Old sayings, their meanings and origins
Saying: Crocodile tears
Modern meaning: superficial or false sorrow.
Origin: A medieval belief that crocodiles shed tears of sadness while they killed and consumed their prey. The myth dates back as far as the 14th century. It comes from a book called The Travels of Sir John Mandeville. The book includes a description of crocodiles that notes, “These serpents sley men, and eate them weeping, and they have no tongue.”
Saying: Resting on laurels
Modern meaning: Those who are overly satisfied with past triumphs.
Origin: Laurel leaves were closely tied to the god Apollo who was usually depicted with a crown of laurel leaves, and the plant eventually became a symbol of status and achievement. Victorious athletes at the ancient Pythian Games received wreaths made of laurel branches. The Romans later adopted the practice and presented wreaths to generals who won important battles. Venerable Greeks and Romans, or ‘laureates,’ were then able to ‘rest on their laurels’ by basking in the glory of past achievements.
Saying: Bite the bullet
Modern Meaning: To accept something difficult or unpleasant
Origin: In the olden days, when doctors were short on anesthesia or time during a battle, they would ask the patient to bite down on a bullet to distract from the pain. The first recorded use of the phrase was in 1891 in The Light that Failed.
Saying: Mad as a hatter
Modern Meaning: To be crazy
Origin: The origins date back from 17th century France where poisoning occurred among hat makers who used mercury for the hat felt. The ‘Mad Hatter Disease’ was marked by shyness, irritability, and tremors that would make the person appear mad.
Saying: Barking up the wrong tree
Modern Meaning: To have misguided thoughts about an event or situation, a false lead.
Origin: This saying refers to hunting dogs that may have chased their prey up a tree. The dogs bark, assuming that the prey is still in the tree, when the prey is no longer there.
Saying: Turn a blind eye
Modern Meaning: To ignore situations, facts, or reality
Origin: The British Naval hero, Admiral Horatio Nelson, had one blind eye. Once when the British forces signalled for him to stop attacking a fleet of Danish ships, he held up a telescope to his blind eye and said, ‘I do not see the signal.’ He attacked and was victorious.
Saying: Bury the hatchet
Modern Meaning: To stop a conflict and make peace
Origin: In early times in North America when the Puritans were in conflict with the Native Americans. When negotiating peace, the Native Americans would literally bury all their hatchets, knives, clubs, and tomahawks to make them inaccessible during the negotiations.
Saying: Caught red-handed
Modern Meaning: To be caught in the act of doing something wrong
Origin: This originates from an old English law that punished people for butchering an animal that wasn’t their own. The only they could be convicted is if they were caught with the animal’s blood still on their hands.
Saying: Give a cold shoulder
Modern Meaning: Being unwelcoming or antisocial toward someone
Origin: The phrase dates back to the early 1800s. It refers to an old custom of giving an unwelcome guest a cold piece of meat from the shoulder of mutton, pork, or beef chop, as opposed to a welcome guest receiving a warm serving. This was a polite way to communicate ‘You may leave now.