Welcome back to Our American Stories, where we love to explore the hidden histories woven into the fabric of our nation. Today, we’re diving into a fascinating corner of our shared experience: the everyday phrases and sayings we use without a second thought. Have you ever wondered why we say “up the ante” or “wet behind the ears”? Each of these common expressions carries a surprising backstory, a miniature tale waiting to be uncovered, revealing so much about where we’ve been as a culture and the rich history of the English language.
Join us as Andrew Thompson, our trusted guide to the mysteries of words, brings these curious origins to life. From the high-stakes poker table to medieval jousting fields, from bustling 19th-century apartments to the political campaign trail, you’ll discover the unexpected stories behind popular idioms like “upset the apple cart” and “warts and all.” Get ready to hear the fascinating narratives that give our everyday language its enduring power and unique flavor.
📖 Read the Episode Transcript
Speaker 2: To up the anti means to raise the cost or risk of an activity, and that expression sprung up from a card game of poker. Anti’s a Latin word meaning before or in front, and at the start of a hand, before any cards are dealt, players must place a bet called the anti, that is, the upfront bet. As the hand progresses and cards are received, players can increase their bet, which is only usually done if a player has a good hand or is bluffing. Increasing the bed is known as raising the stakes or upping the ante. The expression was used more widely since the early 1800s. Up to the mark means to be acceptable or up to the required standard, and it’s often used in the negative, in that ‘he’s not up to the mark.’ But the expression originated in 1697 when the Britannia Standard was introduced. It provided that all gold and silver that satisfied a certain level of purity be stamped with a hallmark. This proved the authenticity of the material and became assigned to duelism buyers, that it was genuine. In the beginning, all precious medals were inspected at Goldsmiths’ Hall in London, before the inspection process spread to other locations. If a medal was not considered of the required standard, it was rejected as not being up to the hallmark, and the expression was laid shortened to ‘not up to the mark.’ To get the upper hand means to obtain a dominant position or a position of control. It began with a simple 15th-century game. It involved a stick and two or more contestants. One person held the bottom of the stick and the next person placed their hand directly above that. This happened turn after turn until the top of the shaft was reached. The last person to place their hand on the end of the shaft was said to have the upper hand and was the winner. This game was then adopted in the 19th century in American playgrounds to determine who would bat first in impromptu baseball games. To upset the apple cart means to create a difficulty or cause an upset, and that expression has the unlikely origins of wrestling. During the 18th century, ‘the apple cart’ was a slang term in wrestling circles from a man’s upper body. To upset the apple cart was to throw the opponent down, which put him in a difficult position and prevented him from winning. To wait for the other shoe to drop means to await a seemingly inevitable event, and that expression began with the American manufacturing boom in the late 19th century. In large cities like New York, apartment housing became common. These dwellings were all built with similar designs, and bedrooms were typically located one above the other. He was common to be awoken late at night by a neighbor removing their shoes, and the apartment above the person below would often wake when the first shoe dropped on the floor and made a loud bang. Already disturbed, the person would then wait for the inevitable noise of the other shoe hitting the floor. Warts and all means the entire thing and not concealing any detail, and it derives from Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector of England in the 1650s. Cromwell instructed the Royalist painter, Sir Peter Levy, to paint his portrait, and as was usual at the time, Levy’s style was to flatter the subject, showing them in the best possible light with all blemishes removed. Cromwell was known for being opposed to personal vanity, and he issued this instruction to Levy. “I desire you use all your skill to paint my picture truly like I am, and not flat to me at all. Remark all roughness, pimples, warts, and everything you see; otherwise, I’ll never pay you a farthing for it.” Lily did just that, and the portrait includes a mole above Cromwell’s eye and a large wart below his lip. To wear your heart on your sleeve means to show all feelings and emotions, and that expression derives from medieval jousting matches. When a king’s court held a jousting match, it was customary for the competing nights to dedicate their performance to the woman that they were courting at the time. To show that he was representing his sweetheart, a knight would wear the colors of the lady was supporting in cloths or ribbons tied to his arm. He would symbolically wear his heart on his sleeve. Shakespeare then popularized the expression in his 1604 play Othello, when he wrote, “I will wear my heart upon my sleeve.” If you say someone is well-healed, you’re saying they’ve got a lot of money. And that expression lies in the sport of cockfighting. When the sport began, birds that were equipped with long and strong spurs as well healed the hill, relating to the position of the spur on the back of the cock’s foot. The cocks obviously used their spurs to kill the other birds saw a well-healed cock as a very dangerous bird. To be wet behind the ears means to be naive or inexperience, and it’s got a very simple origin. The phrase stems from the state of farm animals just after birth. There’s a small indentation behind the ears of a newborn horse carful lamb, and this area is protected from sunlight and wind and is the last place to dry on the animal after it’s born. The saying began in America and was well known by the early 20th century. A whistle-stop tour is a trip that makes many stops in many places over short space of time, and that expression stems from politics. During the mid-1900s in America, train stopped at all the major towns, but they only stopped at small towns if a passenger requested it. Upon a request, the conductor would blow the train’s whistled twice to indicate a train was approaching. During Harry Truman’s 1948 camp, he traveled by train, stopping briefly at many places to deliver speeches. During his speech in Los Angeles, Truman joked and said that it was the biggest whistle-stop town he’d ever visited. The crowd loved it, and the phrase stuck. A white elephant is an expensive but unwanted possession or thing, and that expression stems from Thailand in the 17th century. Albino elephants were extremely rare at the time, and any born there became the property of the king. The elephants were considered sacred, though, and therefore couldn’t be ridden, killed, or put to work. They were also very expensive to feed and hows. So, if the king was displeased with any nobleman, he would give them a white elephant. Out of Mallas. Then, unable to refuse the royal gift, the nobleman would be forced to care for the useless animal for the rest of his life, which would often lead to financial ruin, and.
Speaker 1: A terrific job on the production, editing, and storytelling by our own Greg Hangler. Loved that last one, “White Elephant,” and so many of the others. Just terrific storytelling by Andrew Thompson, his book “The Curious Origins of Everyday Sayings,” and you can go to OurAmericanStories.com and listen to many, many more. Andrew’s been very generous with Our American Stories and share it all of them, from A to Z, from soup to nuts. Is that one of them? By the way, Greg, I’m not sure. I think so too. The story of the origins of everyday sayings, the ones we use all the time here on Our American Stories. Lie Hibib 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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