The history behind strange sayings

Nicola here, talking about odd historical phrases and sayings. The topic came to mind this week because I was reading an article about how the UK is awash with peculiar sayings and I’m sure that other countries and other languages are exactly the same. In fact many families share special phrases that have meaning only for them. Many of these have their roots in historical events. In our family, for instance, there are several sayings with Scots origins, reflecting my husband’s Scots roots. "Save your breath to cool your porridge" is one and, “There were bigger losses at Sheriffmuir” is my all time favourite. This is trotted out frequently when things go wrong in an effort to gain a sense of perspective.

Sherrifmuir was an engagement in the 1715 Jacobite rebellion. It took place on 13^th November so we are almost at the anniversary of it. It was an inconclusive fight between the Jacobite army and the British government forces and in fact losses were relatively small compared with Culloden, for instance. In total there were just under 1000 men killed, wounded or captured but the bigger loss was the failure of the 1715 Jacobite rising. My mother-in-law went to school near Sherrifmuir and I wonder whether this was a local phrase. The famous poet Robert Burns, a favourite in our family, wrote a song in honour of the Battle of Sherrifmuir. “Mony a huntit, poor Red-coat / For fear amaist did swarf, man." Indeed.

In my family, which hales from Yorkshire, there are many very strange sayings. For the first six years of my life I lived in Ilkley, a town immortalised by the song On Ilkla Moor Baht’at. The translation of this is: On Ilkley Moor without your hat. The song tells the tale of a hatless young man courting his lover, Mary Jane, on Ilkley Moor. The singers tell the young man that without a hat, the cold winds of Ilkley Moor will result in his death from exposure. Then, the singers chant, the worms will feast on his corpse, then the ducks will eat the worms, and finally the singers will eat the ducks and it will be like they have eaten the young man. It’s not a jolly song but it does reflect the mixture of stoicism and dourness that many Yorkshire people possess. And Ilkley Moor is extremely beautiful but in winter you probably wouldn't want to wander up there without appropriate warm clothing.

One of the few local expressions to have travelled far beyond its original borders is to be sent to Coventry, which, as most people know, means being given a hostile reception or ignored. But why is Coventry's name so vilified? One theory is it originates from the English Civil War when Royalist prisoners of war were confined in the town and were on the receiving end of a cold welcome from the inhabitants. Coventry had been a Parliamentarian stronghold throughout the war and was one of the first towns that refused to pay the “Ship Money” tax levied by King Charles I. It remained a centre of covert anti-Stuart sentiment throughout the 17^th century.

However, an alternative suggestion is that the phrase derives from a fear of being hanged from a covin tree outside the city's castle during the reign of Henry III or being martyred in the sixteenth century. Either way, not very nice.

Not wanting to leave this topic on such a gory note, here’s an interesting one. The phrase “under the weather” meaning feeling
poorly or not your usual self derives from the great days of sail of the 18^th and 19^th early centuries. There were often so many sickly sailors as a result of poor conditions on board ship that there wasn’t room to record all their names in the log and so they were listed in the column under the weather conditions! The phrase “turn a blind eye” is also one with nautical connections, of course, since it refers to Lord Nelson disregarding the order to retreat at the Battle of Copenhagen because he raised his telescope to his blind eye and said “I see no signals!”

I love old phrases and sayings because they feel like a part of the tapestry of our history and I think it’s important to pass this on down the generations. Do you have any favourites or are there any special phrases used in your family or with friends that have a particular meaning for you?

Comments

[Mary Jo Putney]

Such fun, Nicola! I've always like Lord Nelson turning a blind eye. *G*

I'm trying to think of another example of an interesting phrase with a history, and came up with "cut of his jib." A jib was foresail on a sailing ship and in sailor slang referred to a person's face. "I don't like the cut of his jib" means 'I don't like the look of him.' Not up to Lord Nelson's standards!

[Nicola Cornick]

Oh yes! I like that one too, Mary Jo. Interesting that so many saying derive from naval terms. I suppose it reflects the importance of the navy and how many people belonged to it or knew someone in it. It's like a language apart really, and so much fun that many of the phrases have entered common usage.

[Annette Naish]

I apologize for what I am about to say. I am from Texas, and there are sayings.

Fine as Frog's Hair.

Worthless at tits on a boar hog.

Hotter than a depot stove.

These are a few. They are all self explanatory. These are not from some historic moment in time. But, they are from people dealing with life in an environment that was not always welcoming. And I do use these 3 on a regular basis.

[Kareni]

A saying I use from time to time is "... in a dog's age" as in "I haven't seen her in a dog's age" meaning in a long time. I've no idea of the history of the expression.

[Nicola Cornick]

Well, I love them, Annette! As you say, they are a response to life in a particular environment and representative of who you are, just like Ilkley moor Bah't at!

[Nicola Cornick]

Ooh, I haven't heard that one before. It's an interesting one. I wonder what the derivation is?

[Lora]

I've heard of "in a coon's age" but never dog's.

[Lora]

Some of the ones I've heard in my lifetime are:
"Happy as a pig in $#!+" - pretty self explanatory
"Colder than a witch's tit in a brass bra" - I can't possibly imagine just how cold that would be
"In for a penny, in for a pound" don't know the origination of this one, but I'd assume it means that regardless of the outcome, you can be relied upon.

[Sue McCormick]

Interesting that "save your breath to cool your porridge" is Scots. I say it. (I may have picked it up from books I have read.)

One I grew up with is "Here comes Sally Lipscomb." This refers to a woman in Rolla Missouri (probably around the early 20th century) who wore layered clothing in a hapazard, "crazy" manner. My mothers family knew it and so did a women who was pur help for a time. We had family in Rolla, and the woman grew up in a nearby town. I "know" that Sally was real because of conversations between Mother and Marzella. But interestingly enough my fourth cousin, descended from the family mother knew did NOT know of the expression. Some are very local indeed.

[Sue McCormick]

Should read "our help." Sorry about that!

[Linda S.]

My Scottish-born mother had several sayings. I remember after Christmas and New Year's Day she would say, "Back to old clothes and porridge." Presumably the fruitcakes had been eaten and the good clothes put away until the next holiday. My dad was born and lived all his life in Illinois. He often said, "Off like a dirty shirt." That meant, "We're on our way," in a happy sense, on the way to an adventure. I've never heard anyone else say that. Another of my mother's: "Working harder than a navvy."

[Mary M.]

My favorite comes from my dear, deceased husband, a farm-country Pennsylvania boy: "Good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise," for the likelihood of something coming to pass. I still find myself using it occasionally just because I like the sound of it.

[Nicola Cornick]

Ha! I've never heard the one about the witch! Very descriptive!

[Nicola Cornick]

That is totally fascinating, Sue. A perfect example of a very localised saying, but well known in a particular place.

[Nicola Cornick]

Thanks, Linda. I love "off like a dirty shirt!"

[Nicola Cornick]

I'd never heard that until recently, Mary, when a friend said it. I thought it was wonderful, so descriptive! I do enjoy the way these sayings reflect the environment people grow up in.

[Mary T]

One that I most often find myself saying is "what goes around, comes around." The meaning is pretty obvious. Karma can be a b***h.

Not sure where I first heard it. Just one of those sayings that struck me as being so true.

[Punkinberry]

One phrase that always baffled me was "can't hold a candle to". The most reasonable explanation I ever found was that back in ye olden times, an apprentice had to learn how best to hold a candle for his master to get the best light.

[Elle]

One of my favorites is noisier than a mule in a tin barn. My Swedish grandmother used to say she could get thru something with the help of God and 40 policemen. My mother used to say 'the apple fell not far from the tree' in re to offspring resembling their parents. Two local ones from Southern IL...off like a prom dress and make like horses**t and hit the trail...
Language can certainly be colorful!

[Vicki L.]

Three sayings come to mind:
My dad would say to us if we asked what time it was "A hair half past a freckle". I've said this a few times myself.

Of course there is that true southernism "Bless her/his little Heart" My husband and I use that one frequently about one of my friends.

And then there is "You can stick a fork in it." In metro Atlanta (GA) and surrounding counties/cities, if you are of a certain age you would know that one. One of the Capt. Herb (a morning traffic guy) when giving the report would occasionally say "You can stick a fork in it" which would mean, the traffic is so messed up in all directions it isn't moving.

I'm sure I can come up with others if I think hard enough.

[Jeanette]

"Carrying coals to Newcastle" is a favorite of mine. "Colder than balls on a brass monkey" calls up quite the visual image but it's the wrong one as the monkey was the frame to hold cannon balls on a ship. "Mowin' through it" for eating rapidly but also for getting a job done quickly. "In a pig's eye" meaning no way or NOT. "Duck or Grouse" for action required around a low ceiling beam. And another favorite of mine is "Don't try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig." which is pretty much anything that is a waste of time trying to do. Then there's "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." which of course is trying to find the age of the horse, but means not to be too particular about the flaws in something you might have been given including time to get something done. I often post pictures on FB of a favorite artist who paints chickens, but it's his witty, wise and often sage observations written on the paintings that I really enjoy. He's "been on a roll" with saying himself lately. LOL

[Nicola Cornick]

Mary, that is one that hope and believe in!

[Nicola Cornick]

I read that explanation too, Punkinberry, and it does seem like a good and sensible one. Goes back hundreds of years too!

[Nicola Cornick]

Ha! Those are wonderful, Elle! So evocative and so localised and colourful.

[Nicola Cornick]

I love that so many of these sayings are very local to specific parts of the country and that they continue down the generations. Long may it continue! We need to keep our colourful phrases and idioms!

[Nicola Cornick]

Ah, now I didn't know that one about the brass monkey, Jeanette. Another nautical saying that is very imaginative!

[Sue McCormick]

I grew up on that one in my St. Louis childhood. (I think we're doing some amateur tracking here, so am adding my location.)

[Janice]

Not too long ago I said to a friend "the game's not worth the candle", and then got trapped in a long explanation of what that meant. I am sure it popped into my head from some regency. She wasn't aware that regency folk often passed the time by playing cards and dice until dawn came (or the drink ran out) and candles cost money. Why didn't I just say "it's not worth the effort"? Same thing, but it has no flavor to it!

My favorite is the one that runs something like "fair words butter many parsnips" (or no parsnips, I hear it both ways). Parsnips are not much eaten around here, with or without butter, so I hold back on that one. People may not know what a parsnip is :)

[Jane]

Very interesting. I'm familiar with the song you mention, On Ilkla Moor Baht’at, though I live nowhere near, but my father used to sing it when we were young. Just the type of slightly macabre song to appeal to children!

[Linda S]

Used in Illinois, too!

[Jeanette]

Just got off FB and the one that comes to mind right now is "He cut off his nose to spite his face."

[Nicola Cornick]

The game's not worth the candle is another fabulous saying, Janice, and my grandmother used to say it along with "doing it too brown." it made me very happy that the phrases I read in Regencies were still around in those days!

[Nicola Cornick]

Ha! That's interesting, Jane, that the song is know more widely. As you say, children would love the worms and the ducks and the macabre tone!

[Nicola Cornick]

Such a picturesque saying, Jeanette!

[Margaret]

Just this morning I was talking with my 16-year-old son about one of his classmates and said something about him having a devil-may-care attitude. My son had NO idea what I was trying to convey (did you say "devil make carrot, Mom?"). I actually meant to look it up when I got to work as I didn't know where the saying came from but it left my head completely until I read your column. And then of course my husband was speaking of last week's election and how all had "gang aft agley . . . .", but that's another story entirely.

[Nicola Cornick]

LOL! "Devil make carrot!" That could become a new saying! Yes, good old Robbie Burns sums things up well...

[Janice]

My mom used to say that. She grew up in a conservative farm community in Utah. Most of her family came from Scotland or Germany. Perhaps such things linger in such places?

[Karin]

Sorry I got here late, because this is such a fun discussion. I love all of these expressions, especially the British ones.
My father had a couple which he usually said in German, but one of them translated as "Chickens die from thinking". This was always said in response to one of us doing something dumb, and then saying "but I thought...".
He also had one he must have picked up in the U.S. Army, "built like a brick sh**house" which referred to a sturdily built or full figured woman!

[Nicola Cornick]

Hi Karin! I love the chicken phrase! I've never heard that. The other one has definitely made its way over this side of the pond too. So descriptive!