I want my blog to be educational as well as entertaining. Not that it is entertaining, but I do think some stranger things happen to me. Or perhaps I am the stranger part of all of it...
Here are some common phrases I use and the story behind their origin...
Raining Cats and Dogs: In 1600s England, it was common practice to discard any waste into the streets - even dead household pets. Once it rained so much that the now-deceased Tabbies and Fidos became buoyant and floated along the streets, thus inspiring writer Richard Brome in 1651 to record, "it shall rain dogs and polecats." (It rained like that last night at my house. And at my zoological casa, you would likely find an animal floating in the yard.)
Saved by the Bell: Before modern medicine, it was hard to determine if a person was really dead or simply in a really, really deep sleep. As a precaution, the presumed dead were buried with a string that ran from the corpse's finger to a bell. If there was a mistake, the person could twitch the finger and thus be saved from being buried alive. (I am sure this is how Dustin Diamond will be buried.)
In the Limelight: Theater stages used to be illuminated by heating lime (calcium oxide) until it glowed brightly. Lime has a high melting point, and when heated, gives off a brilliant white light. The light was then focused into a spotlight, so if an actor was in the limelight, he was certainly the center of attention (and probably very hot - but not in a sassy way.)
Don't Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth: In other words, don't be ungrateful when someone gives you something. You can tell a horse's age by looking at its teeth, particularly the incisors, but if someone gave you a horse as a gift, it would be considered rude to examine its teeth - like looking for the price tag on the present. (Plus, Mr. Ed probably hasn't touched any Colgate in awhile, so it's better to stand down.)
I also say "blasted," "I know, right," and "that's so funny" (without smiling). I don't know the origin of these, but I do know they annoy a few people...
Are there any phrases you use constantly?
12.10.2008
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1. Crap. Spoken with a Mike Myers Scottish accent.
ReplyDelete2. Why do you ask, Two-Dogs?
3. Billy!!!!!
4. James Robert!!!!