Friday’s Phrase – Raining Cats and Dogs
This is a very common phrase, and a great number of variations span across many languages. It is also one that has held onto more than one long-standing mythical etymology that swirls through the internet today.
Friday’s Phrase – Saved by the Bell
Welcome to the weekly series “Friday’s Phrase”. A whimsical and informative look at the idioms, phrases, proverbs and colloquialisms we commonly use, what they mean, and where they came from. This week’s phrase: “saved by the bell” After last week’s phrase ‘graveyard shift’ and its widely accepted, yet erroneous history, I thought we should … Continue reading
Friday’s Phrase – Graveyard Shift
The popular theory, although entertaining and a bit creepy, comes from an oft repeated origin, that goes something like this:
Friday’s Phrase – Chomping at the Bit
And we have seen through this series how idioms of this time period often revolve around horses.
Friday’s Phrase – Mind Your Own Beeswax
There is a popular story that says, back in the 18th and 19th centuries, women who suffered from disfiguring marks left by small pox used beeswax to smooth out their complexion.
Friday’s Phrase – The Proof is in the Pudding
As referenced above, this phrase is just shorthand for ‘the proof of the pudding is in the eating’.
Friday’s Phrase – Sweat Like a Pig
Welcome to the weekly series “Friday’s Phrase”. A whimsical and informative look at the idioms, phrases, proverbs and colloquialisms we commonly use, what they mean, and where they came from. This week’s phrase: “sweat like a pig” This is another favorite. I use it often as, for me, I can begin to sweat … Continue reading
Friday’s Phrase – An Arm and a Leg
Later, I heard the tale that portrait painters used to charge more for larger paintings and that a head and shoulders painting was the cheapest option, followed in price by one which included arms and finally the top of the range ‘legs and all’ portrait.
Friday’s Phrase – Deaf as a Post
A whimsical and informative look at the idioms, phrases, proverbs and colloquialisms we commonly use, what they mean, and where they came from.
commonsensiblyspeaking 