Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms

Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms

Juvenile reference
English has a lot of quirky idioms. Many of them have really
interesting origins. When we talk of letting the cat out of the bag
we mean revealing a secret prematurely. Centuries ago in England
people would buy pigs from farmers. Only some dishonest farmers
fooled them by substituting cats. A customer wouldn't know he'd been
scammed until he went home and opened the bag.
In Scholastic Dictionary Of Idioms Marvin Terban serves up the
stories behind over 600 idioms. Readers will learn that:
*An ace up one's sleeve (hidden advantage) goes back to the days when
most garments didn't have pockets. In the 1800s hiding aces this way
became a favorite gambit of dishonest, betting for money card players.
*Bite the bullet (prepare for an unpleasant experience) is a relic
from the Civil War. On the battlefield surgeons had to do serious
procedures like amputations without anaesthetics. Biting down on an
actual bullet was supposed to help a patient cope with the pain.
*Clip your wings (take away freedom) goes back to an ancient Roman
practice of making birds unable to fly away.
*Humble pie was originally umble pie which was stuffed with animal
hearts, livers, and entrails. It was not only gross, but the food of
lowly servants.
*I've heard people question using "hit the hay" to mean go to bed.
During the Great Depression this was the literal truth for many people
travelling the country seeking any kind of work.
*The instruction "keep your shirt on" goes back to the days when
dueling was a legal way to settle differences. There were no miracle
products back then for removing blood stains from garments.
*In today's parlance the black sheep of a family was the one whose
life style shamed the clan. Back in the day a black sheep was a black
sheep. White sheep were preferred because their wool could be dyed
any color the shearer desired. Black wool remained black. In these
days when very few of us engage in sheep raising and shearing I see a
black sheep as someone whose thoughts, speech, and acts can't be
corrupted by the values of the dominant society. Needless to say, I
am a proud black sheep.
It was hard to choose just a few and skip over the rest (such as
the original hot seat being Old Sparky aka the electric chair).
Most people will find Scholastic Book Of Idioms to be a fine
reference volume. Some hard core geeks (like yours truly) might read
it cover to cover and use the knowledge contained therein to impress
friends.
On a personal note, Maine is back in winter wonderland mode. I've
been quite contented to stay in and clean, write near the tree, and
read on the sofa near the tree every time Joey cat needed to cuddle.
That cat is really enjoying my vaca extra availability. Today,
though, when Eugene said he'd be going to Bangor to pay the cell phone
bill I threw on jeans and a UMaine shirt to accompany him, sure I'd be
able to talk him into a short detour. I wicked lucked out at
Goodwill. I found a musical snow globe and three shirts: a cat shirt
(of course), an owl shirt, and a shirt that says, "In a field of
horses be a unicorn." Then we went to Old Town Trading Post and, while
he was looking at hunting and fishing stuff, I stealthily purchased
his birthday gift card. Right now I'm trying to cook him the kind of
beans you have to soak overnight and cook for hours and hoping it
won't be a total disaster like last time when I concocted something
resembling and smelling like sewer sludge.
A great big shout goes out to the gang at Old Town Trading Post, a
very community involved local store.
jules hathaway



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