Reader Opinions
Chris – (rule of thumb) October 27, 2024
A rule of thumb originated with carpenters and joiners; oftentimes you would not have a ruler on you, and you wanted to have a piece of an approximate length, so you would literally use your thumb to measure off the inches (a thumb being close to 1 inch). then take the timber to where it was needed and cut it to the exact size. So a rule of thumb was something that was close to accurate, and we use it in a similar way these days “As a rule of thumb, adverbs end in ly” – true a lot of the time but not 100%
Paulie – (hot potato) October 17, 2024
Hot Potato is also used in training athletes by using a real hot potato that came our from a boiling pan. To check their reflexes like for baseball players.
Chris – (on board) October 10, 2024
Mid-60s? This phrase has been around for centuries, originating with ships most commonly (although it can be attributed to taking something on a carriage as they were originally just boards on wheels) You board a ship, you take things on board with you. So when you take something on board, in the figurative sense, you are loading it into your mind, just as you would your luggage (for i.e.) on board the sailing ship.
Paloma – (a bed of roses) October 9, 2024
I agree with Sam Addington.
Too many forget roses have thorns.
Not a comfortable bed.
Chris – (not give a damn) October 3, 2024
MWM is totally right; British origin not American.
Chris – (none of your lip) October 3, 2024
Not the same as none of your business; none of your lips means don’t be cheeky, don’t answer back. Don’t say anything that insults or arguments. The only example above that is even close is the first one.
Kurtiss – (wag the dog) October 2, 2024
They’re not tracing this back farther than 1997? It was used in reference to the 1992 election in the early/mid ’90s, and Joseph Wambaugh used it in Lines & Shadows in 1984. Anyone know anything earlier than those?
Anonymous – (a stitch in time saves nine) September 18, 2024
Where did nine come from?
Scath – (beyond the pale) September 14, 2024
Previous to 1922, Britain-run Dublin was called “The Pale,” and areas outside of Dublin were considered “beyond the Pale.” If you were an anglophile living in Dublin, to venture outside or beyond the Pale was considered dangerous since many Irish hated the British for their dominance over Gallic (Celtic) culture.
TLeaf – (good egg) August 28, 2024
There’s a direct equivalent in Chinese: 坏蛋 or 壞蛋, literally “bad egg”, which I doubt came from the same Hammett origin. Some other Chinese expressions involving eggs: foolish egg, mucky egg, or telling someone to scram: 滚蛋”scram-egg”. But I’m not aware of any Chinese reference to “good egg”.
