It’s impossible not to hear people use old sayings, adages and idioms in every day conversation wherever the English language is the standard.
Where these fascinating words and phrases originated is often traceable, but time has left some of those origins behind. Here’s a look at some of familiar ones and where they might have come from.
•Out of the blue.
We’ve all said or heard someone say this when something happens unexpectedly or without warning.
The phrase evolved in the early 1800s from another idiom, “a bolt from the blue,” which referred to something highly unexpected happening, like a bolt of lightning coming out of a clear blue sky.
•Vanish into thin air.
When something does this, it goes away (sometimes eerily) without a trace.
William Shakespeare apparently coined the terms “thin air” and “vanish into air” in the early 1600s, and the two were combined over the centuries into the now familiar phrase.
The phrase was first printed in its entirety in an article in a Scottish news publication in 1822 about an imminent conflict between Russia and Turkey. When referring to a breakdown in a “vision” of peace, the article stated, “The latest communications make these visions vanish into thin air.”
•One fell swoop.
When someone accomplishes multiple things with one action (usually suddenly), you might hear this phrase used to describe the situation.
A “swoop” or “fell swoop” refers to the rapid descent made by the hunting bird when zooming downward to capture unsuspecting prey.
Once again, we have Shakespeare to thank for this old saying, as he gave it legs for many centuries when he wrote Macbeth in 1605. When the character, MacDuff, heard his family and servants had all been killed, the things he said included the question, “At one fell swoop?”
•Donnybrook.
When a sporting event, fight or anything else is one heck of a competition or battle, we often hear this word used to describe what took place.
It originated with the Donnybrook Fair, a notoriously disorderly event in the Irish town of Donnybrook held annually for more than 600 years beginning in 1204. Legend has it that fairgoers would often rather fight than eat.
•“Bug” someone.
Obviously, if you’re doing this, you’re bothering or irritating someone.
This idiom’s origin isn’t clear, but it probably stems from the irritating nature of many insects.
•By and large.
Sometimes people use this saying to refer to everything in a matter being considered, or looking at the matter on the whole.
Like many old sayings, this one has a nautical origin and is made up of two words that sailors have used for centuries.
Long ago, when the wind was blowing from a compass point behind the direction a ship was sailing, the wind was said to be “large” because the ship’s largest square sails could be set. Conversely, sailors would say that to be “by the wind” was to face into the wind or within six compass points of it.
So, to sail “by and large” referred to the ability to sail both downwind and against the wind.
•Out of the woodwork.
People frequently use this phrase when things or people are showing up unexpectedly or unexplainably, usually in large numbers (like when someone wins the lottery and suddenly makes lots of new friends and hears from unknown relatives).
When it originated isn’t clear, but it’s another bug-oriented phrase, as when cockroaches crawl out of cabinetry or flooring when disturbed.
•Strike while the iron’s hot.
This is a fairly familiar old saying that refers to how a person might need to act decisively and take advantage of an opportunity when it arises.
It can be traced at least back to the mid-1500s and refers to a blacksmith who must shape iron while it’s hot and pliable.
•Dibs.
It’s widely understood that if someone has “dibs” on something, they’ve laid claim to it.
The word originated with an ancient and common English children’s game known by many names, including “dibs.” However, how it went from the name of an English kids’ game to an American expression denoting claiming priority is one of those things that’s apparently lost in time.
•How come.
Now and then you’ll hear someone say these two words in place of the word “why.”
The phrase became somewhat common in the U.S. in the mid-1800s, and most likely stems from old English phrases like, “how did it come to be?” and “how comes it that?”
Doug Davison is a writer, photographer and newsroom assistant for the Houston Herald.
Email: ddavison@houstonherald.com.
