by Albert Jack
To be Cut To The Quick implies deep and emotional hurt. This is a simple phrase to explain as the Old English word for ‘living’ is cwicu. Back in ancient England to be ‘cut to the cwicu’ meant receiving a deep flesh wound.
Having A Dekko is a common phrase for having a look at something. It is often mistaken for cockney rhyming slang but the phrase for that is ‘butcher’s hook’ (‘hook’ rhymes with ‘look’). In fact, having a ‘dekko’ was introduced to the English language by troops returning from India in the 1800s, during the Empire-building campaigns. ‘Dekko’ is the Hindustani word for ‘look’ (or to see).
To describe a person as having Gone Doolally is to suggest they have gone mad. In the late 19th century, as the British Empire dominated the world, the British Army established a military base at Deolali, 100 miles north of Bombay in India. The base had an asylum, into which unstable battle-weary troops would be sent, but it also doubled as a transit camp where soldiers, at the end of their duty tour, would be stationed to await the boat home. But ships only left for Blighty between November and March so some soldiers had months to wait for their transportation. The ensuing drawn-out weeks of heat, exhaustion and boredom often resulted in strange and eccentric behaviour. This behaviour would be explained, on their return to Britain, as the man having ‘gone through Deolali’. Doolally was recorded as military slang in 1925. (See also Basket Case.)
A Doss House is used to describe living accommodation that is basic in the extreme and a Dosser is an unkind word used to describe somebody living there or in any other cheap, temporary place. The phrase is traced back to Elizabethan England during the late 16th century when a basic straw bed was known as a ‘doss’, taken from the French word ‘dossel’ meaning bundle of hay. Farmers and other landowners would rent out straw beds in barns, or other basic shelters, to the homeless and these places, lined with ‘dossels’ were known as doss houses.
To Egg On is a term used to urge or encourage somebody, usually into doing something foolish or risky. The phrase is almost as old as eggs themselves and its origin can be found in the old Anglo-Saxon language where the word ‘eggian’ means to spur on, or from the Old Norse word ‘eggja’, meaning to incite. To ‘eggian’ a person was to encourage or incite them.
To Run The Gauntlet means to place one’s self at risk of attack from all sides, either physically or verbally. It is of Scandinavian origin. In the 1600s the Swedish military would punish soldiers or sailors by forming two lines of men, each armed with a short length of rope or a baton. The offender was then forced to run down between the lines, while his comrades beat him as hard as they could. The Swedish word for passageway is ‘gantlope’ and this was later anglicised to ‘gauntlet’ by the English military, who discovered this form of punishment during the Thirty Year War (1618–48). The practice was abolished in 1813 but remained a method of public school bullying well into the 1900s.
To Wreak Havoc means to cause major confusion and destruction. The expression began life as ‘Cry Havot’ which is the old French expression for ‘plunder’. In widespread use by the 13th century, the phrase evolved into Anglo-French as ‘Cry Havoc’. During a military campaign the cry of ‘havoc’, by the generals, was the signal that the battle was won and the pillaging and looting could begin. In 1386 Richard II banned the use of the phrase on pain of death but Shakespeare used the term in several of his plays, which is how it passed over into wider use.
Hob Nobbing with somebody implies keeping their company or associating with them. This expression is the perfect example of how, as the English language progresses, word corruption often occurs. Originally the phrase used was ‘hab nab’ which was shortened from the Old English word ‘habban’, meaning ‘to have’, and ‘nabban’, meaning ‘not to have’. This expression then took on the meaning of ‘to give and take’ in the context of drinks. But in 1811 the Oxford English Dictionary tells us that in the corner of an open fireplace there was usually a small ledge called a hob, which was used to warm cold wine or beer. The table this was then served upon was called a ‘nob’, suggesting that ‘hob and nobbing’ was a term for sharing drinks. By 1861 Charles Dickens had used the phrase in his novel Great Expectations and it passed over into wider use as a term for associating with someone.
If we are In Cahoots we are planning an event in secrecy. An American term, it has developed from the French word ‘cahute’, meaning ‘small hut’. The phrase was used by native Americans to describe the French settlers during the 17th century and has come to mean groups of people colluding with each other unseen in confined spaces.
To put the Kibosh on something usually means it is stopped in its tracks, effectively ended. This sounds like a Jewish word and sure enough its origin can be found in Hebrew, where ‘kabash’ means to subdue or to bring into subjection.
If you Lambast someone, they are on the receiving end of a very severe rebuke or reprimand. Emanating from the Old Norse word ‘lamia’ meaning ‘to make lame’, the phrase entered the English language as ‘Lam’ meaning ‘to beat soundly’. ‘Baste’ is the Old Norse word for ‘thrash’, or ‘flog’, and over time the two words have connected to provide the phrase in use today.
To Be At Large is usually applied to a prisoner who has escaped and is free from custody. It is one of those strange phrases that appear to have no basis in the English language, and indeed it doesn’t. The French have the phrase ‘prendre la large’ which means ‘to stand out and be free to move’, from which our expression has developed.
When somebody is Larking About they are playing around in a silly manner. There is a suggestion that the phrase is linked to skylarks, who frolic around in the sky on summer evenings, but the expression derives from the Middle English word ‘Laik’ which means to play and the Old English work ‘Lac’ meaning a contest. By the 18th century the word ‘lark’ was established as part of the English language meaning ‘amusing adventure or escapade’.
To Use Your Loaf means to show some common sense and intelligence. The origin for this is simple–‘use your loaf of bread’, which is ‘head’ in cockney rhyming slang.
To be Left In The Lurch means you have been left at a disadvantage, usually by someone close to you. There is an old French game of dice called ‘lourche’, the object of which is to leave your opponent way behind you on the score card. When this happens, the trailing opponent incurs a lourche (a disadvantage). The phrase became anglicised via the card game of cribbage. During the scoring process if a player reaches 51 holes on the cribbage board, before another reaches 31, the trailing player is deemed to have been left in the lurch. It can also be noted that, once a winner has placed his peg in the final hole of the score board, causing the game to be over, he is considered to be Pegged Out, a phrase used to described being exhausted, or finished for the time being.
When somebody makes a Moot Point they are suggesting something so vague and ambiguous that it is open to debate. ‘Moot’ derives from a wonderful old Anglo-Saxon word ‘gemot’ which means ‘meeting’. Saxon society was made up of many different assemblies where public issues could be debated. A ‘wardmote’ was a ward meeting, a ‘burgmote’ was a town meeting and the grand ‘witenagemote’ was a meeting of prominent wise men. During the 16th century the moot courts, or the mootings, were established at the Inns of Court in London. This was the place where young law students were able to practise their powers of argument and debate by taking part in hypothetical trials. It is a practice that continues to this day and forms the origin of this phrase.
Mufti Day is a day many school children look forward to as it means they can spend the day in their own choice of clothes, rather than in school uniform. In the work place many companies now also have a ‘mufti day’ and employees can dress casually for a small donation to charity. The phrase is a military one and originates in the Middle East where British officers and their troops would relax in dressing gowns, smoking caps and slippers. This appearance was similar to that of a costume worn by experts in Muslim law, w
ho are called ‘muftis’. The expression returned to Britain with the military and passed into wider use during the 19th century.
A Phoney is regarded as fake, not the genuine article. ‘Fainne’ (pronounced ‘fawnya’) is a Gaelic word meaning circle or ring. In the 18th century some Irish gold was not regarded as genuine and by 1811 gold rings from that country were known as ‘fawney’, which became an English slang word meaning fake. During the 1920s imitation gold rings passed on by American confidence tricksters were also regarded as ‘fawney’, although their accent led to a corruption and the word became ‘phoney’.
A Plum Job or a Plum Role is considered to be one of the best and most important a person can have. During the 1600s the slang term in England for £1,000 was ‘plum’, in the same way as a ‘monkey’ is now £500 and a ‘score’ is £20. Back then £1,000 was a seriously large amount of money but it was the fixed amount some politicians received for certain government roles. This was considered by the average layman to be a vast sum of money for doing very little and these posts became known as ‘plum jobs’. It is easy to see how this phrase caught on and is applied to this day to easy or privileged positions, although it is often used in admiration rather than the contempt the expression started with.
Point Blank range means very close to and is usually used in relation to gunfire, as in ‘shot at point blank range’. The origin is a military one and stems from the French word ‘point blanc’ which means centre, or bullseye. It was used to describe the flight of an arrow that flies directly at its target. In other words, you are close enough to the target for no arcing to take place. To tell someone point blank, as in ‘I told him point blank the answer was no’ also suggests the conversation was held at very close range, face to face.
Not A Sausage is a way of describing either something as free of charge or one’s own self as being penniless. It is derived from another example of the colourful cockney rhyming slang of London, where sausage and mash was a staple diet between the 17th and 18th centuries. To be without ‘sausage and mash’ is to be without cash.
To suggest a person is No Great Shakes is to imply they are not particularly effective, and not up to a given standard. The word ‘shakes’ in this context comes from the Old English word ‘schakere’, which means to boast or brag. This was a phrase used frequently in the 13th century and the phrase ‘of no great schakere’ meant a person had nothing to boast about. A second widely held belief is that the phrase comes from the game of dice, suggesting a poor player wasn’t any good because his ‘shakes’ were not effective enough.
To be In A Shambles is to be in a state of complete disarray. This phrase is usually used as a criticism of a person, group of people or a situation. The word ‘shambles’ derives from the Old English word ‘sceamul’ (pronounced ‘shamell’) which means ‘stool’ or ‘table’ as in a butcher’s workbench. During the medieval period most towns had certain streets exclusively occupied by a single trade. There would be whole rows of fishmongers, greengrocers and butchers, which were known as ‘shambles’. Some old towns such as York still have streets called The Shambles. Street butchers were supplied by the slaughterhouses and such was the mess of blood and animal parts by the butchers’ workbenches they too became referred to as ‘shambles’. This then became a metaphor for general mess and chaos.
Thick As Thieves is a term used to imply two or more people are on very close, friendly terms with each other, often with a common purpose. It stems from a French phrase ‘like thieves at a fair’, which describes groups of villains working in close collusion, which then hopped the Channel during the Norman Conquest in 1066. In England the saying was first used by author Thomas Hook in his novel The Parson’s Daughter, which was published in 1833. Contrary to popular belief, the phrase ‘thick as thieves’ is not a reference to the intellect of those residing at Her Majesty’s Pleasure.
To Take Umbrage means to take offence at somebody’s remarks or behaviour. The word ‘umbrage’ has its roots in the Latin word ‘umbra’ meaning shade (which is also where the word ‘umbrella’ comes from). In England, ‘umbra’ was used to describe the shade or shadow cast by a line of trees and came to mean the shadow or shade a person is put under by suspicion or doubt. To be put in such a shadow will give rise to resentment and ill feeling, hence ‘taking umbrage’.
Without Batting An Eyelid is a common phrase used to describe a person taking a situation in their stride, without even blinking in surprise. ‘Bate’ is a long obsolete English word meaning ‘to flutter’ or ‘to beat the wings’ as a butterfly might. When a person reacted, to something without showing any signs of surprise (blinking) they were regarded as ‘not even bateing an eyelid’, which later mutated into the phrase we use today.
To get off Scot Free means to have escaped punishment and avoided the consequence of a bad deed. The origin of the phrase is traced to Scandinavia (not Scotland as it would appear) and the word ‘scot’ meaning ‘payment’. Around the 13th century a great municipal tax called ‘scot’ was imposed on the Scandinavian people. All households were required to pay according to their means but the peasants were exempt. They were known as ‘scot-free’. In England the scot tax lasted in some places for hundreds of years, finally petering out during the Westminster electoral reforms in 1836.
It is also known that during the Middle Ages innkeepers would hold a record of a person’s drinking on a slate called a scot and to leave an establishment without paying was known as ‘going scot free’.
5: THE ANCIENTS: GREEKS
AND ROMANS
An Achilles’ Heel is a perceived weakness in someone or something otherwise considered solid and perhaps infallible. As the ancient Greek legend goes, Thetis dipped her son Achilles into the river Styx with the intention of making his skin armour-like and impenetrable. But she held him by his heel, which remained out of the water and as a result his only vulnerable spot. Achilles grew up to be an invincible soldier but his deadly enemy, Paris, learned of his weakness and killed him during the Trojan War with an arrow shot straight at his heel. Homer told the full story in his Iliad.
To Add Insult To Injury suggests a second remark or action makes an already bad situation worse by adding another problem. It is suggested the origin of the saying dates back to 25 BC and a book of fables by the Roman writer Phaedrus. In his story ‘The Bald Man And The Fly’, Phaedrus describes a fly stinging a bald man on the top of his head. Angry at being bitten the man attempts to kill the fly with a hard slap, but the insect sees this coming and jumps off, leaving the man to slap only his head. The fly then insults the man for trying to kill it over a simple insect bite. The bald man had not only received an injury, in the shape of a bite on the top of his head, but also suffered the indignity of making it worse and being insulted by the fly.
To keep something At Bay, such as danger or illness, means to fend it off and not be affected by it. In ancient history the bay tree was thought to possess great protective powers, as they never seemed to be struck by lightning. Romans and Greeks would seek shelter under a bay tree during storms and warriors took to wearing bay leaves as a means of protection against both the enemy and thunderstorms in an attempt to keep them ‘at bay’. During the Great Plague of London in 1665 city folk did the same in the hope they would avoid the disease and keep the plague ‘at bay’.
To have the Bit Between Your Teeth means to go about a task with such enthusiasm and determination that nobody can stop you. This term relates to the metal bar in a horse’s mouth attached to the reigns enabling a rider to steer and control the animal. This bar is known as the ‘bit’ and needs to be positioned at the softer back of the mouth where the horse can feel it. If the bit gets caught further forward, between the teeth, the horse becomes insensitive to a rider’s instructions and therefore uncontrollable. The expression dates back to the year 470 BC and Greek culture when Aeschylus remarked, ‘You take the bit in your teeth like a new-harnessed colt.’
When somebody is described as a Real Brick th
ey are complimented on their reliability and their solid and dependable nature, somebody beyond the call of duty. The ancient Greek legend of the city of Sparta tells a story of its king, Lycurgus, who had failed to build defensive walls around his kingdom, as was the custom of the day. When questioned about this King Lycurgus is said to have pointed to his soldiers and replied, ‘But I have a wall, and every man is a brick.’
If we Burn Our Bridges, we are putting ourselves in a position from which there is no return, often to our great cost. This phrase can be traced back to the Roman Army, whose generals adopted the practice of burning the bridges their soldiers crossed on their way into battle, removing any thought of retreat from their minds. They also used to Burn Their Boats after sea invasions, once again eliminating any idea of withdrawal.
‘My Ears Are Burning’ is a remark made by a person to suggest they are being talked about by others at that moment. Quite often we experience a tingling or slight burning sensation in either ear and the superstitious Romans believed all such things were signals. ‘It is acknowledged that the absent feel a presentiment of remarks about themselves by the ringing of their ears’ (Naturalis Historia, AD 77). As the Romans also firmly believed everything on the left signified evil and on the right implied good, the theory was that the left ear burning suggested evil intent and the right ear praise. Sir Thomas Brown (1605–82) in his book Extracts From Christian Morals suggested guardian angels were responsible and they touched the right ear if the talk was favourable and the left if unfavourable.
Eat Your Heart Out is a phrase we use in good humour to taunt another person. The suggestion is that they should be envious of and worried about another’s achievement. The saying was a favourite Jewish expression in showbusiness circles during the 20th century but was certainly in use much earlier. Diogenes Laertius credited Pythagoras with saying ‘Do not eat your heart’ meaning ‘Don’t waste your life worrying about something.’ And that was 2,500 years ago.
