I had a lot of fun researching idioms for this week’s 13. I hope you enjoy them. All of the definitions and origins came from this site.
1. Long in the tooth – To be getting old.
The age of a horse can be roughly determined by examining its teeth, since a horse's gums recede as they age. The longer the teeth of a horse appear to be, the older the horse.
2. Rule of thumb – A basic rule that is usually but not always correct.
Based on the use of ones thumb as a rough measurement tool. Generally correct for course measures. Most old English measures of distance were based on the body measurements of the king -- the length of the foot, inch (thumb tip to first knuckle), cubit (elbow-to-fingertip), and yard (nose-to-fingertip).
3. Close but no cigar – Nearly achieving success, but not quite.
Carnival games of skill, particularly shooting games, once gave out cigars as a prize. A contestant that did not quite hit the target was close, but did not get a cigar.
4. Three sheets to the wind – Very drunk, highly intoxicated.
The phrase comes from 18th - 19th century English Naval terminology. The original phrase was "three Sheets in the wind" and referred to the erratic behavior of a ship that has lost control of all of its sails.
In nautical terminology sheets are the ropes that adjust the position of the sails relative to the wind.
The speed and direction of a sailing ship is controlled by the number of sails raised on each mast, the angle of the sails to the wind (trim of the sails), and the position of the rudder. If the sheets used to control the sails are to break or are have been released, the sheet is said to be "in the wind".
One can imagine a sail thrashing wildly in a strong wind with its sheet (the control ropes) blowing about. It would be very difficult to regain control of such a sail.
Prior to the 1810's it was common for ships to have three masts, (fore, main, and mizzen). If the sheets on all three masts are "in the wind", the ship loses all steering control.
The ship's lack of control is likened to that of a stumbling drunk.
5. Dead as a door nail – To be dead, with no chance for recovery.
Nails were once hand tooled and costly. When an aging cabin or barn was torn down the valuable nails would be salvaged so they could be reused in later construction.
When building a door however, carpenters often drove the nail through then bent it over the other end so it couldn't work its way out during the repeated opening and closing of the door. When it came time to salvage the building, these door nails were considered useless, or "dead" because of the way they were bent.
6. Down the hatch – Drink or eat.
Here's a drinking expression that seems to have its origins in sea freight, where cargoes are lowered into the hatch for transport below deck. The freight appears to be consumed by the ship.
7. In the Doldrums – To be depressed or unmotivated.
Doldrums is the name of a place in the ocean that is located near the equator and is characterized by unstable trade winds. A sailing ship caught in the Doldrums can be stranded due to lack of wind.
8. Irons in the fire – Having or pursuing multiple opportunities simultaneously.
Blacksmiths traditionally worked iron into shape by hammering. The iron being worked would be heated in the fire until it was red-hot and malleable. The Smith removes the iron from the fire and shapes it with repeated blows from a hammer. They need to work quickly before the iron cools. Once the iron is cool, it becomes brittle and cannot be hammered.
Once removed from the fire, the iron cools quickly. It takes longer to heat the iron to red-hot than it takes for it to cool. Blacksmiths work more efficiently by having multiple pieces of iron in the fire heating simultaneously. In that way, the Smith can always have a piece of iron red-hot and ready for hammering. The cooled piece would be returned to the fire if it needed more hammering.
9. Kiss of death – Something that is a precursor to failure, that will lead to future failure.
From the fabled Mafia practice. A kiss from the Don meant curtains (death) for the receiver.
10. Mind your Ps and Qs – Behave properly.
Comes from the early pub days when beer and ale was served in pint and quart containers. The tab was kept on a chalkboard used to count the pints and quarts consumed. To watch your Ps and Qs is to control your alcoholic intake and behavior.
11. Once in a blue moon – To happen only on rare occasions.
Two full moons in the same month are extremely rare, though they do happen. A second full moon has come to be called a blue moon. This is apparently because the Maine Farmers Almanac used to list the date of first moon in red text, and the second moon in blue.
12. Put English on it – To impart a spin to something in an effort to make it hard to control, usually a ball in sports like tennis.
"The English way" or "English" comes from the British game of Snooker. Snooker is a forerunner to the game of Billiards or pool. Similar to pool, Snooker uses cue sticks, balls, and a table however the table has no pockets.
A technique used in Snooker is to impart a spin to the ball to alter its travel.
13. Reading the Riot Act – To complain or lecture loudly and with angry emotion.
"Reading the riot act" used to be a literal event. Bobbies in Britain used to read a prescribed proclamation, known as the Riot Act, before they could break up or arrest a crowd. The Riot Act is used in a fashion similar to the Miranda Rights in the US.
The Bobbies would approach the crowd, read the Riot Act aloud, and then disperse or arrest them.
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