Who was the first to 'paint the town red'? | IDIOM ORIGINS

In this episode, Rob and Jess debunk some myths about the origins of common sayings and present the even more fascinating true stories behind the idioms we use day-to-day.
🔴 Who was the first to "paint the town red"?
🌩️ How can someone's "thunder" be "stolen"?
🐕 What's the (horrible) origin of "to screw the pooch"?
🥃 Where did the phrase "on the wagon" come from?
These questions answered and many more in another Words Unravelled.

or search for "Words Unravelled" wherever you get your podcasts.

Editing by Martyn Williams

==LINKS==

#etymology #wordfacts #English

[WordsUnravelled]

We’re seeing lots of folks in the comments talking about the various theories around “break a leg, ” so I figured I’d share some sources!


These are some primary sources containing early uses of the phrase in English and tying it to superstition:





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The following are considered UNLIKELY or fanciful folklore due to chronology and lack of evidence:


* “Leg line” theory: “Leg” is indeed a term for "tall, narrow drapes hung parallel to the proscenium at the sides of the stage." Aside from the OED dismissing this theory, the earliest reference I could find to “legs” as a name for this type of curtain was in the 1950s, and early references do not contain any mention of of the idiom (and vice versa, primary sources connecting the idiom to the curtain are lacking).

* “Cast” theory: This is a joke/pun. “Why did the aspiring actor break a leg? So they’d be put in a cast.” It is also a relatively recent joke/pun; there’s no indication that the speakers in the earliest references to it are making a joke about “casts”; indeed, they fairly explicitly say the phrase is used to prevent bad luck. (It also doesn't make much sense logically considering one is typically told to "break a leg" after one has already been cast in a play and is preparing to go on stage.)

We have the same lack of evidence in any early references of the idiom to the notion that "break a leg" has to do with actors bowing, audiences stomping, and chair legs breaking.

And for what it's worth, I completely agree that these are obviously fun theories, and worth sharing as well.

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General advice: For secondary sources, I’d encourage folks to lean on both well-known/prestigious dictionary sites and reference books such as the OED, and if you want to double check primary sources, you can find references in context and verify chronology references among primary sources using Google’s Ngrams tool, Google Books’ public domain archive, the Internet Archive, and Gutenberg.

I would also suggest avoiding AI summaries and tools for etymology research without identifying the source material they’re pulling from; they tend to draw from the top-ranked results for related keywords—which in many cases tend to be keyword optimized blogs rather than more reliable sources. You can test this yourself by asking for the etymology of a word or phrase you know to have several spurious yet popular explanations; you’ll find the AI tool presents the spurious ones as fact or insinuates that they have a greater degree of credibility.

Happy hunting!

— Jess

[anaxios]

I had a friend who used to say, "drunk as a bicycle." I didn't understand it for years. When I finally asked, he said, "Have you ever seen a bicycle stand up by itself?" 😂

[michaeldeeley]

Its great to have you two back. Congrats on Rob on becoming a dad. It was great to see Jess can still make Rob blush

[phdtobe]

I don’t think “beating around the bush” means to “indirectly CAUSE something to occur”, but to DELAY causing that thing to occur by not directly addressing the matter. Meaning, the bird would remain hidden in the bush is the attendant/servant beat AROUND the bush instead of beating the bush directly. That’s why “Get to the point” what someone usually says to accompany saying “Stop beating around the bush”.

[AndrewHetherington]

The stunned look on Rob's face when Jess said "F the dog" was absolutely priceless. Thanks for that Jess.

[rmoreynd]

This is illuminating! Please include in your next idiom-cast, “Spill the beans, kick the bucket, lower the boom, cut the cheese, you’ve got me over a barrel, rare as hens’ teeth. Thank you.

[meruluss]

I remember an old Tommy Cooper sketch in which he was in the dock of a courtroom. He says in his defence, "I was drunk as a judge." The judge corrected him, "Drunk as a lord!" To which Tommy replied, "Yes, my lord."

[georgeosborn]

Chinese has thousands of idioms, mostly in 4 character format. My favorite is for someone who has an over-complicated solution to a problem: you take off your trousers to fart.

[Eek-A-Mouse_Fan]

"When your father comes home, he's going to read you the Riot Act. Tell him I already read it. I found it wordy and not very well thought out." - George Carlin

[RobinNewbrough]

I love how hilariously colorful it gets on these podcasts. These are two of my favorite people. I love watching Jess and Rob.

[jungiecandelaria]

Fun episode! When your revisit idioms, please discuss "hell in a handbasket".

[kencory]

An old children's joke went, "What's worse than raining cats and dogs? A: Hailing taxicabs."

[amym.]

I had to pause the video during the "screw the pooch" segment when Rob exclaimed, "Stop saying it!" I just imagined him thinking that he's got to edit the video later and Jess was making his job so much more difficult. Also, another blushing Rob for the montage.

[taylorchristensen]

Randomly got all teary eyed thinking of Rob as a new dad! Congratulations! So cute 🤗 and naming the pink fox Jess is too adorable.
Come for the words, stay for the presenters.

[seanarmstrong]

I remember a Donald Duck cartoon when his rival tried to take Daisy out on a date. He was supposed to be more proper and refined than Donald. When he told Daisy about his plans for the evening, he said “we’ll paint the town vermillion!” I always remembered that word for red ever since

[Absolute_Ziro]

I'm loving catching up this fantastic series! I absolutely love the two of you together! I love every update from Rob on the Robwords channel and I can't get over how Jess is so captivatingly wise as well as beautiful.

[neskire]

I attended a class in linguistics as an elective while in graduate school. We were assigned to do a presentation to the class. Since most of the other students were planning to teach English as a second language (ESL) I did a presentation on how you might translate idioms from foreign languages. The students had to guess what they meant and give an English equivalent. Here are some examples:

Danish: it will cost the white of your eye (it will cost an arm and a leg)
Spanish: you are just whipping the air (you are beating a dead horse)
Japanese: passing wind, closing buttocks (closing the barn door after the horse has bolted)
Chinese: the wood has already been made into a boat (you can't unscramble an egg)

[melissal]

Here in the US hiding from the news for a moment. Thanks for something to smile about.

[marymactavish]

For sober as a judge, I just assumed they meant sober as in serious, not silly, not messing around in the courtroom.

[dexlsp]

Right off the bat (there's one for you), the first part of this video is WONDERFUL. In a world full of conflict and cruelty, there's nothing better than seeing people be great friends to each other. 🧡