25 Truly SHOCKING Origins of Common Phrases

You won’t believe these truly SHOCKING origins of common phrases! From common idioms to strange English words, this list will brings you through the origins of idioms and common phrases. If you’ve ever used one of these common phrases then you have to check out where they came from! Get ready to be surprised by the origins of these common phrases!

If you’ve ever wondered why kick the bucket is a bad thing or how the cat got your tongue, this is the list for you! Think you know the reason these common phrases stuck around in the English language? Well we sure do. Between the crazy mental images these phrases conjure up to the perfect way they sum up what we feel, these funny common phrases are a must have in your vocabulary. Get ready to put on your etymology hat with these word origins! Make sure to check out each and every one of these common phrases and let us know in the comments what idiom you think we missed!

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From breaking the ice to being caught red handed, this list of funny phrases has a ton of great ideas to spice up your next discussion. Wonder why you shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater or why on Earth people go “cold turkey”? Maybe you’ve never understood why people always want to “shake a stick at” things or what’s so special about a spring chicken. Curious about the rule of thumb, run amok, being saved by the bell or showing your true colors? Make sure you watch this video to learn the history behind your favorite phrases. Watch all the way to the end to see what crazy idioms made our top 10!

Music Credit: Movin by MK2

[CB-ckdg]

What a nice guy. Not there to show off, but just there to convey useful information, especially to non-native English speakers. No overacting, and no self-entitlement whatsoever. We need people like you. Well done!

[petersdotter]

As a child, when I had a grumpy morning, my mom would literally make me get back into bed and get up the other side. It always caused us both to laugh, which improved my mood and proved the saying true.

[williamdejeffrio]

Another reported origin of the "sleep tight" phrase involved a practice of having all bed linens tucked in tightly after the person got in bed, in order to keep out bedbugs. In fact the entire phrase is sometimes said: "sleep tight...don't let the bedbugs bite".

[franciscocepeda]

- We are driving to the mall, wanna come ?
- Shotgun !
Meaning : I’ll ride in the passenger seat
History : Like you see in cowboy movies when riding in those carriages there was a driver and the person next to him HAD TO CARRY A SHOTGUN FOR DEFENSE .

[blakeyman]

The term bite the bullet comes from when bullets were made of paper. When soldiers were marching around their rifles weren't loaded, due to the fact that the powder could become loose or damp and when you tried to fire the rifle it wouldn't fire correctly. When the soldiers were going into battle they would load their rifles starting with biting the end of the bullet, when you were going into battle is was time "to bite the bullet".

[chapter]

"Saved by the bell" in the cemetery is also where the phrase "dead ringer" came from. Those who listened worked "the graveyard shift" 😃

[berneyvonk]

I read that the whole nine yards comes from sailing ships. There are 9 yard arms on 3 masted ships that hold 9 sails . When the captain wanted to go as fast as possible, he would have all the sails put in place or give it the whole nine yards.

[fatherstevek]

Regarding #5 - Saved by the bell - people were hired to stay in the cemetery and listen for the bells of the newly buried 24 hours a day. The ones who stayed awake and listened at night worked what came to be known as the "Graveyard Shift". Even today, working the overnight shift is called the "Graveyard Shift".

[nickinurse]

I was surprised to learn from an old years meaning of " burning the candle at both ends". We all correctly seem to know the meaning is working very hard for very long hours even though somewhere along the way we lost the full phrase which was burning the candle at both ends OF THE DAY. In other words a person who was up before the sun working....burning the candle....pre dawn & who worked day long & continued to be working after the candle again after sunset.

[travisnewcombe]

“Mind your P’s and Q’s”!! I was always told it meant to watch how much you’re drinking at the bar, as in pints and quarts. But was recently told it had to do with typesetters mixing up a lower case p and q.

[GanarfGeorgie]

I had always heard that the phrase "kick the bucket" refers to a practice during the 17th century English civil war when someone was to be hanged, if no gallows was available, they would be made to stand atop an overturned bucket, which was then kicked out from under them, hence the expression. I've also heard of other sources, but this is the one I'm most familiar with.

[kraziecatclady]

The blood is thicker than water one is actually longer than most people reference and works the opposite from what many people think.

It is actually “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.”

Which as you mentioned means that some ties are stronger than family ties.

[oldyellerschannel]

I think "Giving them the cold shoulder." was also a term used when travelers would arrive to the Inn later than when dinner had been served.
So the Inn Keeper would still feed them, but would not heat up the meal, so the shoulder of beef or pork would be cold.

[lexiearnold]

The full phrase is actually “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” Meaning that the promises you make to clubs or gangs or anything like that are more binding than family ties. It’s actually really dark when you think about it!

[antonelang]

Toe The Line...Meaning: To comply with the rules...Origin: In the days of bare knuckle boxing, a match started in the middle of the ring with each boxer's feet on one of two lines. A round didn't end until a fighter was knocked down, when that happened he had 30 seconds to put his toes on the line in the middle of the ring or lose the fight.

[pauldodge]

"Get down to brass tacks", early merchants had brass tacks on their counters to measure cloth. Some shopkeepers would measure cloth off the countertop, thus the expression to get down to brass tacks to insure accurate measurements.

[ralphgoff]

You stated that "the left side ... was associated with something sinister." Not only was it associated, but the Latin word for left side was actually "sinister" (the right side being "dexter") This came into English from Latin, along with the unfounded superstitious prejudice against anything "left". Hence we throw spilled salt over the left shoulder into the devil's face.

[mattsmith]

'The full 9 yards' first appears in print in 1907, which debunks the gun belt explanation.

[rivertam]

Under the weather. Many on old sailing ships would get seasick during rough weather. To elevate the sickness many were sent below deck to get "under the weather."

[RansomeStoddard]

The whole 9 yards began as a nautical phrase . The main sail was 9 yards in height. When the captain wanted the ship to go faster, they would raise more of the main sail. The fastest they could go was with the sail opened for the full 9 yards. This dates back to the 1600’s.