“Peeping Tom” and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 14)

And we continue with our American Stories. Up next, we continue with our recurring series about the curious origins of everyday sayings. Here to join us again is Andrew Thompson as he continues to share another slice from his Ultimate Guide to Understanding the Stories, the Mysteries of the English Language. Take it away, Andrew.

To tie the knot means to get married, and that expression began with early wedding ceremonies during the times of the Roman Empire. The bride wore a girdle that was tied with knots that would be untied by the groom. Then the custom grew to actually tie the couple’s hands together as part of the ceremony, known as handfasting. The Celts had a similar ritual whereby the hands of the bride and groom were tied together for a duration of one year plus one day in order for the marriage to be legal. The couple promised to stay together for this length of time as part of their marriage contract, and a couple could not be married without tying the knot. To be blackballed means to be voted against or someone who is not acceptable or is an outcast, and that expression derives from London’s gentlemen’s clubs of the 18th century. New applications for membership of those clubs were assessed by a ruling committee and then put to members for a secret vote. Every existing member of the club was able to vote, and the votes were cast by placing either a white or a black ball into a container. White balls meant acceptance, and black balls meant rejection. One single black ball was enough for the application to fail, but nobody ever knew which members were in opposition. But if one black ball was in there, you were blackballed. To double-cross means to betray, and it’s usually done by a previous partner. There’s a bit of conjecture about the origins of this expression, likely began from the 18th-century London bounty hunter named Jonathan Wild. Wild had a monopoly on crime at the time, and he kept meticulous records of all criminals he did business with, paying for information that advanced his extensive network. If any criminal on the list displeased Wild in any way, he would place a cross next to his name in the Book of Thieves. A second cross meant that the criminal had outlived his usefulness, and Wild would turn him into the authorities and claim the reward. Wild himself was actually eventually betrayed and was hanged in 1725. To toe the line means to abide by the rules or submit to authority, and it’s got political origins from the British House of Commons. To deter members of opposing parties from attacking each other, two parallel red lines were marked on the floor. The lines were two sword lengths apart, and the members were required to stand behind their respective lines at all times. If any member did cross the line and approach the other party, he was ordered to retreat and toe the line. The lines actually still exist in the Parliament today, and the tradition remains, although nobody carries swords. Touch and go means a risky or precarious situation, and it’s another expression that derives from the sea. When going over shallow water, a ship’s keel might clip a reef or a seabed. If luck is on the captain’s side, the ship may avoid disaster and move on unaffected. Instead of being completely run aground, it might touch and go. The saying was used first in the 1800s in The Sailor’s Word-Book. To turn a blind eye means to knowingly ignore a situation, a fact, or reality, and it started with the British naval Admiral Horatio Nelson. Nelson had one blind eye, and during the 1801 Battle of Copenhagen, Nelson and his superior Sir Hyde Parker disagreed over the tactics in fighting the large Danish-Norwegian fleet. At one point, Parker sent a signal by way of flags for Nelson to disengage from the battle, but Nelson was confident he could win. He deliberately held his telescope up to his bad eye and said, “I really do not see the signal.” He continued the attack and actually secured a decisive victory. To turn the corner means to pass a critical point after a difficult time, or to begin to recover, and it relates to two treacherous oceanic corners: the Cape of Good Hope off the southern tip of Africa, and Cape Horn at the bottom of South America. At both of these capes, two oceans collide, and the seas are violent and dangerous. It was always a worrying time when early sailing ships had to negotiate these rough waters, but once the ships had turned the corner, the sailors knew that they were in for some calm sailing. To turn the tables means to reverse a situation and gain the upper hand, and it began with the game of backgammon in the early 17th century. The game in England was known as tables, and the two halves of the playing board are still called tables today. At that time, though, there was a rule that allowed the players to turn the tables. This involved reversing the board so that the players would continue from their opponent’s previous position. The phrase then began being used figuratively from the early 1600s. To be two-faced means to be hypocritical, and it has its origins in Roman mythology. Janus was the Roman god of beginnings and transitions, and consequently, gates, doors, and passages. He was responsible for the gates of heaven and was depicted as having two faces, one at the front of his head and one at the back. This gave him the ability to look to the future and into the past, and see both directions at once. The legend of Janus led Romans to believe that anyone who held opposing views simultaneously was also two-faced. Under the weather means to feel unwell, and it’s got seafaring origins as well. Seasickness was a major problem in the early days of sailing before medication was invented to combat it. The elements were obviously particularly bad in times of rough seas and bad weather, when the ship would move about more violently. The greatest sway on a ship is on the deck, and the most stable place is underneath, near the keel. If a sailor became ill, he was sent down below to recover under the deck and under the weather.

And a terrific job on the production, editing, and storytelling by our own Greg Heneghan, and a special thanks once again to Andrew Thompson. The curious origins of everyday sayings. So many of them, as we discussed and have discussed, are nautical terms: ‘turn the corner,’ ‘touch and go.’ ‘Touch and go’ just makes so much sense once you hear about how that saying came to be. Terrific storytelling about phrases we use each and every day, so many of them from nautical origins, so many from British origins, and then a good deal from American origins too. The story of everyday sayings here on Our American Stories. Lee Habeeb here, and I’d like to encourage you to subscribe to Our American Stories on Apple Podcasts, the iHeartRadio app, Spotify, or wherever you get our podcasts. Any story you missed or want to hear again can be found there daily. Again, please subscribe to the Our American Stories podcast on Apple Podcasts, the iHeartRadio app, or anywhere you get your podcasts. It helps us keep these great American stories coming.