The Interesting Origins Of 7 Common English Idioms

Ever wondered where some ever-present idioms originated from in the

English language? Weve researched the interesting origins of common
English idioms and traced back their fascinating and sometimes bizarre
history:

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride

Definition: Literally, always being a bridesmaid and never a bride. More
figuratively, it is a forlorn saying for women when they cant find love.
Origin: This gem of an idiom was first recorded in a Victorian music hall
tune, Why Am I Always A Bridesmaid?, by Fred W. Leigh. However, the
phrase garnered popularity after a retrospectively hilarious ad for
Listerine mouthwash in 1924. The slogan, Often a bridesmaid, but never a
bride, accompanied a picture of a forlorn Edna, who, because of her
halitosis (bad breath), was never being able to find love. The solution: buying
Listerine mouthwash in bulk.
Pull someones leg
Definition: Joking or fooling with someone.
Origin: To pull someones leg had much more sinister overtones when it
first came in use. It was originally a method used by thieves to entrap their
pedestrians and subsequently rob them. One thief would be assigned
tripper up duty, and would use different instruments to knock the person to
the ground. Luckily, these days the saying is much more friendlier, though
being on the end of a joke might not always be fun.
Meeting a deadline
Definition: To finish something by a predetermined time.
Origin: This saying apparently stems from the prison camps during the Civil
War, where a line was drawn to demarcate the boundaries for the
prisoners. The line became to be known as a deadline because any prisoner
who attempted to cross it was shot.
Basket Case
Definition: Someone who is unhinged.
Origin: According to undetermined reports, WW1 soldiers who had lost all
their limbs were carried around in baskets. The actual term, basket case,
however was coined by the US military in denial of this practice after

WW1. In 1919, a bulletin was issued by the U.S. Command on Public

Information, making use of the phrase:
The Surgeon General of the Army denies that there is any foundation
for the stories that have been circulated of the existence of basket cases
in our hospitals.
Close, but no cigar
Definition: Being near success, but just missing out.
Origin: Once upon a time, fairground stalls favored gifting cigars to winners
rather than overstuffed, over-sized plush toys. Needless to say, winning was
nearly impossible at the rigged carnival games and thus the idiom was born.
The first evidence of the saying comes from a film script for Annie Oakley in
1935, after which it was frequently used in newspaper articles.
Bust your balls
Definition: A slang term which can refer to a form of punishment, working
hard, or being harassed or teased.
Origin: Believe it or not, the term actually comes from literally busting the
balls of a calf. Rather than cutting them off or chemically sterilizing them, a
method was developed to literally break a calfs testicles to turn them from a
bull to a steer. Thankfully, only the figurative version is used by humans.
Bark up the wrong tree
Definition: To make the wrong choice or pursue the wrong course.
Origin: When hunting raccoons for fur was a popular sport, hunting dogs
were used to sniff them out of trees. Being a nocturnal animal, the hunting
party had to work at night, and the dogs would sometimes end up choosing
the wrong tree, or as the idiom goes, bark up the wrong tree. The term was
first printed in a book by Davy Crockett in 1833.
Cox, Savannah. The Interesting Origins Of 7 Common English Idioms. all that is interesting. n.p.
n.d. Web. 21 May 2011.
http://all-that-is-interesting.com/post/5692281236/interesting-origins-of-7-common-english-idioms

1. Vocabulary Revision
i. track back

1. An idea or quality that is suggested without being said

directly

ii. literally

2. Afterward, happening at a time after another time

iii. garner

3. A booth where products are displayed for sale

iv. retrospectively

4. Become widely known and passed on

v. overtone

5. To track and discover as if by following a trail

vi. subsequently

6. A line determining the limits of an area

vii. pedestrian

7. The basis on which something is grounded

viii. assigned

8. To circulate or publish in a public and official way

ix. boundaries

9. Make free from bacteria

x. demarcate

10. Luxurious, extravagant; particularly soft (for fabrics)

xi. coin (v.)

11. Belonging to or active during the night

xii. issue (v.)

12. Actually; without exaggeration

xiii. foundation

13. A person who travels by foot

xiv. circulate

14. Select something or someone for a specific purpose

xv. stall

15. Separate clearly as if by boundaries

xvi. plush

16. To gather or earn

xvii. sterilize

17. In a manner contemplative of past events

xviii. nocturnal

18. To create something new, usually relating to language

2. Find the corresponding synonyms from the list.

i. originate

a. Inconsolable, desolate, miserable

ii. bizarre

b. Unbalanced, deranged, disturbed, crazed

iii. forlorn

c. Try, make an effort, tackle, undertake

iv. hilarious

d. Hassle, intimidate, torment

v. sinister

e. Odd, peculiar, unusual

vi. attempt

f. Seek, go after

vii. unhinged

g. Comical, humorous, amusing

viii. harass

h. Stem, derive

ix. pursue

i. Ominous, theatening, menacing, evil, malevolent

3. Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the following idioms.
(always a bridesmaid, never a bride to meet a deadline to pull someone's
leg basket case close, but no cigar to bust someone's balls to bark up
the wrong tree in bulk)
a. I was so worried about losing my job that I was a complete
_________________ .
b. Joe was just ____________________ when he said he was going
spaghetti picking. Spaghetti doesn't really grow on trees, Sally.
c. You won't be able to ______________________ if you don't stop
fooling around, and get busy.
d. Even though he got to the final round of interviews, he didn't get the job.
He was ______________________ .
e. She's ____________________ if she's interested in Gavin. Doesn't she
know he's gay?
f. Some publishers offer discounts to scholars and to people who order
____________________ .
g. When I ask you if you settled that dispute with the IRS, I am not just
trying to ______________________________ . I am trying to
help.
h. Janet had been practically slaving for her boss these past two years and
in the end it was his nephew who got the promotion. It's the story of her
life; __________________________ .

Answer Key:
Exercise 1

Exercise 2

i.

i.

ii.

12

ii.

iii.

16

iii.

iv.

17

iv.

v.

v.

vi.

vi.

vii.

13

vii.

viii.

14

viii.

ix.

ix.

x.

15

xi.

18

xii.

xiii.

xiv.

xv.

xvi.

10

xvii.

xviii.

11

Exercise 3
a.

basket case

b.

pulling your leg

c.

meet the deadline

d.

close, but no cigar

e.

barking up the wrong tree

f.

in bulk

g.

bust your balls

h.

always a bridesmaid, never a bride