“Bring Home the Bacon” and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 5)

This is Our American Stories, and we tell stories about everything here on this show. And up next, Arthur Andrew Thompson, here to share the stories behind curious phrases and everyday scenes. Take it away, Andrew.

Blowing hot and cold means to change one’s mind or be inconsistent, and it derives from classical mythology and one of the fables of Aesop, the ancient Greek writer from 570 BC. In it, he tells the story of a man who meets a mythical beast who’s part man and part goat on a winter’s day. When he meets the beast, the man blows on his hands to warm them up because it’s cold, and the beast invites the man into his house to have some porridge. But then the man blows on the porridge to cool it down. The beast couldn’t believe it and set out: “You go! I will have nought to do with a man who can blow hot and cold with the same breath.” The expression was used figuratively by the 17th century, when the English churchman William Chillingworth referred to it in a book he wrote in 1638. The expression “blue blood” means a member of a socially prominent or wealthy family, and it’s a translation of the Spanish phrase “sangrea zool,” which relates to aristocrats who lived in Castile in the 18th century. The Moors invaded Castile from northern Africa, and they had dark skin. Many interracial marriages took place, but the oldest and proudest families from Castile were quick to boast that they had never intermarried with the Moors or any other race. As a result, they were pure and remained fair-skinned, making their veins appear very blue against their white skin. This was taken to be a mark of good breeding, and they called themselves the “sangrea zool” or the “blue bloods.” It was later used in England to describe the nobility. “Bob’s your uncle” means that everything will be all right and you’ll get a favorable result with very little effort, and it dates back to 1886. In that year, Arthur Balfa was unexpectedly appointed to the job of Chief Secretary for Ireland. Many believed he didn’t deserve the job and wasn’t qualified, and as it turned out, the British Prime Minister at the time was Balfa’s uncle, and it was the Prime Minister’s nepotism that got Balfa the post. The Prime Minister’s name at the time was Robert Gascoyne Cecil, or Bob, so Arthur Balfa got the job because Bob was his uncle, and the word “nepotism” actually derives from “nephew,” which completes the link. A “booby prize” is a prize given to someone who comes last in a game or contest to make fun of him or her. It derives from the blue-footed booby, a South American bird that’s known to be unintelligent and easy to catch. During the 17th century, sailors who first came across the bird—when they tried to catch it, it didn’t escape—and it could be caught on the deck of a ship with a simple noose and food as bait. That is actually the origin of the expression “booby trap” as well. But because of this slow-witted bird, sailors who also weren’t too bright became known as “boobies,” and the prize was given to anyone who came last in the contest, and that was known as the “booby prize.” To “bottle.” It means to lose your nerve or your courage, and it originates from the days of bare-knuckle boxing in the 19th century. A fighter always had a man in his corner who supplied water and encouragement between the rounds to keep the fighter’s spirits up. This man was known as the “bottleman” because he carried with him the boxer’s water. Without the “bottleman” and the necessary water, a fighter couldn’t go on. But in cases where the fighter was losing, he would sometimes tell his “bottleman” to sneak away with the water bottle, which would give the fighter an excuse to quit. In these cases, it was said that the fighter had “bottled it.” The saying “break a leg” is used to wish someone, like an actor, success in a performance. It’s often thought to be related to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth, who broke his own leg while jumping onto the stage to escape, but while many think that’s the origin, it had actually come into existence well before then. When a successful theater performance is applauded by an audience, the cast will return to the front of the stage, and this can happen a number of times, the curtains rising and falling on each occasion. The actors are required to bow or curtsy each time, and in doing so, they bend or “break a leg” as they do. To “bring home the bacon” means to earn money or to be successful, and it began in the village of Dunmow in Essex, England, in the year 1104. It was in that year a noblewoman named Juga offered a side of bacon, which was known as a “flitch,” to any married couple in England who could honestly say that they had lived in complete marital harmony without a cross word being spoken for the entire year and one day. The tradition became known as the “dun Maw Flick Trials.” The trials are still held every four years, and the candidates have to prove their worth before a jury of 12, and if successful, they “bring home the bacon,” but in over 500 years there have only been eight winners. To “burn your bridges” means to put yourself in a position from which there is no return, and is often used in the negative form with “don’t burn your bridges.” The expression dates back to ancient Roman times. When Roman armies crossed a river to invade a new territory, the general in command would order the bridge they had crossed to be burned. This ensured the soldiers couldn’t have second thoughts and retreat, so they were forced to fight for their lives. The territories being invaded sometimes used the same technique, burning the bridges as they retreated so that the Romans couldn’t follow. And that’s where the expression comes from. To “butter someone up” means to shower someone with flattery, and it dates back to ancient India. The Hindus always wanted to keep their gods happy so that they would watch over and protect them, and they used butter in their cooking like we do, but they had a custom of throwing balls of butter at the statues of their gods to “butter them up.” They did this to keep the gods happy and also if they were seeking a particular favor. “Buying time” means to stall or be evasive to gain some time. And it’s got an interesting origin. It started in England in 1797 when the Duties on Clocks and Watchers Act was passed. This act was known as the “Clock Tax,” and it was a five-shilling tax that would be imposed on every clock or watch in the British Isles. Many clock owners either hid or got rid of their clocks in order to avoid the tax, but sensing an opportunity, tavern owners hung huge clocks on their walls, and anyone who wanted to know the time would have to come in. The tavern owners didn’t mind paying the tax because people who came in to find the time were compelled to buy a drink. The people would often then stay longer than originally planned, and thus they “brought time.” “By and large” means in general or on the whole, and it’s another expression that has nautical origins. It harks to the days of sailing ships, where to “sail by” meant to sail facing into the wind, while “sailing large”—the most favorable way—means to have the wind behind the ship. But when the wind was constantly changing around, a captain would be required to “sail by and large,” both with the wind and against it. By doing this, the ship would continue to progress, but its path was not as direct or accurate. To “learn something by heart” means to know or memorize it perfectly, and it dates back to ancient Greece in the 4th century BC. The philosopher Aristotle believed that the heart was the intelligence center of the body and that it governed human emotions because of the fluttering people experienced, so he thought that it was responsible for thinking and memory as well. So if something was studied, it was committed to the heart. And the word “record” actually comes from the Latin words “re,” meaning again, and “core,” meaning heart. So if something was recorded in the memory, it was “learned by heart.” “By the skin of your teeth” means by the narrowest of margins, and it’s an expression that has biblical origins. In the Bible, Satan makes a bet with God, claiming that he can get Job to curse God’s name. God accepts, and Satan does his worst in torturing Job, covering him in excruciating boils whilst writhing in pain. At one point, Job cries, “I’m nothing but skin and bone. I’ve escaped with only the skin of my teeth.” It’s generally thought that he’s referring to his gums and the skin that held his teeth in place, and obviously, a very narrow margin.

And special thanks to Greg Hangler for the work on the piece, as always, and bringing it to us and to our storyteller, Andrew Thompson, who’s the “art thereof, Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red.” The curious origins of everyday sayings and fun phrases, Andrew Thompson’s storytelling of the English language. Essentially, here on Our American Stories.