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Above Board

The saying “Above Board” is an old gambling house term that is meant to imply that something was done honestly or in plain sight and not concealed or hidden. The Board in the saying refers to a sideboard table or a gambling table where you are expected to keep your hands above the table or...

Posted to Don Hite (Weblog) by dhite on 01-27-2008
Filed under: Origins
On Cloud Nine

According to tradition clouds are numbered according to their altitude with 1 being the lowest altitude and 9 being the highest altitude. Since a cloud with a high altitude is 9 and is far above the others it is the pinnacle point in the sky. When we say that we are living or floating on cloud 9 it implies...

Posted to Don Hite (Weblog) by dhite on 01-20-2008
Filed under: Origins
Close But No Cigar

In the good old days of fairs, carnivals and the traveling circus many of the games of chance and skill found there were played for gifts or prizes. One of the more popular prizes for the gentlemen was cigars. When a man played a game of skill such as shooting moving ducks or tossing a ring around an...

Posted to Don Hite (Weblog) by dhite on 12-30-2007
Filed under: Origins
Clear As A Bell

Before electricity bells we used to warn or alert towns of invasions or disasters. They were also used to summon people to events such as church on Sunday or to call all hands to dinner on the farm. Bells also rang at noon to allow people to set their watches and clocks and in many small towns there...

Posted to Don Hite (Weblog) by dhite on 12-23-2007
Filed under: Origins
Piggy Bank

The term Piggy bank comes from the Middle English word Pygg which is a type of clay used to make jars and pots for cooking and gathering water. Before banks like we have today were plentiful people often placed their money or other valuables into the Pygg clay pots or jars for safe keeping and often...

Posted to Don Hite (Weblog) by dhite on 12-16-2007
Filed under: Origins
Old As Methuselah

The saying “Old as Methuselah” or “Older than Methuselah” is meant to imply that someone or something is very old. This saying comes from the Bible in Genesis 5:27 where it is written: “And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years.” Because...

Posted to Don Hite (Weblog) by dhite on 12-09-2007
Filed under: Origins
From Stem To Stern

The term from stem to stern as with most of the terms we have today is a nautical term that simply means from the front to the back or from the top to the bottom in some cases. In nautical terminology the front of a boat or ship is called the Stem and the back of the vessel is called the Stern. When...

Posted to Don Hite (Weblog) by dhite on 12-02-2007
Filed under: Origins
Under The Weather

This term also is a nautical term as with most of the sayings we have today. In vessels such as large ships some people may feel discomfort or just get sea sick due to the rolling of the waves and the swaying of the ship when they are topside or on the deck. Some relief can be found if they go below...

Posted to Don Hite (Weblog) by dhite on 11-25-2007
Filed under: Origins
Bury The Hatchet

To bury the hatchet means to let differences such as arguments rest or to make peace. This saying can be traced back to the American Indians practice of physically burying their weapons of war such as their hatchets when two tribes made peace and were no longer making war upon one another.

Posted to Don Hite (Weblog) by dhite on 11-18-2007
Filed under: Origins
Bleed Like A Stuck Pig

The term Bleed like a stuck pig or hog means in short to bleed profusely. The Idiom has its roots in the fact that when pigs or hogs were slaughtered on the old homestead their throat was “Stuck” or cut with a knife or other sharp blade and they would bleed very fast as the jugular was severed...

Posted to Don Hite (Weblog) by dhite on 11-11-2007
Filed under: Origins

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