roast.

The juices to make gravy are just there when the roast is done. (2) Train travel was very popular, esp. during the 1920's. Guys who worked on the railroad used the phrase "gravy train" to mean any job they did that paid well, but wasn't hard. The term then slipped into society. To Live High on The Hog or To Eat High on The Hog The origin is pretty simple. It comes from the fact that the best part of meat on a hog is cut high on the thigh. The lesser quality meat comes from the lower thigh (has lots of fat). So, the meaning of the phrase is basically when you are eating (or living) the very best that is available to you; and, are not having second best or lower quality. Fork Over or Fork It Over The origin has nothing to do with roosters with their heads cut off. It has to do with guns. Muskets were rather clumsy to load and took time. And, they wouldn't fire until they were cocked. To save time (but to still be safe) hunters would load their muskets but keep them only half-cocked until ready.

However, they'd be some real hyper guys who forgot about their guns and just fired when they saw their game! Of course the gun wouldn't fire when it was only half-cocked. The phrase then slipped into society to mean anyone who was trying to do something without first checking that everything was in order for the project. To Keep A Stiff Upper Lip The phrase means to show no emotion in times of great emotional distress, or to have a lot of self-control. The origin is pretty simple. It has to do with British soldiers and their mustaches. Even when trimmed and waxed, moustaches sort of moved when standing at attention. This was considered undisciplined! So, a soldier was ordered to control his mustache's movements and keep a stiff upper lip! "The drinks are on the house!" We all have heard this in a bar. The origin actually comes from British pubs, where the owner would invite their customers to taste their stock (pubs made their own beer back then.) Their hope was to give them a desire to have more and create sales.

Today, anything that is given free (whether by a business or a person) is said to be "on the house." To Put The Screws To To pressure someone in order to get something out of them (information, money, etc.) is what it means. The term originates back to a method of torture called thumbscrews where jailers would slowly tighten the screws and create a lot of pain until the prisoner confessed or gave him the information they wanted. Examples of thumbscrew torture are seen in some museums today. But, they are no longer used. Edward I of England forced all noblemen to sign their allegiance to him. This list of those that did was called a "ragman's roll." Once the list was done, couriers were sent all over to publicly read this list. Well, doing this over and over was a bit tiring. So, at times the speech probably got muffled and hard to understand by those listening. So, the incoherency of hearing this list was called "the ragman's roll" which slurred turned into "rigmarole." And, the word eventually got used in society to mean a slurring of a lot of words that couldn't be understood, whether a list or just speech.

When you leave a place where you've been and go to a new spot, you are said to "pull up stakes." The origin goes back to homesteaders, were stakes were put in the ground to mark survey lines. But, sneaky settlers would go out at night and move the stakes of other people to their benefit. Tell It To The Marines! When someone tries to tell you a far out tale that you are not going to fall for, you usually tell them to "Go tell it to the Marines." Why? The origin goes back to 1800's when British sailors (professionals) thought the marines were greenhorns. Apparently, the British sailors were told some outlandish tale, they'd tell the person to go tell it to the marines, who were gullible. So, it has nothing to do with the U.S. Marine Corp. It has to do with sailing and mariners. A whistle (wood) has to be clean to make a good, pure sound. Any little particles in it, will cause it to sound funny. A brand new whistle is the cleanest and best!

So, when someone is said to be clean as a whistle, it simple means he's got no imperfections or is not guilty. Primarily this is used today to mean a really reckless driver. But the origin goes back to the days of the wild West and has nothing to do with cars. When the transcontinental railroad got started, there was a lot of open land between towns. Opportunists after the money of those laboring on working on the railroad in these open spaces, simply rented flatcars and turned them into mobile brothels and gambling casinos. Religious zealots considered such activities the work of the devil and anyone who participated doomed for hell. So, these flatcars with prostitutes, gambling, drinking etc. were called hell on wheels. Other meanings today can be as a compliment that someone is very energetic, a real go-getter, or just very fast-moving. To Show Your True Colors Warships often carried flags from many countries in order to elude or fool their enemies. The rules of warfare stated that ships were to hoist their true national ensigns before firing.

So, someone who "shows his true colors" is acting like a warship that hailed another ship by falsely flying one flag; but, then as soon as they got within firing range, hoisted their real flag! (Submitted by: Paul Heitkemper) To Get The Lead Out It means to work or move faster. When car racing became popular Bondo hadn't been invented yet. When cars needed body work, lead was used to patch and repair holes in the body. Lead was very heavy and added weight to the car, thus making it drive slower in races. It was said that if you could get all the lead out of your car it would go faster. (Submitted by: Amanda Hurst) Nine Letters Puzzle : snopes.com Nine Letters Puzzle Nine Letters Puzzle Find a nine-letter English word that remains a valid word as each of its letters is successively removed. - - Claim: The English language has at least one nine-letter word that remains a valid word as each of its letters is successively removed. TRUE Example: [Collected via e-mail, 2006] There is a common English word that is nine letters long.

Each time you remove a letter from it, it still remains an English word — from nine letters right down to a single letter. What is the original word, and what are the words that it becomes after removing one letter at a time? Origins: The solutions to many of the linguistic puzzlers we receive involve "tricks," such as knowledge of arcane words or correct interpretations of misleadingly literal instructions, and some of the more frustrating puzzlers don't really have solutions at all, so it's a pleasure for us to be able to provide a definite, straightforward answer to at least one such query. The English language has at least one nine-letter word that remains a word as each of its letters is successively removed, right down to a single letter.

That word is "startling": startling remove the l, and the word becomes: starting remove one t, and the word becomes: staring remove the a, and the word becomes: string remove the r, and the word becomes: sting remove the other t, and the word becomes: sing remove the g, and the word becomes: sin remove the s, and the word becomes: in remove the n, and the word becomes: I Our readers have suggested many other possible solutions to this puzzler, some of which are equally valid, and some of which are disputed for various reasons.

Among the "equally valid" category, we have: stringier remove one r, and the word becomes: stingier remove one i, and the word becomes: stinger remove the t, and the word becomes: singer remove the other r, and the word becomes: singe remove the g, and the word becomes: sine remove the e, and the word becomes: sin remove the s, and the word becomes: in remove the n, and the word becomes: I Both scrapping and strapping also work as solutions with the use of the word 'ping': strapping remove the s, and the word becomes: trapping remove the t, and the word becomes: rapping remove one p, and the word becomes: raping remove the r, and the word becomes: aping remove the a, and the word becomes: ping remove the g, and the word becomes: pin remove the other p, and the word becomes: in remove the n, and the word becomes: I Several other nouns also qualify as viable solutions, but only if they are used in their plural forms (i.e., with the addition of a final 's'), solutions which some of our readers seemed to feel "cheat the spirit" of the puzzle: cleansers Ad

jectives Adjectives Definition Adjectives are words that describe or modify another person or thing in the sentence.

The Articles  a, an, and the  are adjectives. the tall professor a six-year-old child the unhappiest, richest man If a group of words containing a subject and verb acts as an adjective, it is called an Adjective Clause. My sister, who is much older than I am, is an engineer. If an adjective clause is stripped of its subject and verb, the resulting modifier becomes an Adjective Phrase: He is the man who is keeping my family in the poorhouse. Before getting into other usage considerations, one general note about the use  or over-use  of adjectives: Adjectives are frail; don't ask them to do more work than they should. Let your broad-shouldered verbs and nouns do the hard work of description. Be particularly cautious in your use of adjectives that don't have much to say in the first place: interesting, beautiful, lovely, exciting. It is your job as a writer to create beauty and excitement and interest, and when you simply insist on its presence without showing it to your reader  well, you're convincing no one. Consider the uses of modifiers in this adjectivally rich paragraph from Thomas Wolfe's Look Homeward, Angel.

(Charles Scribner's, 1929, p. 69.) Adjectives are highlighted in this color; participles , verb forms acting as adjectives, are highlighted in this blue. Some people would argue that words that are part of a name  like "East India Tea House  are not really adjectival and that possessive nouns  father's, farmer's  are not technically adjectives, but we've included them in our analysis of Wolfe's text. He remembered yet the East India Tea House at the Fair, the sandalwood, the turbans, and the robes, the cool interior and the smell of India tea; and he had felt now the nostalgic thrill of dew-wet mornings in Spring, the cherry scent, the cool clarion earth, the wet loaminess of the garden, the pungent breakfast smells and the floating snow of blossoms. He knew the inchoate sharp excitement of hot dandelions in young earth; in July, of watermelons bedded in sweet hay, inside a farmer's covered wagon; of cantaloupe and crated peaches; and the scent of orange rind, bitter-sweet, before a fire of coals.

He knew the good male smell of his father's sitting-room; of the smooth worn leather sofa, with the gaping horse-hair rent; of the blistered varnished wood upon the hearth; of the heated calf-skin bindings; of the flat moist plug of apple tobacco, stuck with a red flag; of wood-smoke and burnt leaves in October; of the brown tired autumn earth; of honey-suckle at night; of warm nasturtiums, of a clean ruddy farmer who comes weekly with printed butter, eggs, and milk; of fat limp underdone bacon and of coffee; of a bakery-oven in the wind; of large deep-hued stringbeans smoking-hot and seasoned well with salt and butter; of a room of old pine boards in which books and carpets have been stored, long closed; of Concord grapes in their long white baskets. An abundance of adjectives like this would be uncommon in contemporary prose. Whether we have lost something or not is left up to you. Position of Adjectives Unlike Adverbs , which often seem capable of popping up almost anywhere in a sentence, adjectives nearly always appear immediately before the noun or noun phrase that they modify.

Sometimes they appear in a string of adjectives, and when they do, they appear in a set order according to category. (See Below .) When indefinite pronouns  such as something, someone, anybody  are modified by an adjective, the adjective comes after the pronoun: Anyone capable of doing something horrible to someone nice should be punished. Something wicked this way comes. And there are certain adjectives that, in combination with certain words, are always "postpositive" (coming after the thing they modify): The president elect, heir apparent to the Glitzy fortune, lives in New York proper. See, also, the note on a- adjectives , below, for the position of such words as "ablaze, aloof, aghast." Degrees of Adjectives Adjectives can express degrees of modification: Gladys is a rich woman, but Josie is richer than Gladys, and Sadie is the richest woman in town. The degrees of comparison are known as the positive, the comparative, and the superlative. (Actually, only the comparative and superlative show degrees.) We use the comparative for comparing two things and the superlative for comparing three or more things.

Notice that the word than frequently accompanies the comparative and the word the precedes the superlative. The inflected suffixes -er and -est suffice to form most comparatives and superlatives, although we need -ier and -iest when a two-syllable adjective ends in y (happier and happiest); otherwise we use more and most when an adjective has more than one syllable. Click on the "scary bear" to read and hear George Newall's "Unpack Your Adjectives" (from Scholastic Rock, 1975). Schoolhouse Rock® and its characters and other elements are trademarks and service marks of American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. Used with permission. Positive Certain adjectives have irregular forms in the comparative and superlative degrees: Irregular Comparative and Superlative Forms good further furthest Be careful not to form comparatives or superlatives of adjectives which already express an extreme of comparison  unique, for instance  although it probably is possible to form comparative forms of most adjectives: something can be more perfect, and someone can have a fuller figure. People who argue that one woman cannot be more pregnant than another have never been nine-months pregnant with twins.

Grammar's Response According to Bryan Garner, "complete" is one of those adjectives that does not admit of comparative degrees. We could say, however, "more nearly complete." I am sure that I have not been consistent in my application of this principle in the Guide (I can hear myself, now, saying something like "less adequate" or "more preferable" or "less fatal"). Other adjectives that Garner would include in this list are as follows: absolute preferable whole From The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Styleby Bryan Garner. Copyright 1995 by Bryan A. Garner. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc., and used with the gracious consent of Oxford University Press. Be careful, also, not to use more along with a comparative adjective formed with -er nor to use most along with a superlative adjective formed with -est (e.g., do not write that something is more heavier or most heaviest). The as  as construction is used to create a comparison expressing equality: He is as foolish as he is large. She is as bright as her mother.

Premodifiers with Degrees of Adjectives Both adverbs and adjectives in their comparative and superlative forms can be accompanied by premodifiers, single words and phrases, that intensify the degree. We were a lot more careful this time. He works a lot less carefully than the other jeweler in town. We like his work so much better. You'll get your watch back all the faster. The same process can be used to downplay the degree: The weather this week has been somewhat better. He approaches his schoolwork a little less industriously than his brother does. And sometimes a set phrase, usually an informal noun phrase, is used for this purpose: He arrived a whole lot sooner than we expected. That's a heck of a lot better. If the intensifier very accompanies the superlative, a determiner is also required: She is wearing her very finest outfit for the interview. They're doing the very best they can. Occasionally, the comparative or superlative form appears with a determiner and the thing being modified is understood: Of all the wines produced in Connecticut, I like this one the most. The quicker you finish this project, the better. Of the two brothers, he is by far the faster.

Authority for this section: A University Grammar of English by Randolph Quirk and Sidney Greenbaum. Longman Group: Essex, England. 1993. Used with permission. Less versus Fewer When making a comparison between quantities we often have to make a choice between the words fewer and less. Generally, when we're talking about countable things, we use the word fewer; when we're talking about measurable quantities that we cannot count, we use the word less. "She had fewer chores, but she also had less energy." The managers at our local Stop & Shop seem to have mastered this: they've changed the signs at the so-called express lanes from "Twelve Items or Less" to "Twelve Items or Fewer." Whether that's an actual improvement, we'll leave up to you. We do, however, definitely use less when referring to statistical or numerical expressions: It's less than twenty miles to Dallas. He's less than six feet tall. Your essay should be a thousand words or less. We spent less than forty dollars on our trip. The town spent less than four percent of its budget on snow removal. In these situations, it's possible to regard the quantities as sums of countable measures. Taller than I / me ??

When making a comparison with "than" do we end with a subject form or object form, "taller than I/she" or "taller than me/her." The correct response is "taller than I/she." We are looking for the subject form: "He is taller than I am/she is tall." (Except we leave out the verb in the second clause, "am" or "is.") Some good writers, however, will argue that the word "than" should be allowed to function as a preposition. If we can say "He is tall like me/her," then (if "than" could be prepositional like like) we should be able to say, "He is taller than me/her." It's an interesting argument, but  for now, anyway  in formal, academic prose, use the subject form in such comparisons. We also want to be careful in a sentence such as "I like him better than she/her." The "she" would mean that you like this person better than she likes him; the "her" would mean that you like this male person better than you like that female person.

(To avoid ambiguity and the slippery use of than, we could write "I like him better than she does" or "I like him better than I like her.") More than / over ?? In the United States, we usually use "more than" in countable numerical expressions meaning "in excess of" or "over." In England, there is no such distinction. For instance, in the U.S., some editors would insist on "more than 40,000 traffic deaths in one year," whereas in the UK, "over 40,000 traffic deaths" would be acceptable. Even in the U.S., however, you will commonly hear "over" in numerical expressions of age, time, or height: "His sister is over forty; she's over six feet tall. We've been waiting well over two hours for her." The Order of Adjectives in a Series It would take a linguistic philosopher to explain why we say "little brown house" and not "brown little house" or why we say "red Italian sports car" and not "Italian red sports car." The order in which adjectives in a series sort themselves out is perplexing for people learning English as a second language.

Most other languages dictate a similar order, but not necessarily the same order. It takes a lot of practice with a language before this order becomes instinctive, because the order often seems quite arbitrary (if not downright capricious). There is, however, a pattern. You will find many exceptions to the pattern in the table below, but it is definitely important to learn the pattern of adjective order if it is not part of what you naturally bring to the language. The categories in the following table can be described as follows: Determiners  articles and other limiters.

See Determiners Observation  postdeterminers and limiter adjectives (e.g., a real hero, a perfect idiot) and adjectives subject to subjective measure (e.g., beautiful, interesting) Size and Shape  adjectives subject to objective measure (e.g., wealthy, large, round) Age  adjectives denoting age (e.g., young, old, new, ancient) Color  adjectives denoting color (e.g., red, black, pale) Origin  denominal adjectives denoting source of noun (e.g., French, American, Canadian) Material  denominal adjectives denoting what something is made of (e.g., woolen, metallic, wooden) Qualifier  final limiter, often regarded as part of the noun (e.g., rocking chair, hunting cabin, passenger car, book cover) THE ROYAL ORDER OF ADJECTIVES Determiner food This chart is probably too wide to print on a standard piece of paper. If you click HERE , you will get a one-page duplicate of this chart, which you can print out on a regular piece of paper.

It would be folly, of course, to run more than two or three (at the most) adjectives together. Furthermore, when adjectives belong to the same class, they become what we call coordinated adjectives, and you will want to put a comma between them: the inexpensive, comfortable shoes. The rule for inserting the comma works this way: if you could have inserted a conjunction  and or but  between the two adjectives, use a comma. We could say these are "inexpensive but comfortable shoes," so we would use a comma between them (when the "but" isn't there). When you have three coordinated adjectives, separate them all with commas, but don't insert a comma between the last adjective and the noun (in spite of the temptation to do so because you often pause there): a popular, respected, and good looking student See the section on Commas for additional help in punctuating coordinated adjectives. Capitalizing Proper Adjectives When an adjective owes its origins to a proper noun, it should probably be capitalized. Thus we write about Christian music, French fries, the English Parliament, the Ming Dynasty, a Faulknerian style, Jeffersonian democracy.

Some periods of time have taken on the status of proper adjectives: the Nixon era, a Renaissance/Romantic/Victorian poet (but a contemporary novelist and medieval writer). Directional and seasonal adjectives are not capitalized unless they're part of a title: We took the northwest route during the spring thaw. We stayed there until the town's annual Fall Festival of Small Appliances. See the section on Capitalization for further help on this matter. Collective Adjectives When the definite article, the, is combined with an adjective describing a class or group of people, the resulting phrase can act as a noun: the poor, the rich, the oppressed, the homeless, the lonely, the unlettered, the unwashed, the gathered, the dear departed. The difference between a Collective Noun (which is usually regarded as singular but which can be plural in certain contexts) and a collective adjective is that the latter is always plural and requires a plural verb: The rural poor have been ignored by the media. The rich of Connecticut are responsible. The elderly are beginning to demand their rights. The young at heart are always a joy to be around. Adjectival Opposites The opposite or the negative aspect of an adjective can be formed in a number of ways.

One way, of course, is to find an adjective to mean the opposite  an antonym. The opposite of beautiful is ugly, the opposite of tall is short. A thesaurus can help you find an appropriate opposite. Another way to form the opposite of an adjective is with a number of prefixes. The opposite of fortunate is unfortunate, the opposite of prudent is imprudent, the opposite of considerate is inconsiderate, the opposite of honorable is dishonorable, the opposite of alcoholic is nonalcoholic, the opposite of being properly filed is misfiled. If you are not sure of the spelling of adjectives modified in this way by prefixes (or which is the appropriate prefix), you will have to consult a dictionary, as the rules for the selection of a prefix are complex and too shifty to be trusted. The meaning itself can be tricky; for instance, flammable and inflammable mean the same thing. A third means for creating the opposite of an adjective is to combine it with less or least to create a comparison which points in the opposite direction. Interesting shades of meaning and tone become available with this usage.

It is kinder to say that "This is the least beautiful city in the state." than it is to say that "This is the ugliest city in the state." (It also has a slightly different meaning.) A candidate for a job can still be worthy and yet be "less worthy of consideration" than another candidate. It's probably not a good idea to use this construction with an adjective that is already a negative: "He is less unlucky than his brother," although that is not the same thing as saying he is luckier than his brother. Use the comparative less when the comparison is between two things or people; use the superlative least when the comparison is among many things or people. My mother is less patient than my father. Of all the new sitcoms, this is my least favorite show. Some Adjectival Problem Children Good versus Well In both casual speech and formal writing, we frequently have to choose between the adjective good and the adverb well. With most verbs, there is no contest: when modifying a verb, use the adverb. He swims well. He knows only too well who the murderer is.

However, when using a linking verb or a verb that has to do with the five human senses, you want to use the adjective instead. How are you? I'm feeling good, thank you. After a bath, the baby smells so good. Even after my careful paint job, this room doesn't look good. Many careful writers, however, will use well after linking verbs relating to health, and this is perfectly all right. In fact, to say that you are good or that you feel good usually implies not only that you're OK physically but also that your spirits are high. "How are you?" "I am well, thank you." Bad versus Badly When your cat died (assuming you loved your cat), did you feel bad or badly? Applying the same rule that applies to good versus well, use the adjective form after verbs that have to do with human feelings. You felt bad. If you said you felt badly, it would mean that something was wrong with your faculties for feeling. Other Adjectival Considerations Review the section on Compound Nouns and Modifiers for the formation of modifiers created when words are connected: a four-year-old child, a nineteenth-century novel, an empty-headed fool.

Review the section on Possessives for a distinction between possessive forms and "adjectival labels." (Do you belong to a Writers Club or a Writers' Club?) Adjectives that are really Participles , verb forms with -ing and -ed endings, can be troublesome for some students. It is one thing to be a frightened child; it is an altogether different matter to be a frightening child. Do you want to go up to your professor after class and say that you are confused or that you are confusing? Generally, the -ed ending means that the noun so described ("you") has a passive relationship with something  something (the subject matter, the presentation) has bewildered you and you are confused. The -ing ending means that the noun described has a more active role  you are not making any sense so you are confusing (to others, including your professor). The -ed ending modifiers are often accompanied by prepositions (these are not the only choices): We were amazed at all the circus animals. We were amused by the clowns. We were annoyed by the elephants. We were bored by the ringmaster. We were confused by the noise. We were disappointed by the motorcycle daredevils. We were disappointed in their performance.

We were embarrassed by my brother. We were exhausted from all the excitement. We were excited by the lion-tamer. We were excited about the high-wire act, too. We were frightened by the lions. We were introduced to the ringmaster. We were interested in the tent. We were irritated by the heat. We were opposed to leaving early. We were satisfied with the circus. We were shocked at the level of noise under the big tent. We were surprised by the fans' response. We were surprised at their indifference. We were tired of all the lights after a while. We were worried about the traffic leaving the parking lot. A- Adjectives The most common of the so-called a- adjectives are ablaze, afloat, afraid, aghast, alert, alike, alive, alone, aloof, ashamed, asleep, averse, awake, aware. These adjectives will primarily show up as predicate adjectives (i.e., they come after a linking verb). The children were ashamed. The professor remained aloof. The trees were ablaze. Occasionally, however, you will find a- adjectives before the word they modify: the alert patient, the aloof physician.

Most of them, when found before the word they modify, are themselves modified: the nearly awake student, the terribly alone scholar. And a- adjectives are sometimes modified by "very much": very much afraid, very much alone, very much ashamed, etc.

Question: Which word can go after King, Hair and Nine to make three other words?
Answer: Pin