The History behind Phrases you use Today

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You probably find yourself using phrases without knowing where they originated!
The origins and history behind these common sayings go back centuries ago and have some interesting meanings..
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Credit:
Created by Daniel Turner
Narrator:
Chris Kane
www.vocalforge.com
Music Credit:
'Act One', 'Full On', 'Master of the Feast', - Tenebrous Brothers Carnival by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (creativecommon...)
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Journey in the New World by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (creativecommon...)
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[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Fidel after many assassination attempts: close but no cigar

[@seen9417]

ITS YOU AGAIN!

[@seen9417]

I keep replying to you if i ever see you again in different videos

[@wildchicken679]

*Guards stop him!!*

[@thebest-do8sk]

Kim Jong-the Faty

[@tonymoncayo2790]

How does no one noticed this

[@JustinY.]

Fun fact: The phrase "It's called hentai, and it's art" comes from a deleted scene in the office.

[@circumcizednun1814]

I'm your first reply,now I'll get likes Thanks for 100 likes!

[@thunderbear0]

You're gay justin

[@Fatihturk0071]

What is your aim? I see you everywhere.

[@chhisey6496]

Lol Justin y again 😂😂😂

[@tuckerashmore5189]

@@Fatihturk0071 honestly I was about to say that he literally comments on like every video I watcj

[@Simplehistory]

What common saying or phrase do you say a lot?

[@etcetera5965]

Break the ice

[@h.wang_]

Eh I forgot to say that I’m Canadian

[@indianajones4321]

I say Hello there, origin is Revenge of the Sith

[@ShladTheTonkLover]

Simple History damn krauts

[@dr.harmacist5836]

@@indianajones4321 I see you're a man of culture as well

[@Simplehistory]

Leave a comment using a phrase

[@StevioGaming1]

Simple History No I won’t break the ice again

[@kaiser6945]

Now this is podraceing

[@mondaymotivator_]

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

[@completeduckbro7012]

Don’t make mountain out of a mole hill

[@gtrman12887]

Dont cry over spilled milk!!!

[@ChrisKane-]

"It appears we will be required to 'ignite the midnight petroleum sir'". 😉

[@thegreatjay1245]

Good one

[@FrehleyFan3988]

Where did u get the Sergeant rank beside ur name?

[@ChrisKane-]

@@FrehleyFan3988 I'm a member of the channel. It's got perks and stuff. 😊

[@Kydenius]

Back then it wasn't just "Netflix and chill" it was "petroleum and stay warm"

[@cryo2156]

Combust the 12am petroleum

[@dwabin]

Do Warsaw Uprising of 1944

[@Devil-tm4nu]

Dwabeen Warsaw, City At war.

[@jeffbruh3253]

Dwabeen 🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱yes please

[@KnightSlasher]

Wix is the phrase of our generation

[@KittycatKye]

No skillshare is.

[@corvidcorax]

No, Squarespace is.

[@whisperr2522]

No, NordVPN is

[@absolutV0DKA]

No, Dashlane is.

[@FaustLimbusCompany]

No, Brilliant is.

[@StevioGaming1]

I broke the ice one time, I fell right through and nearly froze. Was scary haven’t done it since

[@Swizzle9708]

Cool? I guess that kind suck. Good thing you haven't done it again

[@GBooneoh]

gotta be careful man you could have dead

[@Lol-fo2zq]

Ha ha ha

[@samiam619]

The ice on the lake is NEVER thick enough! It could be 3 feet, and I ain’t gonna walk on it...

[@minister_of_films2635]

*WHAT ABOUT "THATS WHAT SHE SAID"*

[@jeffreyreardon7487]

One of my all time faves

[@sambardadin9709]

Jeffrey Reardon that’s what she said

[@mymicks21]

It came from the British-English expression "Said the actress to the bishop" there is a wikipedia article about it. The first use of That's what she said was in Wayne's World I think

[@lolbosss]

WHAT ABOUT "YOUR MOM"

[@samiam619]

lolbosss1325, that’s spelled... Yo Mama!

[@bradleywoskett1555]

Fun fact: the term “daylight robbery” originated from the window tax in 1690s England

[@paulheenan9098]

Seriously? You got taxed for putting windows in your house? Learn something new everyday.

[@railfan2822]

@@paulheenan9098 It may be hard to believe nowadays, but windows used to be rather expensive. Glass ones especially so. So, it was assumed that the more windows you had, the wealthier you were, and thus the more you could pay.

[@_hekken]

*"Ain't that a kick in the head,"*

[@levidixon1176]

ave, true to caesar!

[@SenArmstrongenjoyer]

@@levidixon1176 the house always wins

[@dimsum3329]

That's one anger mail boi

[@pixelking7689]

Truth is, the game was rigged from the start.

[@SenArmstrongenjoyer]

@@dimsum3329 nothing is a bigger threat than the mailman not the legion not the master or the enclave

[@siwokmuda6961]

Simple history presents: " THANOS"

[@nerbs_the_word]

I have one that wasn't mentioned in the video "The whole 9 yards", referring to giving something your all refers to the P-51 Mustang which had an ammo belt roughly 9 yards long. So to give your all in that plane and use all your ammo was to go the whole 9 yards

[@abstract_mistake3432]

I like that you worked hacksaw ridge into that blockbuster one, good job simple history

[@julesrafaelmag-isa681]

Maybe you can add more on the origins of "break a leg" , "hold your horses" , "bring home the bacon" , and other idioms (in phrases) on your next video like this. :)

[@billyteflon1322]

Quite a few American phrases have a naval origin. - Balls to the wall refers to the Centrifugal governor. Cat out of the bag refers pulling the cat o' nine tails out of the bag for punishment. Through and through is when a ship scores a direct hit and the round goes through the enemy's ship. There are a bunch more but those are what I can recall off the top of my head.

[@aPlatyperson]

Do a video on incomplete phrases/sayings Such as “curiosity killed the cat” Is finished with “But satisfaction brought it back”

[@lvse2008]

My common phrase is “I love Simple History!”

[@lvse2008]

Thx for the likes I appreciate it

[@samdejonge8884]

But not in a gay way ok?

[@lvse2008]

Yes not in a GAY way

[@pinochet3317]

The phrase “Smokes, let’s go” is from the popular Canadian television show Trailer Park Boys And has many deep meanings, primarily used for obtaining cigarettes from friends of lesser priority. Legend has it a fellow named Ricky said it first!

[@grootsChannel]

Fun fact: the phrase "Break the ice" is also used in the Netherlands, where we say it as "Breek het ijs" Which I think is pretty similar to the English version, because every word is the same, but in another language.

[@davidlynjr2535]

You guys always do excellent videos. I was wondering if you could do a video about HMS Terror and HMS Erebus, the two ships that got stuck in the ice and whose crew was never seen again

[@user-ff4pi9dc3g]

what about nutbuster bombs dropped during the war of 6969

[@John_F_Kennedy79]

i have very big feet k

[@konaing3015]

what about the succman bomb dropping of 17269?

[@krystianurban5421]

First bombing using nutbuster bombs occured in November.

[@lassim3111]

Hahaha very funny

[@arfyego0682]

XD YES

[@abthedragon4921]

First: well these are some interesting facts Second: I might not be making a Blockbuster on Wix but I am using it for a High School project.

[@froggyboy5112]

Here’s an interesting backstory for the saying “let the cat out of the bag.” It comes from an old scam where when some one would buy a small hog or pig what the seller would do is in between showing the animal and putting it in a bag they would swap it out for a animal about the same weight and size and the most common was cats so when people got home they would open the bag and find a cat and they would realize that they where scammed and let the cat out of the bag.

[@bob_the_bomb4508]

Froggyboy 51 the cat was the cat o'nine tails. It was kept in a red bag before a flogging...

[@dappitydoo4774]

Damn y’all really did put your vids as blockbusters it’s about time you recognise your best work

[@feda01]

How about "a flash in the pan"? The phrase came from when gunpowder in a matchlock musket's pan ignites but fails to ignites the gunpowder inside the muzzle. Meaning the flash only happens once without any second explosion.

[@xKuukkelix]

Im like 99% sure there still is icebreakers today

[@petergianakopoulos4926]

Hihi

[@Skeptycx]

My Mom always had some funny sayings. "Running around like a fart on a hot skillet" has always been hilarious to me

[@koootoshidayo]

*"Safety can be fun"* (It's from indonesian condom ad)

[@kazutokirigaya-qm2qb]

nice one buddy

[@provost5752]

The term the real McCoy came from a black man Mr McCoy in the 1800s. At the time trains had to stop ever so often to grease the parts bearings on the locomotive. A guy who's first name I can't remember (McCoy) came up with a automatic oil dispenser so they wouldn't have to stop anymore. They named it after him. Soon after all these cheaper less reliable oil dispensers started coming out making conductors were weary so they would always as " is that the real McCoy".

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Rocket Man....and nukes. I say those two things a lot

[@zacharysauson6418]

I bet you do

[@lt.patterson6081]

Close but no radiation

[@AnOverratedMon]

I saw you at the pier once

[@JackOfAllNerdsShow]

"The whole 9 yards". Found out from a show I did a long while back, that it comes from WW2 when a fighter pilot would use their entire 9 yard chain of ammunition on one target, giving them the whole 9 yards.

[@thatonechannel7716]

Well this really is! ‘Simple history’

[@MatthewSmith-to1hz]

"Looks like we need to bit the bullet". Meaning: Do it/accept it, even though you don't want to. Origin: Before rifles and self contain cartridges you had told manually load the powder, shot (bullet), and wading one at a time into your musket. They often came contained in a piece of cloth you had to BIT to open.

[@urfan3353]

"THEY PLAYED US LIKE A DAMN FIDDLE" is my favourite phrase

[@weldonwin]

"Use Your Loaf" - Meaning to use one's head or think about something. Believed to come from the Napoleonic Wars, where British skirmishers would take a loaf of bread from their rations, put a hat on it and use it as a decoy to draw enemy fire

[@dimitrissimitzis6944]

"Burning the midnight oil" Usa:How dare you!

[@easy_eight2810]

Ok the fact that everytime i discovers something the next few days Simple History next video is gonna be about it... It gave me the chills...

[@drey2213]

Does this count as reading a book?

[@leoalvarez9282]

You are learing

[@notdave2993]

“It does in my book”

[@johnlucas6683]

"A deadringer" is interesting as well. Hope you make more of these topics.

[@pinochet3317]

“Worst case Ontario”

[@joshhouston3443]

Pinochet lol Ricky

[@alexmaldonado1706]

Thank you for this

[@normansawatzky4778]

Ontario is the worst and Toronto sucks!

[@tonymoncayo2790]

1:56 almost everyone noticed that you put your own videos as movies good job

[@bakedhawaii]

Thought Sam O'nella Academy already did this but ok

[@sviatoslavs.1305]

Interesting phrase: in many post-Soviet countries there's a phrase "Who doesn't risk, doesn't drink Champagne", which has the same meaning as "who dares, wins".

[@pinochet3317]

Thanks Simple History, Very cool!

[@Lumencraft-]

I like how the thumbnail was a picture of a guy eating a turd. LOL!

[@trieumnguyen9106]

*watches whole video* Me: IVE NEVER HEARD ANY OF THESE PHRASES SHSGAJDBSJSH

[@RusskiBlusski]

My favourite is probably "Put a sock in it" which comes from the time when gramophones were common, since gramophones didnt have any way to adjust volume, you would put a sock in it (or some other form of cloth) And today you probably know that it means to make something (or someone) go quiet.

[@joansolis9687]

*The Medic Who Fought A War Without A Weapon*

[@gavinl1565]

They need to do a vid on Audi Murphy.

[@carolinamiccolis4660]

Z.KILLER 898, there was also The Green Beret who when on a one man to save his comrades.

[@flamelurk]

I had never heard the “No cigar” quote in my life, but a few hours after watching this video I heard someone say it for the first time ever in a video from 5 years ago.

[@kingsofserbiangameplay1623]

If big movies were blockbusters then the Emoji movie was one of the lacklustres

[@MQzzz.3140]

A tour guide at Frementale Prison, Western Australia thought that if someone "let the cat out of the bag", someone's about to get flogged/whipped by a cat o' nine tails till flesh is torn out and the convict almost goes into shock before the guards "add salt to the wound" to ensure the convicts live to get flogged another day (brine was used as a painful disinfectant).

[@ToedCobra33]

Please do a video on the Warsaw Uprising

[@aaronlandry3934]

“Put your best foot forward.” is a salesman’s advice to another salesman. “Put your best foot forward”, because door to door salesmen would stick their foot between the door once it opened so that the person couldn’t close the door and try to sell to them anyways.

[@masrendra8625]

Simple history or ... "The simple, critical, and great History"?

[@JesusRocksTryPrayin]

Put your best foot forward implied to people with club-foot. It was common and subtlety mocked. I have a book on sayings, there was some sorta-famous prince with a club foot and it came from him. "You must present your best face, young son." It was even in a movie. It isn't odd

[@TheTattieShaw]

You just never know when this could come up in a pub quiz

[@Simplehistory]

you never know 🍺

[@slaughterghoul3662]

This year, my class are doing WWII as our topic, and THIS channel is the person im looking towards

[@unfinishedsentenc5308]

Speaking of the devil, I was wondering when you guys were gonna upload another video.

[@unfinishedsentenc5308]

@Sir Panda Definitely. Love this channel 😎👍

[@unfinishedsentenc5308]

@Sir Panda Now we need Simple History to be a guest on sabatons new history youtube channel. My life would be complete.

[@juanmanuelzardainbuganza8889]

In Spanish there is a saying: “Como pedro por su casa” or “Coming in like Peter on his house” to refer someone who enters to a place like it is his own house. This is referring to Pedro the I of Aragon who after a battle capture a palace and make it his home.

[@michael120.]

Nice video! Good to watch during history homework

[@pacificboy9140]

Y we got same profile pic?!??!?!

[@michael120.]

@@pacificboy9140 Nice

[@richieThach]

Do a video on the history of simple history

[@adamamaru4535]

Bruh Ima go sicko mode on these concubines.

[@JeffDripstein]

Dicko mode

[@True-Patriot]

2:33 the coast guard has a term for vessles that break apart ice to keep everything flowing as usual. These ice breaking ships are called "Icebreakers". Back durning the 1600s, the Russians used sailing ships to break through ice.

[@kingsofserbiangameplay1623]

I went to wix to make a site, it was close but no cigar

[@zasw2234]

I love this channel so much. I learn so much as kid from these videos

[@zeeboss7553]

Ehrrrmmm... *”Hit or miss”*

[@ProxiProtogen]

Ben Danklen “I guess they never ya”

[@kelpshakeandy.v7663]

The Great Newb “you gotta boy”

[@keith8225]

Friend: What’s ur favourite blockbuster? Me: The bomb used in WWII

[@cookieusa1]

*WHO DARES, WINS.*

[@gadielplays2419]

Gambit SAS

[@Vincentlpp08]

Gambit hehey, sas

[@dogiebadger6229]

Deep..

[@aramisortsbottcher8201]

In germany its: who not dares wont win

[@BIGBLOCK5022006]

Or as a Canadian military unit would say: "We dare".

[@minaxims]

Phrases I use today: "yo tengo" "Mr. / Ms. (insert name), I don't feel so good" "YOU. SHALL NOT. PASS." "I like Turtles"

[@Bamboozler2349]

I like to say bamboozled, and hooligan for example in video games I yell at people *YOU HOOLIGAN* when they chase me or I am goofing around with friends

[@nerbs_the_word]

I say "Baffoon" a lot instead lol

[@ColonelMetus]

Bamboozled is hate speech

[@Bamboozler2349]

AlbatrosMafia hmmmm i forgot about that word, thanks for reminding me, now i can tell my friends they are baffoons

[@owenwolfco.8344]

I used to think the term “BlockBuster” referred to a massive grossing event or movie that attract crowds of people, and when lining up to see the event or movie will overrun the block, busting it.

[@THEGrilledPeep]

Comments from one day ago? Seems odd...

[@legionary2736]

Channel membership perk

[@doeboygaming2603]

Yall never disappoint with these vids

[@funnyyellowdog5889]

What about “Bite the bullet” ?

[@SerialAngler]

@@druidsstone3463 wouldn't they also bite down on a belt or something leather?

[@kimarous]

"Bite the bullet" comes from the days of gunpowder weaponry. To reload, they had to tear open a packet containing the actual musket ball and some powder and shove it down the barrel of their gun. A typical way to open the packet was with one's teeth - hence, "biting the bullet."

[@druidsstone3463]

I think you might be right. This is just what I heard; I didn't bother to fact check it.

[@frwystr]

No anaesthesia during civil war so soldier bit boolit

[@makhailoliver1847]

Back then, Simple History was watched by the masses in theatres. This is simply their official channel posting previews advertisements 1:58

[@thesacredplayer6915]

“ When Shall I Do It?”

[@Chados.]

DO IT!!!! JUST DO IT! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

[@lorenzomunoz720]

1:53 “Anything that was big and exciting” I see what you did there

[@personinspace4286]

Perection better than my history teacher 👌

[@imstillw8ing]

Remember when houses used to have roofs made of straw? And animals would sleep up there for warmth until it rained and we'd say, "it's raining cats and dogs"? Or how straw back then used to be called "thresh" and Everytime someone would open the door, the straw (thresh) would blow out the door? So we created an elevated area underneath the door called a threshold? Or when people were declared dead prematurely so we'd install bells in their coffins that would ring and would hire people to work at night, giving the name "grave yard shift"?

[@Wolfdog-T]

I often hear ligma....What is ligma?

[@Brian-ff7tw]

Ligma balls

[@ProxiProtogen]

randy higgins r/wooosh

[@czes7181]

@@ProxiProtogen r/woooooosh

[@halomaster2137]

Ruler of All r/woooosh

[@lecisteim_1945]

W E G O T E M

[@maksymiliangaming2665]

I love that you tell the meaning of the phrases.

[@caliber3436]

Man, Simple History really puts his best foot forward!

[@kegmonkey5648]

The fact that "Put your best foot forward" implies more than two feet makes me think it's more of an old military phrase which changed over the years. "Put your best footman forward" as in, at the head of the rank and in charge of his men.

[@ragergamer3111]

I love that you used some of your other simple history videos as movie posters. I would legitimately watch those movies

[@ET-Gamer]

I was hoping that I didn’t use any of the phrases they’d talk about in this vid when I clicked on it but literally the first one got me.

[@___axg96___63]

"The whole nine yards" meaning put all your effort into it is a phrase that came from WWII. It's something said amongst flight crews, referring to shooting down enemy planes. The ammunition stored in the wings of the fighters were 9 yards in length. So if you were trying to get a kill, someone might say "give em the whole nine yards" meaning use all your ammo to get him. Or at least I think that's what it means

[@logger22]

1:45 Hacksaw Ridge reference

[@carboncoffee4057]

3:09 "This is fine."

[@thegrumpydragon7601]

I liked the plug in on the posters for your previous videos

[@TheBigBadBeowulf]

My granpa who served in the Army had a saying he picked up from his service: "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades" very self explanatory.

[@lemurskip]

Tons of phrases we use today were invented by the Royal Navy. Two of which is "cat's out of the bag" and "not up to scratch"

[@AValidUserName]

Germany: Defeated Allies: Close but no cigar

[@WayOutGaming]

Could you guys do one on the saying taking a breather? My suspicion is it goes back to tank crews during WWI since early tanks did not have seperate compartments for the engine and crew, causing most crews to have to stop and, wait for it, take a breather.

[@damionss3738]

I show your vids to my teachers and they show them to fellow students keep up the good work and post faster if you could !

[@sulli1189]

I thought that the saying "Put your best foot forward" came from from how people walked with their toes before their heals to feel the ground. The best foot would be the shoe that is least damaged sole. However the left and right conflict makes more sense.

[@squirreltamer2548]

I got one for you. “Whole nine yards”. This phrase comes from WW2, fighter planes would carry an ammunition belt nine yards long.

[@queenjada7856]

I just love this channel

[@fod1855]

“Don’t cross the line” is a good one

[@Matt_J98]

Right hand man comes from back in the days of classical Greece when hoplites fought shoulder to shoulder in the phalanx. Every hoplite looked to the man to the right for protection. Thanks for the awesome videos simple history!! You guys should do the Chindits!! 🙂