Phrase Origins

Posted on | December 30, 2009 | No Comments

Interesting how we use phrases that we all understand yet don’t really know what they mean. The following are a few phrase origins so we know what we’re talking about.

Jump on the Bandwagon
In 19th and early 20th century America, a bandwagon was exactly what it sounds like, a wagon, usually horse-drawn, which carried a musical band. Bandwagons were used in circuses, to lead parades, and at political rallies. Hence to join or jump on the bandwagon was to follow the crowd, and in a political context with the connotation that one was there for the entertainment and excitement of the event, rather than from deep or firm conviction.

Buck (dollar)
Buck, the slang term for a dollar, almost certainly is a clipped form of buckskin; buckskins being used as units of commerce on the American frontier.

Cold Turkey
This phrase meaning suddenly, without preparation or to speak frankly is originally a reference to food. Cold turkey is literally something that can be prepared quickly and with little effort. Hence, the figurative use of something sudden and quick.

Cut to the Chase
This phrase meaning get to the point comes from the early days of Hollywood. Originally, it literally referred to a cut from a dramatic scene to an action one (the chase).

Dressed to the Nines
The phrase to the nines means perfection. Today, it appears almost exclusively in the form dressed to the nines, but it has not always been paired with dressed and does not exclusively relate to sartorial perfection and the various explanations that discuss nine items of clothing are incorrect. The most likely explanation for the phrase is that nine, in some numerological systems, connotes perfection.

All phrase origins are taken from wordorigins.org.

wordage_img

House of Cat

All things artful and curious

Phrase Origins

Comments

Categories

Recently Written

House of Cat RSS Feed

Links