Expression Origins: Where Did THAT Come From?

This book came out of a conversation over some beers with a friend. He used the phrase "get my goat" and we came to wonder what on earth goats have to do with anger. We looked into the origins of the phrase and there was a great story there (see slides). It was a bit of a Eureka moment in a way, because it struck me how many phrases we use that make sense, yet don't make sense (if you see what I mean). Once the publisher agreed to my idea, the book took around six months. My aim was to educate, but also to pick the most interesting and surprising stories behind the words and phrases we use all the time. I'm pleased as punch with the interest it has generated so far. Knock yourselves out...!

Excerpts reprinted from FLYING BY THE SEAT OF YOUR PANTS by Harry Oliver; from Perigee books, a division of Penguin Group; 2011.

1 of 11

ARMED TO THE TEETH

1 of 12

First Slide

Previous Slide

@

A popular explanation of this term is that it is a pirate phrase originating in Port Royal, Jamaica, in the 1600s. Having only single-shot black-powder weapons and cutlasses, pirates would carry many of these weapons at once to keep up the fight. In addition, they carried a knife in their teeth for maximum arms capability. But, contrary to most people's idea that warriors with knives and daggers form the basis of this phrase, it actually has little to do with such fearsome feats. "To the teeth" is a fourteenth-century phrase meaning fully and completely, rather like "up to your neck."

The 10 Most Common Phobias (PHOTOS)

14 Ambitious Amateurs Who Made It Big (PHOTOS)

What Are The Most Well-Read Cities In America?

The First Athletes Ever And 7 Other Moments In Sports History

7 Sex Myths Debunked

11 People You Don't Want To Be Friends With

A popular explanation of this term is that it is a pirate phrase originating in Port Royal, Jamaica, in the 1600s. Having only single-shot black-powder weapons and cutlasses, pirates would carry many of these weapons at once to keep up the fight. In addition, they carried a knife in their teeth for maximum arms capability. But, contrary to most people's idea that warriors with knives and daggers form the basis of this phrase, it actually has little to do with such fearsome feats. "To the teeth" is a fourteenth-century phrase meaning fully and completely, rather like "up to your neck."

comments(7)

Total comments: 7 | Post a Comment

1 of 12

This Expression's Origin

Rank #2  |  Average: 4

Boring Interesting!

• 
  1
• 
  2
• 
  3
• 
  4
• 
  5
• 
  6
• 
  7
• 
  8
• 
  9
• 
  10

Top 5 Origins

loading...

Top 5 Origins

UserName

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Top User Slides

← Prev|Next →

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Users who voted on this slide

← Prev|Next →

loading...

 

Comments

[mlaiuppa]

02:41 AM on 02/19/2011

I knew about seat of your pants, toasts and true colors.

I guess that makes me a smart aleck.

[eric14]

01:58 PM on 02/17/2011

The term dates back to the time when airplane pilots did not have the benefit of the many dials and buzzers familiar to the pilots of today.
------------------------------------------
Near, but not right. Back when pilots had very few instrument they called flying, ''flying.'' Later, when more instruments were developed, in some circumstances, pilots would ignore these instruments (perhaps they were not reliable) and choose to fly ''by the seats of their pants.'' It is the alternative to flying-by-instruments, not its predecessor.

[dzymzlzy]

12:30 PM on 02/17/2011

Ok seriously... goats were kept to keep horses calm? That's the best piece of useless trivia I've heard in years.

[yellowdoggie]

03:42 PM on 02/21/2011

This is true. Donkeys were used, as well. Horses need calmer animals around them. Kind of like I need my husband.

[StainlessSteelRat]

11:59 AM on 02/17/2011

Only reason i clicked on this article is that goat on the home page. Why is it so colorful?!

[vdunn33]

08:58 PM on 02/20/2011

me too but i thought it was Sarah Palins new look ....fooled me

[UpFromLiberalism]

11:14 AM on 02/17/2011

a site i use on occasion:

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/a.html