Fun Facts! The history of phrases #1
Welcome to Fun Facts! I am starting a series of crazy fun facts you may or may not already know. A few days ago, @papa-pepper made a vlog about phrases and their histories and that got me thinking... "I know a bunch of random shit too!" So for the first installment of Fun Facts we are going to look at the origins of phrases.
Disclaimer: These are mostly western phrases but I would love to hear phrases from your part of the world.
Phrase #1) Put a sock in it! Means to quiet down or shut up.
This phrase comes from the early 1900s. Phonographs did not have any volume control. In order to lower the volume you would have to put a sock or whatever in the speaker part.
Phrase #2) That's a Pipe Dream!
Meaning that what ever you are saying is implausible and unattainable.
This phrase is a reference to smoking opium and the fantastical delusions one might have on such an endeavor. I believe it has since been updated and kids nowadays just say "Man! You're high AF!"
 | .gif) | |
|---|
I got to thinking about phrases from my lifetime. (I'm almost 45) And I think this might be a good example of one that is slowly becoming a phrase people know, but forget where it comes from.
Phrase #3) Hang up the phone!
Meaning end your phone call. Get off of the phone.
Back in my day... Phones hung on walls where they belonged. In order to end your call, you would hang the receiver on the phone where it belonged! Not in a pocket. Why don't they say pocket your phone?!?!
And just to make this interesting, I am going to give someone who comments 1 SBD. I would like to hear the history of phrases from where you live. The most relative comment gets 1 SBD plus an upvote. Thank you for reading today's Fun Facts and as always....
Keep being Cool Steemit!
That is pretty interesting. I didn't know about the first 2 phrases. I know I've pondered some phrases in the past, but I'm drawing a blank right now.
To draw a blank.
This expression finds its origins in Tudor England, when the first national lottery was established by Queen Elizabeth the First in 1567. The lottery worked by putting slips of paper with the participants names on them into a pot, while an equal number of slips, some with prizes on them and some left blank, were put into another pot. Pairs of tickets were drawn simultaneously from the pots, matching a participant to a prize. More often than not, however, a blank slip was drawn, and the participant won nothing!
Source
Hahahhaa!!!! Well played sir!!!! Loloolol
LOL. Have an upvote.
I'm totally going to use this concept for the hunt for me extra prizes, argggh!!!!! I love it hehehe
Forgot to mention the funny phrases, don't know if there is an equivalent in English but has a funny story behind.
"A caval donato non si guarda in bocca."
Which means, when you get a present, you can't be picky about the qualities or the type of the present.
It's origin is from the Medieval time, when you should look at the teeth of an Horse to see if it was young or old. Given that the horse was gifted, the age didn't matter!
Hope you liked it @doctorcrypto 😁
Yes that is a good one!
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Glad that you liked it! Do you do animation still for signature or footer? Let me know
✌️
Grand idea, and your "I know a bunch of random shit too" got a real crackup from this end.
My Mom always told me to 'put a sock in it', meaning my mouth, when I was getting smart. Now I know where it actually came from. (I always knew what it MEANT....'knock it off now, or wait till your dad gets home'. THAT always worked better than anything in the behaviour department.)
I'm trying to think of some more. I'll ponder it on my bike ride. My Mom always had tons of them, I'll also cue my writing books. They're in there SOMEWHERE. I know she used to always relater our behavior to "Little Lord Fauntleroy", whoever he was...
Give it your best try.... or
Go the whole nine yards.
During World War II, the fighter pilots were equipped with nine yards of ammunition. When they ran out, it meant that they had tried their best at fighting off the target with the entirety of their ammunition.
I'm making up a new one in this regard...."The chicken's 27" In other words, if anyone was shooting at me, and they only gave me nine yards of ammo for my 50 caliber to shoot back, I'd just stay on the ground and do other things. (Like I'd have a choice).
Ok, you just made me chuckle! Loved that! It almost made up for you making me feel so darned old!!
Seriously, I just totally realized that my kids know what "hang up the phone" means, but not why.
Anyway, I looked at the history of phrases from the United States, but this phrase stuck out to me because, well, we go through a lot of butter in my house. (Seriously, pounds of grass-fed butter, but that's a whole other post.) So, here's my entry because it made me chuckle, cheering me up from feeling so ancient over the phone incident.
Butter someone up
Meaning: To impress someone with flattery
Origin: This was a customary religious act in ancient India. The devout would throw butter balls at the statues of their gods to seek favor and forgiveness.
I did not know that!! From India of all places!
Right? I was quite surprised! Then I had to giggle because I had this vision of someone being grossed out or offended at having butter thrown at them. I'm thinking, Kerrygold gets expensive! I might rather like having it thrown at me! Lol...
HA! Make sure it's salted.
Congratulations! You win the SBD. I was most surprised by this phrase because I had always thought this sounded like a down south(Southern U.S) type of phrase. To learn that it is from India turned my whole phrase radar upside down. Nice Comment!
Thank you! What a pleasant surprise! I was actually quite surprised myself. Always nice to learn something new.
Butter balls!!!!! 😂😂😂😂😂
Phrase: Bite the Bullet!
Meaning that accepting something difficult or unpleasant
There was no time to administer anesthesia before emergency surgery during battle. The surgeon made patients bite down on a bullet in an attempt to distract them from the pain.
That just seems dangerous. Like it would make more holes. ;P
I often eavesdrop on your quality posts.
Modern meaning - to listen in on a conversation to which one is not a party
Origins - one who stands in the eavesdrop of a building and listens to conversations within, dates to 1487, eaves catch the water of buildings and channel it away. An eavesdrop, is a droplet of water that has fallen off that.
Eavesdrop. That's a good one!
I remember being in high school and getting mad at a guy friend of mine... The satisfaction of slamming the phone down on him!!!!
But now!?!! What to do??? Lololol
Click off??? Not fulfilling at all hehehe
I loved these phrases!!!! We need more!!! 😊 Next installment please! Lololol
Yea I was initially just thinking about doing random facts on certain topics. But the origin of phrases will have to be revisited a few times. One of my favorites.
Mine too!!! Hehhee I usually get stuck on those sites that show all the origins of phrases. Its so fascinating!!! You know the bathwater /baby one right?? Hehehhee YUCK! LOL
Yep!
It also gives a sense of how life was....It's good to know where you come from.
I so agree. And not only that... But phrases meant something back then!
We take them for granted now... And use trivial phrases and words over and over again because we're lazy hehehehe
(Guilty as charged lol)
Yea me too.
It's not like the old days, when you knew what it meant to have a neck noodle.
AND NOW I NEED ONE OF THESE.
SIR. you have created a monster. hehehehe
actually, the monster was already created. you just fed said monster ;)
Hi @doctorcrypto!
Read that you do custom gif animation for footer or signature for steemit.
Do you still do them?
Reach me here or on Discord, as @bafi.
Thanks so much!
Luca
ROFL, that's priceless.
I don't even know how to comment further.
Nice, upvote back please
Horrible bot comment! 0/10 stars.
Nice,
Like me, Like me, Like me, Follow... Oh.... and Give me money. :)
Do these actually work for anyone? Might get a flag out of it, but can't imagine they would get to many upvotes.