Most all of us use phrases and slang to some degree. Let’s face it, they make our communications more colorful, interesting, and attention-getting. Shakespeare used a great many in his writings and even made up a few himself “Something is rotten in Denmark,” “My kingdom for a horse,” “That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell just as sweet!” Well you get the idea. However, there are a great many phrases and catch words which have come from other areas, but when we hear them or see them written down we know exactly what they mean. Listed here are a few classic phrases and where linguistic experts have traced their sources.
“Flash in the pan” is something or someone who briefly gets attention but quickly fades away. This phrase came out of the 16th century. As muskets started coming into use, gunmen had to hold gunpowder in a firing pan. When the trigger of the gun was pulled, the hammer loaded with a piece of flint would hit the gunpowder in the pan and cause a small explosion that would launch the musket ball toward it’s target. However, about half the time, the gun would misfire, causing the powder to flash, but the ball would stay in he barrel. Out of this came the phrase. During the California Gold Rush of 1849, prospectors would often find bright, shinning pieces of metal or other objects pop up in their pans. Ninety percent of the time the metal wasn’t gold — but just a “flash in the pan.” As photography became more and more popular, the use of flash pans became more common as the explosion was used to light up the subject of the photo. In show business, performers needed pictures to show the producers and theater owners. If a theatrical career didn’t bloom, the performer was considered a “flash in the pan.”
Baby Boom — This phrase first appeared in a London newspaper The Coshocton Tribune in 1921 to describe a post-WWI increase in births across the UK. It was first used in the United States in 1941 to describe a record setting year in the amount of births (1940). However, as we all know, it was associated with the population boom which occurred after WWII when servicemen came home and returned to family life. It has generally referred to babies born between 1946 and 1961. Many of you reading this are part of that group. The term is often used in terms of the social, economic, and scientific changes that occurred as the boomers grew up and became adults.
“Sacred Cow” — An idea or belief that is so strongly held that to question or even mention it meets with such hostility that it can be dangerous to do so. In India, the Hindus consider the cow to be a divine creature. At one time, to even touch one could cause someone to be put to death. When the British controlled India, they brought the term to the western world. It was often used sarcastically to describe a strongly held belief or custom that was out of date or no longer workable and came to have political connotations.
“Mad as a Hatter” — For centuries craftsmen who made hats used mercury to stiffen and give support to the headgear. Continued exposure to mercury caused damage to the nervous system and even the brain. After working his craft for a time, a hatter would often acquire the shakes, lose muscle control, and be subject to severe mood swings. People just assumed that this was a part of the personality of those who produced hats, and that madness might even be an inherited characteristic as most hatters were the sons and grandsons of hatters. It wasn’t until the late 19th century that the mercury connection was established. By that time the phase had become part of the lexicon.
“Cock and Bull Story” — The Cock and Bull was an inn located in the town of Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, England. At one time, this was an important stopping point on the road between York and London for coaches traveling the old highway. Passengers usually dined and spent the night at the inn. The Cock and Bull became notorious for wild rumors, tall tales, and colorful lies the customers started telling after a few rounds of ale. It was also a place were people from all over the realm had contact with each other and oneupsmanship in the story telling was popular. By the 1840s, newspapers were calling any wild rumor that was being passed about a “Cock and Bull“ story.
Caesar Salad — This dish isn’t named for the old Caesars of the Roman Empire, but for Los Angeles restaurateur Caesar Cardini who came up with it for his menu in the 1920s. He wanted to create a salad that was a meal in itself. As the popularity of his restaurant, Caesars, grew, so did the popularity of the salad dish. It was in 1946, however, that the dish became a phenomenon. When Gilmore’s Steak House in New York City added it to their menu, New York food critics gobbled it up, so to speak. Because the garlic anchovies, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese used seem to give it an Italian nature, most diners assume it is named after the old Caesars of Rome.
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