The Origin of Old Sayings

[@st.joanne]

I love learning about the origins of sayings. ❤

[@TimLambert101]

So do I

[@lewiscannon8213]

How about "Have you're Cake and eat it "

[@TimLambert101]

@@lewiscannon8213 This saying has been around since at least the 16th century. In 1538 Duke of Norfolk wrote a letter to Thomas Cromwell the Chancellor of England. He wrote 'a man can not have his cake and eat his cake'. That's its earliest known use but it may be even older. With slight variations, it has been used ever since. Its meaning is obvious but we don't know who first thought of it. It was probably just a joking way of saying you can't have it both ways.

[@reubenwoodley96]

Today I woke up down in the dumps, but finding your video made me happy as a clam! Thanks from Wellington, New Zealand.

[@TimLambert101]

@reubenwoodley96 Thank you! The phrase in such dumps or in your dumps dates from the 16th century. In the 18th century it had become the phrase 'down in the durmps'. I had never heard the expression 'as happy as a clam'. Apparently it comes from the Northwest USA and was first recorded in 1833. It may be shortened from 'as happy as a clam at high water'.

[@dee7781]

Have you ever heard "as happy as a pig in shit"? "Lol!

[@TimLambert101]

Yes, my father used that phrase all the time

[@barbaranneboyer4796]

l always wondered..... and lovely photos too..thank you

[@TimLambert101]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@susangemmell9401]

Having worked in dentistry all my life and also having kept horses,I can tell you that it's not just horses that get long in the tooth, it's we humans too. Unless we're very careful how we brush ,gums will shrink back exposing the neck of the tooth which makes them look longer and loosens teeth especially as we age. So, don't forget folks, brush " gum to tooth" and keep your teeth longer by making them look shorter😁😁

[@LindaCharles-sg6mz]

This is fascinating, thank you and I love the video of the old buildings it adds so much to the whole thing.

[@TimLambert101]

@@LindaCharles-sg6mz Thank you very much

[@patricka.crawley6572]

Excellent. Most informative. Clear and concise.

[@TimLambert101]

@@patricka.crawley6572 Thank you

[@jude175]

I've loved words since I first learned to read and words made me wonder about expressions. I loved every word in this video. Thank you.

[@TimLambert101]

You're welcome

[@aidandalton7404]

Ah brilliant, excellent video. Amazing how they're still used today. I enjoyed that. Thank you.

[@TimLambert101]

@@aidandalton7404 Thank you very much

[@beckysharpe7268]

The amount of sea sayings we have shows our island heritage.

[@TimLambert101]

@beckysharpe7268 Yes many of them are maritime

[@JustDucky-d9k]

Love this video. Very knowledgable. I appreciate someone posting the meanings of sayings.

[@TimLambert101]

Thank you very much

[@JustDucky-d9k]

@@TimLambert101 They should be taught in school, along with English surnames and such in a class of British History!

[@alpinaCD]

Brilliant. Loved this. Truly reminded me what being British means. Thank you.❤

[@TimLambert101]

Thank you very much

[@chadcollins6068]

So basically if someone asks what the origin of a saying is, you can reply "It's some kind of old sailing, knighting or horse related expression".

[@TS-1267]

.... Someone needs an Head Wobble... 😂😂😂😂 Yes, Basically... Are you a Brummie by any Chance... Greetings from Bradford West Yorkshire

[@KeithLuttrell-fj7tu]

Or moonshining

[@judys6663]

so interesting and the added bonus of seeing my regular haunts, so thank you very much as very enjoyable . Regards Judy

[@TimLambert101]

@@judys6663 Thank you

[@tonybreeze8516]

Whilst I agreed with most of your origins, coming from the north-east, I believe that “sea coal” doesn’t mean coal shipped by sea from Newcastle but is a description of what the poor used to do in order to heat their homes … they went to the beaches in the north-east and picked up the pieces of coal that used to be washed up from the under-sea strata.

[@TimLambert101]

@@tonybreeze8516 Coal from Newcastle was certainly called sea coal in London and other parts of the south.

[@nickmiller76]

@@TimLambert101 Indeed. the phrase occurs in the plays of Shakespeare.

[@angelikaheath5530]

@@TimLambert101😊

[@truethought369]

The old saying, "a different kettle of fish", is stating that there are two or more options! People who used the long ovel pan with a lid, often cooked other foods with the Fish. Some put Vegetables with it, others only used herbs with the fish. Hence, "Different Kettle of Fish". I love root meanings. 👍

[@MaltaGames]

Tim, thank you for making me more wise. Fine lad

[@TimLambert101]

You're welcome

[@aaarrrggghhhh]

On your uppers was another shoe related saying which meant the soles of your shoes had totally worn out but the uppers were still in good condition and you were too poor to repair them. Great video, I enjoyed it very much. I think spick and span started with ship builders and was used after they had swept up all of the bits of wood shavings and nails after a ship was built. I thinkI remember that from a book called Jackspeak, a guide to British naval slang and usage.

[@TimLambert101]

Thank you.

[@MerkabaKid]

Interesting info 🕊 Thank you for sharing 🕊

[@TimLambert101]

Thank you

[@P1200K]

Good stuff. "Beyond the pale" has a more general etymology than the Dublin story. "Pale" means stick, cognate with the Spanish "palo" and also where we get the word "palisade". "The pale" would've been the fence or the border of an area. If you went "beyond the pale", you went into an unknown, uncontrolled, untamed, out of bounds, foreign place. Today we say it when referring to behavior rather than location.

[@jude175]

Fence pickets are palings.

[@winwinnorris9490]

Always wanted too know this sort of stuff but was to lazy to look it up. So Ty for this.

[@jonb4020]

Nice one! Given Britain's great naval history it's unsurprising how many of these sayings came from ships/the sea.

[@TimLambert101]

@@jonb4020 Thank you

[@ubezygirl]

Thank you so very much, I learned a lot from this presentation; about why people said what they did along time ago. Do you have anymore learning presentation?

[@RingJando]

Wonderful resource material & rather pleasantly presented - Cheers!

[@TimLambert101]

Thank you

[@ibnrawandi2713]

Good video: educational and straight to the point. Thank you

[@TimLambert101]

Thank you

[@jamestregler1584]

Thanks ever so much from old New Orleans 😇

[@TimLambert101]

@@jamestregler1584 You're welcome

[@Angel-lv3bj]

I truly enjoyed. Thank you 😊

[@TimLambert101]

You're welcome

[@derekhall5843]

There are lot of sayings from sailors as you would expect from a island nation, like three sheets to the wind etc

[@TimLambert101]

Yes

[@13NiiTRO13]

Very informative... thanks

[@TimLambert101]

You're welcome

[@nurserytime2299]

You have taught me the origins of many sayings. Thank you. I always thought the expression “a load of red tape” came from the beginning and end of audio tape. There was always a section of red tape to wind round the reel which could not be recorded on, so seemed unnecessary.

[@TimLambert101]

@@nurserytime2299 Thank you

[@matthewj.evans-author]

Brilliant, Tim.

[@TimLambert101]

Thank you Old Bean

[@Sallou-l9r]

Love this, thank you - very interesting.

[@TimLambert101]

You're welcome

[@DylanRobins-v4n]

This is kinda weird for me since I’ve grown up in Petersfield my whole life and seeing all the locations 10 years ago it makes me realise how much has changed

[@TimLambert101]

Many parts of Southeast Hampshire have changed a lot

[@goldfish2379]

Really interesting! Thank you so much!

[@TimLambert101]

@@goldfish2379 Thank you

[@maudieg8459]

Very interesting! Thank you for posting this!

[@TimLambert101]

@@maudieg8459 You're welcome

[@peacefamily212]

Thank you x

[@TimLambert101]

Any time!

[@tooyoungtobeold8756]

Excellent video - thank you.

[@TimLambert101]

Thank you very much

[@scallopohare9431]

About that nail, King John's Hunting Lodge in Axebridge has one. It was originally in the marketplace, where lighting was poor, so as coins slid down the surface, a seller could get a more accurate count. In the US, we say cash on the barrel head. There were not enough foundries close enough to towns to provide nails, so they used empty barrels for the same purpose. Many of those barrels likely had contained whiskey.

[@TimLambert101]

I think you nailed it

[@RaymondMoore-c4g]

A bit missing in your crocodile tears saying when croc chomp down on anything whatever's in their mouth presses on it's tear ducts making it seem to cry,

[@bellyarty]

Lovely thank you. I did know most of them and I'm now going to research hoist with your own petard as I think it's different to what you said. Loved the red herring!

[@TimLambert101]

Thank you

[@Thanks_for_posting.]

Thanks for posting

[@TimLambert101]

You're welcome

[@johnmarion4023]

Nice vid very informative

[@TimLambert101]

Thank you

[@zpy-nq7wv]

LOVED EVERY WORD 💓

[@TimLambert101]

Thank you

[@psychoskin3797]

Cool video 👍👍

[@TimLambert101]

Thank you

[@flamingdonut9456]

Very interesting. Thanks.

[@TimLambert101]

Thank you

[@pablobalde1121]

Wholesome.

[@TimLambert101]

Thank you

[@harold6863]

Very interesting thank you👍

[@TimLambert101]

Thank you

[@karendooks6244]

Didn't do tenterhooks. When cloth was dyed it could shrink, so to stop that happening the edges of the cloth was put on hooks which were spread out under tension. Looked like a load of washing lines.

[@TimLambert101]

@@karendooks6244 Yes

[@adeaston6553]

Very interesting when you hear the origins of some of these sayings quite a lot come from Naval history as do many Nick Names. But most of the sayings when you hear their true meanings makes sense. "Now the Penny drops"! You finally understand. Not sure where that one came from. LOL

[@TimLambert101]

Yes, indeed

[@MorrisDonnelly-g2g]

Thank you.

[@TimLambert101]

You're welcome

[@Signaman-z9d]

👏☘️ I enjoyed that

[@TimLambert101]

Thank you

[@angelamary9493]

Love it

[@TimLambert101]

Thank you

[@simonhornby5382]

extraordinary, and very entertaining - might one reccomend Cobham-Brewer's dictionary.

[@TimLambert101]

@@simonhornby5382 Thank you

[@Grandad-ofh]

Really interesting hearing the origins of sayings that are so familiar. I've only one queery: 'The cat's out the bag' I've long believed to be a naval term from when the 'cat o nine tails' was taken 'out the bag' meant some poor soul was about to be flogged.

[@TimLambert101]

It's unlikely because taking a cat o'nine tails out of a bag does not mean revealing a secret or deception. In my view cheating a customer by giving them a bag with a cat in it is much more likely.

[@Grandad-ofh]

@@TimLambert101 I've just always taken that saying as there's trouble about to happen. Nothing to do with deception or secrecy.

[@TimLambert101]

@@Grandad-ofh I have not. To me it always means to reveal a deception.

[@geoffsullivan4063]

This is so interesting ! 😉

[@TimLambert101]

@@geoffsullivan4063 Thank you

[@suewood8538]

Many expressions from a sailing nation, as you would expect.

[@TimLambert101]

Yes

[@rixpix2957]

Nifty.

[@TimLambert101]

Thank you

[@barbaranneboyer7997]

love the photographs too

[@TimLambert101]

Thank you

[@ace3442]

Thanks again :)

[@TimLambert101]

You're welcome

[@peterhall8590]

How about come Hell or high water? I have always wondered about that one.

[@TimLambert101]

Like several other phrases, it began in the USA in the 19th century. It was probably just a jokey phrase contrasting the two extremes of Hell (full of flames) with high water. It has alliteration which makes it memorable.

[@ace3442]

Hi, great info thanks. I am adding this to my article? If you wish me to remove it then of course let me know. Just look for Nell Rose Hubpages, and click on the link.

[@TimLambert101]

+Nell Rose Thank you. I appreciate it.

[@JuliaBebington]

You know the saying Pinch punch first day of the month and no return - some people used to follow that by replying Rabbit, rabbits, rabbits - any idea why that might have been the case please?

[@TimLambert101]

Apparently, it was once a custom to say rabbit, rabbit, rabbit on the first day of the month before you said anything else for good luck. Nobody is sure why rabbits were associated with good luck, perhaps because they were once associated with fertility and new life. (Some people used to carry a rabbit's foot for good luck). By the early 20th century if a child said pinch punch first day of the month the other child would often reply 'rabbit, rabbit, rabbit' or just 'white rabbit' to ward off bad luck. It seems like the two customs merged together. This article explains it a bit more: www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/read-this/this-is-why-people-say-white-rabbit-on-the-1st-of-a-new-month-2957603

[@lindsaywarden1746]

Rule of thumb also references the fact that a man was allowed to beat his wife, providing that the stick was no thicker than his thumb!

[@TimLambert101]

No, it does not. There has never been a rule or a law in England that a man is entitled to beat his wife provided he uses a stick no thicker than his thumb. William Blackstone (1723-80) wrote Commentaries on the Laws of England (1765-1769). He made no mention of a supposed rule that a stick could be used to hit your wife if it was not thicker than a thumb. So it was never a part of English common law. I made a video to debunk this myth. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gaqkg62hp56fhdk

[@michaelhaywood8262]

When you explained 'showing true colours' you also explained 'false flag'.

[@jaksongpg]

Do people still say 'parky'? Haven't heard it since the 70s

[@TimLambert101]

Same here. I remember people saying parky but the word seems to have gone out of use. Incidentally, the word parky meaning cold was first recorded in 1797 when a man called Thomas Twining used it in a letter. Nobody is sure why but in those days a park did not mean a nicely cultivated green area. In the North of England, it meant a green area outside of town. Parky may have meant cold because the park was likely to be windy and exposed and therefore cold.

[@BritishBeachcomber]

But you don't explain why the Greeks called it "cloud cuckoo land".

[@TimLambert101]

It's a translation of words in a play called The Birds by Aristophanes. The birds build a city in the sky called Cloud Cuckoo Land.

[@cajsheen2594]

What about ' run the Gauntlet ' ? Thanks! ❤ XXX

[@TimLambert101]

Running the gauntlet was an old punishment. You had to run between rows of soldiers or sailors while they beat you. But it has nothing to do with gauntlets, the metal gloves knights wore as part of their armour. It's a corruption of Scandinavian words that sounded like 'gauntlet'.

[@cajsheen2594]

@@TimLambert101 Thanks Hun, I often use the phrase in the right context but it's nice to know from whence it came. XXX

[@TimLambert101]

@@cajsheen2594 You're welcome

[@nickmiller76]

Fowler explains it in 'Modern English Usage'.

[@TheBlueOwl21]

Interesting video, although bizarre imagery ! 👍

[@TimLambert101]

I like old buildings

[@welshgruff]

Humans can become long in the tooth too.

[@peterhall8590]

"Not enough room to swing a cat" used to disturb me. I envisioned people swinging cats around by their tail. apparently it is not about a domestic cat but the cat of nine tails. The rope whip which the British Navy used to discipline wayward sailors. not cruelty animals just cruelty to seaman.

[@TimLambert101]

@@peterhall8590 I am afraid people were very cruel to animals too!

[@JonathanReynolds1]

“Kettle of fish” is from the fish being caught by a small net called a Kettle-net.

[@TimLambert101]

No, a kettle was a metal pot. Some soldiers wore helmets called kettle helmets because they resembled the pots. www.oed.com/dictionary/kettle_n

[@Jaymark-gk4li]

Also bakers made extra for themselves 😮

[@free..to..air..]

Ears are best opened by hand...was an expression that always puzzled me

[@TimLambert101]

TBH I have never heard such an expression

[@goldeneddie]

@@TimLambert101 Me neither!

[@dougiesweeny4833]

Some of these have more than one explanation

[@TimLambert101]

Possibly

[@karphin1]

I heard that “rule of thumb” had a more sinister origin: the thumb was the measure, of the stick by which a husband could beat his wife! Once upon a time, it was considered fair game, to beat a wife deemed unsatisfactory in some way! 😔

[@TimLambert101]

@@karphin1 That is a myth

[@karphin1]

@@TimLambert101 you know that for sure?

[@karphin1]

I just checked on a search engine, and it quotes a decision by a judge from. A couple of hundred years ago: A commonly heard alternative, however, states the 'rule of thumb' was the creation of 18th-century English judge, Sir Francis Buller. He ruled (supposedly) that a man is legally permitted to beat his wife, provided he uses a stick no thicker than his thumb.

[@TimLambert101]

@@karphin1 Yes. This claim has been debunked many times. There has never been a rule or a law in England that a man is entitled to beat his wife provided he uses a stick no thicker than his thumb. William Blackstone (1723-80) wrote Commentaries on the Laws of England (1765-1769). He made no mention of a supposed rule that a stick could be used to hit your wife if it was not thicker than a thumb. So it was never a part of English common law. In fact, the earliest known use of the phrase was in 1658 by a preacher called James Durham. He said: 'Many professed Christians are like to foolish builders, who build by guess, and by rule of thumb and not by Square and Rule'.

[@TimLambert101]

The truth is that it was CLAIMED by his enemies that Francis Buller made such a ruling about sticks. There is no evidence that he ever did. In any case the phrase rule of thumb was used long before Francis Buller was even born. These words were written in 1692 by Sir William Hope: 'What he doth, he doth by rule of Thumb, and not by Art'.

[@bertiodvonrastenburger1129]

Interesting stuff, strange video

[@peterrobinson3168]

I thought that "Rule of Thumb" came from a stick diameter. You weren't allowed to beat your wife with a stick thicker than your thumb,

[@TimLambert101]

That is a popular myth. There never was such a rule or law in England. William Blackstone wrote Commentaries on the Laws of England (1765-1769). He made no mention of a supposed rule that a stick could be used to hit your wife if it was not thicker than a thumb. So it was never a part of English common law.

[@EvolutionRich]

Rule of thumb comes from windmills, when a skilled miller set the grinding stones up and ran through the first grain. They would collect a sample from around the edge of the stones between thumb and finger to get a gauge on how fine or coarse the flour would be. To get a good batch quality it was up to the millers experience rather than science, using his rule of thumb!

[@TimLambert101]

@@EvolutionRich I heard a similar story about brewers using their thumbs to measure the temperature of brewing beer. Of course it may have come from more than one occupation.

[@EvolutionRich]

@@TimLambert101 yes it probably came about from a combination of trades that described the feel to get something right by a craftsman

[@schinnery6335]

Fun but a bit long...

[@SirAntoniousBlock]

Aww strained your attention span did it.

[@Heygoodlooking-lk9kg]

Much better if the vid was made out of the wind

[@TimLambert101]

Difficult to find anywhere out of the wind

[@Heygoodlooking-lk9kg]

@@TimLambert101 indoors?

[@TimLambert101]

@@Heygoodlooking-lk9kg That's a personal space besides I like to film old buildings

[@SirAntoniousBlock]

You need to find a safe space.

[@piratesapper]

I've never heard of 99.999% of the things you're saying.

[@usernamename2978]

You reflect not only your ignorance of these common sayings but also of everyday mathematics. How do you claim 99.999% without at least 100,000 samples?

[@auntielucysings7709]

Where are you from? How old are you? Ive heard all of them. Im 62 English

[@samwisegamgee4854]

Just read more

[@ColleenLlewis-xu5yk]

Where the heck have you been all you life?

[@stevetaylor1312]

You need to get out more

[@markukrainetz5058]

nice. lots of interesting tidbits

[@jude175]

Tim - what is a tidbit?

[@TimLambert101]

dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/tidbit

[@welshgruff]

Americans started using tidbits as they thought titbits sounded rude.