Episode 319
Morning 6-Pack - The Juicy Origins of Everyday Phrases!
Morning 6-Pack - Sayings That’ll Make You LOL! Get ready to dive into some wild and wacky origins of sayings we all know but never thought twice about! Like, did you know "bite the bullet" comes from soldiers chomp’n down on actual bullets? Yikes! We’re spillin’ the beans on these phrases and where they came from, including a few giggle-worthy modern twists—like “beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.” 🍻 So, whether you’re a carnival prize expert or just here for a chuckle, we’ve got you covered! Buckle up for a ride through idioms that’ll have you rolling on the floor laughing (or at least chuckling in your coffee). Let’s kick this off with some serious fun!
Takeaways:
- We dove into the wild origins of common sayings that are way darker than you think!
- Ever wondered why we say 'spill the beans'? Ancient Greeks had a real voting drama!
- 'Mad as a hatter' isn’t just a fun phrase; it’s about toxic hat-making!
- Did you know 'butter someone up' comes from ancient Indian rituals? Totally weird but cool!
- 'Rule of thumb' has a pretty mundane origin, not what you think, thank goodness!
- Our top 6 modern sayings? They’re hilariously twisted and totally relatable, LOL!
Transcript
It is haystack.
Speaker A:And you know, we all use a lot of pretty common phrases and don't necessarily think about where they came from.
Speaker A:And a lot of them have some really weird or dark origins.
Speaker A:I researched a few online.
Speaker A:Run down Bite the bullet is from when soldiers would bite down on bullets during surgery before there was anesthesia.
Speaker A:So, you know, they, they may have a bullet wound and someone's having to cut a bullet out and so they're biting down on another bullet.
Speaker A:Spill the be.
Speaker A:This is one I'd never, I'd never looked up before.
Speaker A:Did not know the origins, but beans were used in ancient Greek voting systems and so if you spilled the beans, you could reveal the secret results of the vote before it was time.
Speaker A:Another one that I'd never known.
Speaker A:I never thought much about it until I decided to do this segment.
Speaker A:But close but no cigar is because carnival prizes at one time included cigars.
Speaker A:So if you nearly missed, if you nearly, you know, if you, if a near miss would get you nothing that was close but you don't want a cigar.
Speaker A:Seems simple enough.
Speaker A:But I'd have never thought about a cigar being a prize at a carnival.
Speaker A:Now I did know this one.
Speaker A:One of my favorites, Mad as a Hatter is because hat makers would be poisoned by the mercury that's used in felt production.
Speaker A:Giving the cold shoulder is because guests were at one point subtly told to leave by being served cold meat.
Speaker A:A cold shoulder of meat resting on your laurels is from ancient Greek and Roman times when the victors would wear laurel wreaths and then they would be criticized if they stopped striving after their big triumphs.
Speaker A:Pulling out all the stops has to do with organ players.
Speaker A:You pull out all the stops on a pipe organ for, for maximum volume, apparently.
Speaker A:Butter someone up is an ancient Indian thing that I did not know.
Speaker A:Somehow.
Speaker A:Ancient Indians would throw balls of butter at statues of gods to seek favor.
Speaker A:And that's how you butter someone up in the limelight.
Speaker A:Another one I'd never known the origins of that I found fascinating.
Speaker A:Stage performers were one time illuminated by bright light created from heated limestone.
Speaker A:So that's why it's the lime light.
Speaker A:And lastly, one of the oldest like wives tales, I guess, for lack of a better term, you've heard the term rule of thumb and I've heard it said over and over again.
Speaker A:Well, that's because there are laws, old laws where you could beat your wife with a, a belt as long as it was no wider than your thumb.
Speaker A:That's not true.
Speaker A:Rule of thumb came from craftsmen using the width of their thumb as a rough measurement, not wife beating laws.
Speaker A:But as we look at idioms, as we look at these sayings, there are a lot of old school sayings that I think we could probably update just a little bit.
Speaker B:Well, gather round folks.
Speaker B:It's the time of day when we laugh and smile in a light hearted way.
Speaker B:Tune in for the giggles and let's kick back.
Speaker B:Here comes the fun.
Speaker B:It's the morning six pack.
Speaker A:These are my top six favorite modern sayings.
Speaker A:A penny saved is pointless.
Speaker A:Number that was number six by the way.
Speaker A:Number five, never your chickens at a kfc.
Speaker A:Number four, a bird in the hand will probably poop.
Speaker A:Number three, don't put any eggs in my basket, I can't afford to buy them.
Speaker A:Number two, all that glitters is not gas.
Speaker A:And the number one modern saying, beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.
