by Albert Jack
There But For The Grace Of God Go I is used by people noting another’s misfortune and suggesting it could easily have befallen themselves. The popular Protestant preacher John Bradford first used this phrase while being held in the Tower of London on the trumped-up charges of ‘trying to stir up a mob’. In fact, all he had done was to save a Catholic preacher named Bourne from a baying Protestant mob. But this happened during the reign of Mary I, whose restoration of the Catholic Church saw the persecution of many Protestants. While in the Tower, Bradford witnessed many being taken away for execution and each time would remark, ‘There but for the grace of God goes John Bradford.’ But Bradford was soon charged with heresy and later burned at the stake in Smithfield market on 1 July 1555.
To Tie The Knot is commonly understood to mean marriage. The phrase means very little to any western wedding ceremony, but we can find it in many other cultures around the world. In Sikh weddings both the bride and groom wear silk scarves and the bride’s father knots them together as the happy couple honour the Sikh scriptures. Chinese Buddhists honour the deity Yue Laou by uniting couples with a silken cord after which nothing can break their unity, and during Hindu ceremonies several garments of the committed are tied together as they walk around a holy fire. In western ceremonies the knot has a much lower-key role as it is only the ribbons of a bridal bouquet that are tied together. In all cases the knot is there to symbolise love, unity and a bond that cannot ever be broken in any circumstances. (The divorce lawyers can stop laughing right now.)
Once a thing is Up The Spout it is gone and lost forever. A spout was a tube found in pawnbroker shops or bookmaker’s. Articles to be pawned, or wagers placed, would be put into the spout and whisked off to the office above where it was safely stored away. It was commonly known for a man’s weekly wages to have gone ‘up the spout’ before the weekend was over, or for an object of value to go the same way during troubled times.
Upper Crust is an expression used to describe England’s upper or ruling classes. The origin of this phrase dates back as far as the mid-14th century when the upper, crusty part of a loaf of bread would be reserved for the master of the house and his honoured guests, while the softer underside was given to the minions. It became widely used in America in the early 18th century when it was applied to the ‘upper layers’ of society.
When something has Gone To The Wall it is finished, over and can never be recovered. This phrase apparently has a rather morbid origin and relates to the practice of placing the dead next to the churchyard wall bordering the graveyard, prior to a funeral service. But there are other suggestions for its use in our language. Four hundred years ago the city streets were narrow and unlit, and invited crime. After dark, innocent passers-by were always at risk from thieves or muggers and a person cornered in a dark alley with their back to the wall really was vulnerable.
Another suggested origin comes from medieval chapels, such as the one found in Dover Castle, which provided stone seating around the walls to support the elderly and infirm. The rest of the congregation were required to stand and the expression used at the time was that ‘the weak had gone to the wall’. Take your pick from those.
To ask for something Warts And All is to require that no attempt be made to cover any defects or hide unsavoury detail. Oliver Cromwell was a radical parliamentarian who overthrew the English monarchy in the mid-17th century. At the time portrait painters would soften the features of their subjects by removing blemishes and facial lines from their work (a sort of early air-brushing) and the end result would always be flattering. But when Cromwell, as Lord Protector, commissioned Sir Peter Levy to paint his portrait, he issued the artist with the following instructions: ‘I desire you would use all your skill to paint my picture truly like I am and not flatter me at all. Remark all these roughness, pimples, warts and everything as you see me, otherwise I will never pay you a farthing for it.’ The end result does include a large wart, just below Cromwell’s lower lip.
A Wheeler Dealer is a crafty business person with an eye for a quick profit, possibly dishonest. It is possible the phrase originates in the gambling casinos or saloons where roulette is played on a wheel and dealers handle cards. In this context a ‘wheeler dealer’ could be a professional gambler, therefore having no established profession or trade. However, there is a second possibility. Billingsgate Fish Market in London was once one of the busiest markets in England and a place where underhand business often took place. In the days before automated transport, the barrows loaded with fresh fish would be wheeled up from the dockside so that the dealing could take place. It is thought the fishmongers at Billingsgate were known as ‘wheeler dealers’.
To have a Whip Round is to take an informal collection, usually for money to buy a collective gift or make a donation. This phrase comes from a combination of sources, namely the British Parliament, an army officers’ mess and the hunting ground. The phrase ‘whipper-in’ is still used in fox-hunting circles as the name for a huntsman’s assistant who keeps the hounds in their pack by using a whip. In the mid-1800s this phrase was shortened to ‘the whip’ and later broadened again to ‘whip-up’ meaning to generate enthusiasm or interest. In Parliament those appointed by a party to keep members in line and ensure they vote for the right motions are still known as ‘The Whips’. Army officers, no doubt with a hunting background, extended this phrase even further during their long nights socialising in the officers’ mess. At official dinners for large gatherings, officers solved the problem of who would pay for the large rounds of wine by assigning an orderly in the role of a whip. He would go around the table collecting sums from each gentleman in a wine glass and then be sent off to pay for further rounds. This became known as a ‘whip round’ and that is how it passed over into the English language. It was further established in 1861 when Thomas Hughes wrote in his novel Tom Brown At Oxford, ‘If they would stand a whip of ten shillings a man then they may have a new boat.’
A Whipping Boy is a person who takes the punishment for a misdemeanour committed by somebody else. In the Middle Ages it was quite common for a boy of ordinary, or even peasant, stock to be educated alongside a prince or the sons of the aristocracy. As a result the commoner benefited from great privileges and in some cases the position was sought after. However, there was a down side. It was considered inappropriate for a schoolmaster or tutor to punish a member of the aristocracy and in the case of a prince he simply would not dare. Instead, when the toff misbehaved or failed in his studies, it would be the innocent commoner who received a thrashing in his place. But there are well-recorded exceptions. When George Buchanan, the Latin master to King James I, decided the boy needed punishing, he thrashed the prince himself, despite the presence of a whipping boy. The brave Buchanan threatened to do it again if the misdemeanour was repeated.
The practice wasn’t confined to the schoolroom. When the French King Henry IV converted to Catholicism in 1593 he sent two ambassadors to the Pope who were symbolically whipped to atone for the King’s previous Protestantism. They were both well rewarded and made cardinals soon afterwards.
As Clean As A Whistle is known to mean bright, shiny and spotless. It could also mean untarnished in the sense of getting away from something ‘as clean as a whistle’. There are several suggestions for the root to this phrase. One is the bright shiny locomotive with its polished brass whistle. Others point to a freshly carved wooden whistle or to the sound a shining sword makes as it swishes through the air.
A White Elephant is an expression used to describe something useless that has, or will, become a huge burden to those who possess it. For this we travel to Thailand, in the days when it was known as Siam. According to the legend white elephants were so highly prized that whenever one was discovered it automatically belonged to the King. It was considered a serious offence to neglect, put to work or even to ride a white elephant so they were of no use to an owner, yet still highly revered. The King, it appears, was a wily old devil and used them in ruthless fashio
n. He decided that any subject causing him displeasure would be given a white elephant as a special royal gift. The subject was obviously unable to refuse a royal gift but the beast had to be cared for and could not be made to pay its way. Such gifts could ruin a man financially. The phrase arrived in England in the mid-18th century after the Empire builders brought it home with them, applying it to expensive but otherwise useless public buildings or monuments.
To be awarded the Wooden Spoon doesn’t say much about your performance as it is given to those who finish last. The custom began in 1811 at Cambridge University where each year there were three classes of honours degrees awarded. The first class winners were called Wranglers, and said to have been born with golden spoons in their mouths. Following them were the Senior Optimes (silver spoons) and the third class went to the Junior Optimes (lead spoons). The last of the Junior Optimes was called the ‘wooden spoon’ and the University adopted the custom of presenting a wooden spoon to the graduate who had the lowest exam result in the Maths Tripos. But it was still a pass!
Searchable Terms To Phrases
Above Bard
Above or Below the Salt
Achiles’ Heel
Acid Test
Across the Board
Add Insult to Injury
Against the Grain
Alive and Kicking
All Over Bar the Shouting
Apple of One’s Eye
Artful Dodger
At Bay
Back to Square One
Baker’s Dozen
Balloon has Gone Up
Bandied About
Bank on Someone
Barge In
Barking Up the Wrong Tree
Barmy Army
Barrack Room Lawyer
Basket Case
Batting on a Sticky Wicket
Battle Axe
Be at Large
Beat around the Bush
Beating a Hasty Retreat
Berk
Berserk
Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts
Beyond the Pale
Bib and Tucker
Bigwig
Bit Between your Teeth
Bite off More than you can Chew
Bite the Bullet
Bitter End
Black Books
Black Leg
Blacklist
Blackmail
Blighty
Blonde Bombshell
Blurb
Bob’s your Uncle
Bold as Brass
Bone of Contention
Bone to Pick
Bootleggers
Brass Neck
Brass Tacks
Breadline
Break a Leg
Break the Ice
Bright as a Button
Bring Home the Bacon
Bucket Shop
Burn Our Bridges
Burn their Boats
Busman’s Holiday
Buttonhole
By and Large
By Hook or by Crook
By Return Post
By the Board
Carpeted
Carry the Can
Cat is out the Bag
Chance your Arm
Chip on the Shoulder
Clapped Out
Clean as a Whistle
Clink
Close to the Bone
Cloud Nine
Cock and Bull
Codswallop
Cold Feet
Come up to Scratch
Crocodile Tears
Curry Favour
Cut and Run
Cut to the Quick
Dark Horse
Daylights
Dead as a Dodo
Dead in the Water
Dead Ringer
Deadline
Dicey
Dickens to Pay
Digs
Don’t Give a Jot
Don’t Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth
Doolally
Doss House
Dosser
Double Dutch
Down a Peg or Two
Down to the Wire
Dressed to Kill
Drop of a Hat
Drunk as a Lord
Drunk as a Newt
Dutch Auction
Dutch Bargain
Dutch Comfort
Dutch Concert
Dutch Courage
Dutch Gold
Cutch Party
Dutch Talent
Dutch Treat
Dutch Uncle
Dyed in the Wool
Earmark
Ears are Burning
Eat your Heart out
Eating Humble Pie
Eavesdroppers
Egg On
Egg on your Face
Eleventh Hour
End of my Tether
Face the Music
Fair Game
Fair to Middling
Feather in your Cap
Feet of Clay
Fiddle While Rome Burns
Final Straw
Fired
First Rate
Fit as a Fiddle
Flash in the Pan
Flavour of the Month
Flea in the Ear
Flog a Dead Horse
Fly in the Face
Fly in the Ointment
Forking Out
Freelance
Freeze the Balls off a Brass Monkey
Frog in the Throat
Full Blast
Funnybone
Game is Up
Get Out of Bed on the Wrong Side
Get Shirty
Get Someone’s Goat
Get the sack
Give Somebody a Break
Go Dutch
Go the Whole Hog
Go with the Flow
Going for a Song
Gone of a Burton
Gone Round the Bend
Gone to Pot
Gone to the Dogs
Gone to the Wall
Gone West
Good Health
Good or Bad Egg
Grasp the Nettle
Greeks Bearing Gifts
Groggy
Had your Chips
Hair of the Dog
Hand over Fist
Hanging Fire
Hangs by a Thread
Happy as a Sandbody
Hat Trick
Haul Somebody Over the Coals
Have a Beef
Have Someone Over a Barrel
Having a Dekko
Haywire
Hear Hear
Hedge our Bets
Hijack
Hob Nobbing
Hobo
Hobson’s Choice
Hoisted by one’s own Petard
Hold a Candle
Hold the Fort
Hook Line and Sinker
Horseplay
how the other Half Lives
I am a Dutchman
I Don’t Give One lota
Ignoramus
Ignorance is Bliss
Ill-Gotten Gains
In a Hole
In a Jiffy
In a Nutshell
In a Shambles
In Cahoots
In the Bag
In the Limelight
In the Offing
In the Same Boat
Ivory Tower
Jekyll and Hyde
Jump on the Bandwagon
Jumping Over the Broomstick
Jumping the Shark
Just Deserts
Kangaroo Court
Keep it Up
Keeping up with the Joneses
Kibosh
Kill the Goose that Lays the Golden Egg
Knock the Spots Off
Knuckle Down
Knuckle Under
Lambast
Lap of the Gods
Larking About
Laughing Stock
Leap of Faith
Left High and Dry
Left in the Lurch
; Lick something into Shape
Lily Livered
Living the Life of Reilly
Load of Cobblers
Lock, Stock and Barrel
Loggerheads
Long in the Tooth
Loose End
Lost the Bottle
Mad as a Hatter
Mealy Mouthed
Mickey Finn
Mince your Words
Minding your Ps and Qs
Money for Old Rope
Moot Point
More than One Way to Skin a Cat
Mountain out of a Molehill
Mufti Day
Mum’s the Word
Mumbo Jumbo
Murphy’s Law
Nanby Pamby
Name is Mud
Near The Knuckle
Neck of the Woods
Nest Egg
Nick of Time
Nineteen to the Dozen
No Flies on You
No Great Shakes
No Stone Unturned
No Such Thing as a Free Lunch
Not a Sausage
Not Worth his Salt
Off the Cuff
OK
Old Chestnut
On the Cards
On the Fiddle
On the Grapevine
On the Level
On the Nose
On the Treadmill
On the Wagon
On the Warpath
One Fell Swoop
Parting Shot
Passing with Flying Colours
Pay on the Nail
Pay Through the Nose
Pear Shaped
Peeping Tom
Pegged Out
Penny Drops
Phoney
Pie in the Sky
Pig’s Ear
Pigeon Hole
Pillar to Post
Pin Money
Piping Hot
Play Fast and Loose
Play it by Ear
Plug a Song or Book
Plum Job, or a Plum Role
Point Blank Range
Possession is Nine Tenths of the law
Post Haste
Pot Luck
Pot Shot
Pull out All the Stops
Pull the Wool over your Eyes
Pull Your Finger Out
Pulling your Leg
Push the Boat Out
Put a Sock in It
Put Through the Hoop
Putting the Dampers
Queer Street
