Word Play

Where do phrases really come from?

 

Wendy Webb

Have you ever wondered about the origins of the rather bizarre expressions we say every day? If you’re a word nerd like me, you’ve wondered about it a lot — and researched the answers. Yes folks, that’s the kind of thrill-ride life I lead. Here are a few common expressions and their somewhat surprising origins, researched by the website www.phrases.org.uk

DEAD RINGER

Everyone knows what this phrase means — exact duplicate. He’s a dead ringer for George Clooney, for example. Some people believe the phrase comes from centuries ago, when people had the fear of being buried alive. Legend has it that a bell would be placed on the gravestone, with a string threading down into the coffin. A “dead ringer” would be a person buried alive who woke up and rang the bell, signaling for the gravedigger to come and dig up the grave. Lovely thought! But that has nothing to do with the now-common use of the phrase — meaning, exact duplicate. Instead, it comes from the world of horse racing. A ringer is a horse that is fraudulently substituted for another because it looks so similar. What about “dead”? In this case, the word doesn’t mean “lifeless.” It means, “exact.” As in, dead on, dead center, dead heat.

CAN’T HOLD A CANDLE TO

Sure, Anna Nicole Smith was pretty, but she couldn’t hold a candle to Marilyn Monroe. It means, “compare badly to,” or “isn’t worthy of.” But the phrase sounds a little odd, as though it means some sort of illumination. Well, that’s exactly what it means. The phrase’s origins come from centuries ago, when apprentices
actually held candles for more experienced craftsmen so they could see what they were doing in the dark.
Someone not skilled enough to even hold a candle for a craftsman would be a very poor specimen indeed.

WHOLE NINE YARDS

We all know what this means — the whole thing. But why “nine yards”? Where did it come from? This is my
favorite phrase-mystery, because the origin of it is completely unknown. Nobody is 100 percent sure where this phrase comes from, but there are some theories.
• Years ago, U.S. concrete trucks held about nine cubic yards of concrete. Pouring the whole nine yards meant a big job.
• The racks on World War II bombers were nine yards long. Getting the whole nine yards meant dropping a
whole lot of bombs.
• The length of RAF Spitfire’s machine gun bullet belts was nine yards.
• Tailors use nine yards of material for top quality men’s suits. In this explanation, the phrase could be related to the other odd phrase, “dressed to the nines.”
• From the sea — “yards,” could mean “yardarms.” According to www.phrases.org: “large sailing ships had three masts, each with three yardarms. The theory goes that ships in battle can continue changing direction as new sails are unfurled. Only when the last sail, on the ninth yardarm, is used does the enemy know which direction the ship is finally headed.”

RAINING CATS AND DOGS

It means, it’s really raining heavily out there. But what do cats and dogs have to do with it? The thought of it actually raining cats and dogs is a little troubling, isn’t it? Not if you know where it comes from. This phrase has old Norse origins. In Norwegian lore, the cat was associated with rain and the dog was associated
with wind. So, if it was raining cats and dogs, it meant heavy rain with wind.

Check back here next month for more word nerd origins of phrases. And if you have any to add yourself, send me an email at wendywebb@duluthsuperiormagazine.com.