Red Herrings and White Elephants

by Albert Jack

  A Dark Horse is something of an unknown quantity, perhaps somebody whose abilities are not yet fully known but soon will be. In the 16th century the phrase ‘to keep something dark’ meant keeping something quiet but Benjamin Disraeli created our phrase in his debut novel The Young Duke, published in 1831. (At that time Disraeli was only 27 years old and another 37 years away from being Prime Minister.) In his story he describes a horse race in which the two favourites are beaten to the finishing line by an unfancied third. Disraeli wrote, ‘a dark horse which never had been thought of rushed past the grandstand in sweeping triumph.’ It was common for owners to conceal the potential of their best new horses until the actual day of the race, and almost immediately, throughout the racing world, such animals became known as ‘dark horses’ regardless of their colour.

  Dickens To Pay is used as a threat: ‘If you do that again there will be Dickens to pay.’ Charles Dickens wasn’t a frightening character so as a threat it seems mild to say the least. But the 19th-century novelist has nothing to do with it. As long ago as the 16th century the word ‘Devil’ was, in fact, ‘Devilkin’ and having ‘the devilkin to pay’ meant a passage straight to Hell for one’s misdemeanour. Devilkin was usually pronounced ‘Dickens’, or at least it was in 1601 when William Shakespeare included the line ‘I cannot tell what the Dickens his name was’ in his play The Merry Wives Of Windsor–more than 200 years before Charles Dickens was born.

  To describe somebody as a Good or Bad Egg would suggest they were either decent, dependable and reliable or not. The expression ‘bad egg’ was first used in 1855 in Samuel A Hammett’s novel Captain Priest which included the phrase, ‘In the language of his class the Perfect Bird generally turns out to be a bad egg.’ The analogy he draws is with an egg that on the outside may appear fresh, but when the shell is broken it may be rotten inside. At the beginning of the 20th century students began reversing the phrase and describing decent people as a ‘good egg’.

  The phrase As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs is used to describe absolute certainty about something. In fact, it is a simple misquote which has passed into common usage. In formal logic and mathematics the formula ‘x is x’ is used to describe complete certainty. It is unclear how or when ‘x is x’ became ‘eggs is eggs’ but it is known Charles Dickens used the phrase ‘eggs is eggs’ in The Pickwick Papers, published in 1837. Maybe Dickens was joking, or playing on words, or possibly it was a simple mistake that proved amusing enough to be left unchanged.

  At One Fell Swoop is used to indicate ‘in a single movement’ or all at the same time, and conjures up an image of a bird of prey swooping down on its target. It is one of Shakespeare’s creations. In the Bard’s 1606 play Macbeth, the character Macduff, on learning his wife and children have all been killed, cries out, ‘What, all my pretty chickens, and their dam, at one fell swoop?’ The word ‘fell’ has been used since then to mean ‘evil’ or ‘deadly’.

  Sending someone off with a Flea In Their Ear implies they have been told off, and in no uncertain terms. The analogy is that of a dog with a flea in its ear, running around in distress shaking its head. The phrase has been used since 1579 when the popular Elizabethan author John Lyly (Lillie or Lylie) published Euphues, Or The Anatomy Of Wit. In it he included the line–‘Ferardo…whispering Philautus in his eare (who stoode as though he had a flea in his eare), desired him to kepe silence’, as he described a scene where the lord of the manor rebuked a servant.

  The phrase Going For A Song is used to indicate that something is cheap and priced well below its true value. The actual song, which describes the origin, is in fact a long poem called ‘The Faerie Queene’, presented to Queen Elizabeth I by Edmund Spenser. At the time it was regarded as Spenser’s most popular work but Lord Burleigh, the Lord High Treasurer, was unimpressed. When he heard the Queen intended to pay Spenser £100 for the work, he famously exclaimed, ‘What! All this for a song?’ The Queen, much to Burleigh’s dismay, insisted the money was handed over. The incident was widely reported and the phrase became English slang, although meaning of low value instead of high. The reason for this was the pennies and small change people would toss to buskers and singers entertaining in the hostelries around old London town.

  To Kill The Goose That Lays The Golden Egg is to destroy a source of income, or other benefit, through sheer greed. The origin of this saying can be found in one of Aesop’s fables, which was translated into English by William Caxton in1484. In the story Aesop tells the tale of a peasant who discovered a goose that laid golden eggs. In his excitement, and desire to become instantly wealthy, the hapless peasant immediately cut the goose open in order to retrieve the rest of the hidden fortune, killing it in the process and consequently losing his chance of great wealth. The moral of the fable is to be content and have patience, and to caution against greed.

  To Go The Whole Hog means to do something thoroughly and completely without reservation. Although this is unlikely to be the origin of the phrase, the first reference to it can be found in William Cowper’s 1779 poem ‘The Love Of The World; or Hypocrisy Detected’. As Cowper describes Muslim leaders trying to work out which part of the hog was edible, he says, ‘But for one piece they thought it hard, from the whole hog to be debarred.’

  The passing of the phrase into wider use came from the sales tactics of American meat men. Starting in Virginia, enterprising butchers offered joints of meat for sale by the pound, but anybody buying the whole animal would be charged a much cheaper rate, pound for pound. Buying the whole hog and then sharing it around friends and neighbours soon became standard practice for those looking for good discounts on their meat prices. In 1828 Andrew Jackson often used the phrase ‘going the whole hog’ in his presidential campaign. The election was notable as being the first involving ordinary Americans and campaign leaders organised rallies, parades, dinners and barbecues in order to win votes. Slogans were also used for the first time and Jackson’s ‘going the whole hog’ (going all the way) became known all over America. Jackson won the election, considered at the time as the dirtiest campaign ever witnessed.

  How The Other Half Lives is a friendly phrase alluding to the life styles of the rich. The expression can be traced as far back as 1532 and the French book Pantagruel by Rabelais and was in use in England by 1607. Jacob Riis used the phrase as the title of a book in 1890 but somewhere along the line the saying has completely changed its meaning. Originally it was a condescending expression used by the rich to describe the poor, but these days it is a light-hearted expression used by the less fortunate to describe the rich.

  Ignorance Is Bliss is used to suggest that lack of knowledge equals lack of concern. Originally the phrase alluded to the innocence of youth described in 1747 by Thomas Gray in his poem ‘Ode On A Distant Prospect Of Eton College’ in the lines ‘Thought would destroy their paradise / No more where ignorance is bliss / Tis folly to be wise’. The context Gray uses for the word ignorance is one of limited knowledge rather than the impoliteness or arrogance the word can also be associated with.

  Living in an Ivory Tower is a mildly pejorative expression used to describe those who live sheltered lives, away from the harsh realities and problems faced by others. It is of French origin and can be traced back as far as the early 1800s, to a poet named Alfred de Vigny. Alfred led a life of disappointment and in his later years withdrew almost completely from society, while continuing to write. In 1837, in a poem called ‘Pensees d’Aout’ (‘Thoughts of August’) written by a critic called Sainte-Beuve, de Vigny’s lifestyle was described as isolated, and it was suggested he lived in a secluded ‘tour d’ivoire’ (an ‘ivory tower’). The phrase was then widely used to describe other academics who had the reputation of living in a world away from harsh realities, suggesting they knew little about real life.

  A Jekyll And Hyde character is a person who has two very different sides to his personality. One side is sweet and loving and the other dark and menacing. The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde is a story by Robert Lo
uis Stevenson first published in 1886 to instant acclaim. In the story Stevenson describes a doctor (Jekyll) who discovers a drug enabling him to create a separate personality to express his own evil instincts. He calls his new personality ‘Mr Hyde’. As the story unfolds Hyde becomes more and more wicked and eventually Dr Jekyll finds the drug too powerful to overcome and he is unable to return to his natural state of calm and reason, leading to his eventual suicide.

  A Leap Of Faith or a Leap In The Dark is a step into the unknown where an outcome cannot be reliably predicted. It is famously suggested the final words of English philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) were, ‘Now I am about to take my last voyage, a great leap in the dark.’ Almost immediately others picked up his words. In 1697 Sir John Vanbrugh wrote in his play The Provoked Wife, ‘Now I am for Hobbes’ voyage, a great leap in the dark.’ Other celebrated writers, such as Disraeli, Defoe and Byron, later quoted Hobbes, although over the years the phrase has developed to mean any general uncertainty, rather than the leap into eternity.

  To be in possession of The Lion’s Share is to have the larger part of something, more than anyone else involved. This phrase is another originating from Aesop’s fables. One story tells of a lion and three other animals, all hunting together, who catch and kill a stag for their supper. The meal was divided into four equal parts but, just as the animals are about to tuck in, the lion stops them. He insists the first portion is for him as he is king of the jungle and therefore their ruler. He then claims a second portion for himself on the basis he is the strongest of them all and finally a third because of his infinite courage. The lion then allows the other three animals to share the last portion between them but warns them only to touch it if they dare.

  Namby Pamby is a phrase used to emphasise weakness and childish manner in an adult. The original Namby Pamby was the poet Ambrose Philips (1674–1749), a fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge. Philips had achieved success with both The Distrest Mother (1712) and his later adaptation of Racine’s Andromaque, but his infantile language was ridiculed by the great poets of his day. It was Henry Carey who bestowed on Philips the nickname ‘Namby Pamby’ because his verses were addressed mainly to babies, and it was quickly adopted as part of the English language.

  If something is Piping Hot it is extremely hot. The pipes that amplified the sound of the old pipe organs found in cathedrals and large churches would hiss in the same way as water does when it steams. When something was ‘pipe hot’ it was known to be boiling or steaming. The phrase was first recorded during the 1300s and can be found first in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales when he wrote, ‘Wafers piping hot out of the gleed’. A wafer is a kind of thin cake, baked between wafer-irons, and ‘gleed’ is the hot coals of a fire.

  Our Salad Days are the carefree periods of youth when mortgages, insurance and the taxman have yet to enter our minds. The weekend is for living, our partners still look forward to seeing us and the divorce court is a place for old people. The phrase is a simple one with a simple origin provided, once again, by Shakespeare. In 1606 the Bard wrote the play Antony And Cleopatra, which includes the line: ‘They were my salad days, when I was green in judgement.’

  To be As Happy As A Sandboy means you are in a state of joyous contentment. This phrase passed into regular usage courtesy of Charles Dickens. In 1840 Dickens published The Old Curiosity Shop which includes an inn called The Jolly Sandboys that displayed a sign outside depicting three drunken sandboys. But what was a sandboy? Dickens is known to have spent time in Bristol, which is referred to throughout The Pickwick Papers, published in 1836. Around that time it is recorded that the town’s landlords would spread sand on the floor of their establishments which would soak up any spillage, much in the same way as sawdust would be used in other places. In Bristol the Redcliffe Caves are full of sand and innkeepers would send boys off into the caves to provide them with a regular supply. These youngsters were paid partly in ale and consequently they were usually half-cut (merry or jolly), hence Dickens’s inn sign and the origin of our phrase.

  To have a Skeleton In The Cupboard is to have a shameful secret hidden away. I remember as a small boy asking my mother, after watching a programme about missing siblings, if I had any brothers or sisters I didn’t know about. She told me we didn’t have any ‘skeletons like that in our cupboards’, which scared the life out of me as I wondered how many children had been locked up forever in cupboards for being naughty. Until 1832 it was illegal to dissect a human body for the benefit of medical research, but of course many a physician still did, and the skeletons had to be hidden somewhere. It is also true that, after dissections became legal, grave robbers would dig up newly buried corpses and sell them to unscrupulous doctors in an underhand way. This practice was so frowned upon that medical men would try to keep their secrets hidden away in locked cupboards. The phrase was first used in print during an article in Punch magazine, written in 1845 by William Thackeray, and has been in common usage ever since. My parents probably still wonder where the keys to all the wardrobes in our house went. I imagine they are still over the fence behind next door’s shed.

  Sour Grapes is a phrase used to describe someone who is sulking or jealous of not having something that others do have. It stems from a simple and popular fable of Aesop called ‘The Fox And The Grapes’, in which the fox spends a long time trying to reach a bunch of grapes high on the vine, but eventually fails. The fox then comforts himself by explaining he didn’t really want them after all, as they looked sour.

  An Ugly Duckling is a gaunt and awkward child who grows up to be beautiful. This phrase comes from a fairy tale written by children’s author Hans Christian Andersen. It tells the story of a duck that mistakenly nests a swan’s egg. When the egg is hatched the startled mother duck cannot understand how she has produced such an awkward, ungainly child, which is notably different from the rest of her brood. The cygnet is ridiculed for its dull appearance and hides away in the tall reeds in shame. However, come the spring, the clumsy cygnet emerges from her hideaway having been transformed into a beautiful swan. Danny Kaye’s song ‘The Ugly Duckling’, which was released in the 1950s, popularised the story all over the world.

  4: LANGUAGES

  To call someone a Berk is generally regarded as a mildly humorous put-down without malice, but the origin of the phrase suggests it was very different to begin with. Berk derives from a simple piece of cockney rhyming slang where anybody referred to as a ‘Berkshire Hunt’ was on the receiving end of one of the most offensive uses of rhyming slang. ‘Berkshire Hunt’ was shortened to ‘Berk’ as a replacement for the original meaning, but these days, berk is not at all linked to its original meaning by those using it.

  To go Berserk means to be in an uncontrollable state, wild and violent. Norse mythology tells the tale of a warrior who would work himself into a frenzy before going into battle and would cast his weapons aside to fight barehanded. Dressed only in a bearskin coat the warrior was universally feared, as were his 12 sons who each had a fearsome reputation. Their battle dress earned them a nickname. Bear is a ‘bern’ in old Norse and coat is translated as ‘serkr’ and from this combination they revelled in their reputation of ‘berserkers’. Many Viking warriors emulated their example and the word crossed the North Sea to England during the Viking invasion in 865.

  To Blackmail somebody is to demand money by threats, usually to expose secrets. This word, or phrase, originated in the Highlands of Scotland in the 1600s. The ‘mail’ in blackmail is the old Scottish word for rent, usually spelled either ‘maill’ or ‘male’, which in turn evolved from the Old Norse word ‘mal’ meaning agreement or contract. In those days tenants paid their rent in silver coins which used to be known as ‘white money’ but in the 1600s the Highland clan chiefs began a protection racket, threatening farmers and traders with violence if they didn’t pay to be protected from other clans. This informal tax, or additional rent, soon became known as ‘black money’ or ‘black rent’, being the opposite of white, an
d so ‘blackmaill’ became part of the language as a word used to describe the practice of obtaining money by threat of violence. During the 1900s the art of demanding money not to divulge somebody’s secrets was established and the use of the word ‘blackmail’ extended to describe this.

  Blighty is an affectionate old-fashioned term for Britain. This developed during the British Empire campaign in India and is taken from the Hindi word ‘Bilayti’, meaning foreigner. Empire soldiers used the term to refer to their homeland and the expression was in regular use by the time of the First World War by soldiers who talked of Britain.

  Getting down to Brass Tacks means that early discussions are complete and we now need to get to the heart of the matter, the details. Some suggestions point to the origin of this phrase being the American drapery stores, where brass-headed tacks were nailed into the counter and used for measuring out fabric. The idea being that, once the customer had taken time to choose their material, putting it to the ‘brass tacks’ meant actually getting down to the sale. Another explanation is that the phrase stems from the brass tacks found in furniture, which can only be seen when the item is taken apart for restoration. For the real origin we need to look no further than our good old cockney rhyming slang, in which ‘facts’ are dubbed ‘brass tacks’.

  Cockney rhyming slang is responsible for many phrases, and A Load Of Cobblers is another of them. These days ‘cobblers’ means something said is unbelievable or evident nonsense. It is an extension of ‘a load of balls’, a phrase widely used for centuries in England. A cobbler’s awl is a tool used for making lace holes in shoes or boots. In cockney rhyming slang ‘balls’ became ‘cobblers awls’, or cobblers. In the Queen’s English it means you are talking codswallop.