Think about the words you speak every day – simple phrases that roll off the tongue. But what if each one carried a secret history, a forgotten adventure from centuries past? Here on Our American Stories, we believe every word has a tale to tell, enriching our understanding of the world around us. Join us as we welcome back Andrew Thompson, who bravely guides us through the surprising origins of everyday sayings, revealing the hidden narratives behind the language we all share.
From ancient battles where outcomes lay “in the lap of the gods” to cunning market tricks that made someone “let the cat out of the bag,” these aren’t just definitions; they’re vivid snapshots of human experience. We’ll trace how phrases like “last-ditch attempt” came from wartime bravery, and why being a “laughing stock” was once a public spectacle. Get ready to explore the surprising journeys of these common phrases and see our words in a whole new light.
📖 Read the Episode Transcript
Speaker 2: “In the lap of the gods” means a situation whose outcome is unclear and can’t be influenced. Some say the expression began with the practice of leaving gifts of thanks with statues of gods, and whilst this has occurred for centuries, the phrase actually derives from The Iliad, Homer’s text from the eighth century B.C. In the story, Achilles battles the Trojans and kills Hector’s brother, Polydorus. Hector sees this and challenges Achilles, brandishing a spear in his face. Hector says to Achilles, “I know you are brave and stronger than me by far, but these things lie in the lap of the gods. Though I’m the weaker man, I’ll take your life.” Achilles survives, and the Trojans are defeated. A last-ditch attempt is a final effort to solve a problem or avoid defeat, and it’s a military term that dates to the late seventeenth century. King William III of England is credited with the expression. During the Anglo-French War with the Dutch Republic, William was offered to be made sovereign Prince of Holland if he would capitulate, but he refused, and an envoy of the Dutch king threatened that William would witness the end of his fate. William replied, “There is one way to avoid this: to die defending it in the last ditch.” The phrase was then picked up by the citizens of Westmoreland in the American War of Independence, when in 1798 they said, “In war, we know but one additional obligation: to die in the last ditch or uphold our nation.” By the early 1800s, the figure was being used figuratively. If someone’s a “laughing stock,” they’re an object of ridicule or humiliation, and that originated from the medieval form of punishment. In England, most villages had stocks set up in the public square, and the stocks comprised two sliding boards with holes in them that were secured on a wooden frame. The hands and feet of the victim were placed in the holes, rendering him unable to escape or move freely. Petty criminals were put in the stocks so the townspeople could gather around, laughing and humiliating the person, even throwing rotten vegetables at them. The phrase “laughing stock” had developed into its current use by the early 1500s. “To lead someone up the garden path” means to deceive them, and it’s also sometimes said as “down the garden path,” and its origins started in the early 1900s in England. Country estates at the time usually had acres of gardens that contained trees, hedges, and paths that would wind throughout. It was in the romantic parts of these gardens that gentlemen would traditionally propose to their sweethearts. Women knew this, so to be invited on a walk by a suitor was a positive sign, and one they were often keen to accept. But it also wasn’t uncommon for some men to lead a woman up the garden path, not to propose marriage, but merely to try to seduce her. “To leave high and dry” means to be stranded without hope of recovery, and not surprisingly, this expression relates to the world of sailing. It dates to the early 1800s and originally referred to a ship being run aground and unable to move. This left the ship exposed and vulnerable to attack, and the captain was rendered helpless until the tide came in. Its first written usage was in The Times newspaper in London in 1796, where it was said that a ship had gone aground when the tide had ebbed, left her nearly high. And “to be left in the lurch” means to be abandoned in an awkward or difficult situation, and its origins are with an old French board game called “launch.” It was played with dice and was similar to backgammon. If a player was left in a position from which they couldn’t win, he suffered a “launch,” which was a disadvantage. This concept was then brought into the card game of cribbage, where if a player is trailing by a certain margin, he is said to be left in the lurch. “To let the cat out of a bag” means to give away a secret, and it dates from the early 16th century and derives from a time when unscrupulous market vendors sold false goods. One of their common deceptions was to substitute a worthless cat for a valuable pig. After showing a buyer the sought-after suckling pig, negotiations on price would begin, and the pig would be placed in a carry bag. At some point, when the buyer was distracted, the pig would be replaced for a cat. It was only when the duped buyer got home that the fraud was revealed: he let the cat out of the bag. The expression “licked into shape” means to mold something or someone to suit the situation, and it derives from the ancient Roman belief that animals were born formless and that their mothers had to lick them into the required shape. This belief is likely to have arisen because all mammals are born covered with a thick afterbirth, which can make them unrecognizable. The mother then licks that off, and the properly formed animal appears. Bear cubs, in particular, are born in a seemingly shapeless form and receive a lot of attention from their mothers, so this would have also lent weight to the Romans’ belief. If you say that someone is “lily-livered,” it means that you think they are cowardly. It’s often heard in Western movies, and it’s an expression that we owe to the ancient Greeks. Like many others, they believed that the liver was the organ that created blood, and that a poorly functioning liver resulted in physical and mental weakness. In line with this belief, they thought that a pale, lily-colored complexion indicated a cowardly person, while rosy cheeks would be found on a strong man in good health. The Greeks also had the custom of sacrificing an animal before each battle. They looked to the animal’s liver as an omen. A liver full of blood was a good sign, but a pale liver did not augur well. It was the Great Bard Shakespeare that brought the phrase into the mainstream when he used it in his 1606 play, Macbeth. The “lion’s share” is the largest part of something, and it derives from one of Aesop’s Fables which now bears that name. It tells the story of a lion, a wolf, and a fox, as well as an ass who kill a stag to eat. The bounty is divided into quarters to share equally, but before they start eating, the lion claims the first portion because he’s the king of the jungle. He then claims the second portion because he’s the strongest, and then the third portion because he is the most courageous. The other animals are left with the last quarter to eat, but they are too afraid to claim it with the lion standing over them. So, depending on the version of the story, the lion shares either three quarters or everything.
Speaker 1: And great jobs, always, to Greg on the production, and a special thanks to Andrew Thompson. “Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red” is the book. Go to Amazon.com and the usual suspects to buy it. Andrew Thompson, the stories of how our language came to be, here on Our American Stories. Lee Habib here, the host of Our American Stories. Every day on this show, we’re bringing inspiring stories from across this great country, stories from our big cities and small towns. But we truly can’t do the show without you. Our stories are free to listen to, but they’re not free to make. If you love what you hear, go to OurAmericanStories.com and click the donate button. Give a little, give a lot. Go to OurAmericanStories.com and give.
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