Crazy Words of Wisdom – Generally speaking
I previously wrote about common expressions we use on a daily basis and focused on the themes of animals and music. I ended the animal trivia with a promise to treat more “general” idioms the same way.
Consequently, I will ‘Start from the beginning’ and tell you that many years ago, this expression referred to competitive sporting events where a starting line was marked on the ground. You can imagine that this meant that a ‘race’ (or competition) could be held absolutely anywhere.
A slight variation – ‘come (or be) up to the task‘ – belonged to the boxing ring, where a contestant, once knocked down, was allowed a 30-second interval and then another 8 seconds to regain the ability to come without help to a marked line in the center of the ring, or… ‘at the height’.
At the essential core of all things is the ‘less sand’ – we all know that. But do we also know that originally this referred to a dirty scalp (in an equally dirty, poor or rough person), and the inevitable nits or lice that cause a build-up of scales and an itch that have to be scratched. Then it’s easy to follow the logic of probing deep to get to the bottom of the problem.
Too often, a desirable plan or outcome is a matter of ‘knock and go’, and we understand that the words clearly indicate a decidedly risky undertaking. However, an older definition comes from the days of stagecoaches and the fierce and generally hostile competitive nature of their travels. In their frantic attempts to outrun each other, dangerous tactics could mean the difference between a ‘play’ (or wheel entanglement with diabolical consequences) and a ‘Let’s go’ (where he ‘play’ it was light enough to allow continuation without harm to any of the errands). And so we can see how our ‘plan’ becomes a finely balanced affair, capable of collapsing at the slightest ‘wrong touch’ or miscalculated step.
The phrase ‘divert someone from the smell‘, while it means today to deflect interest from what is really going on, at the same time conjures up clear images of a sniffer dog on the trail of a fugitive, somehow distracted from its focus. It clearly follows that a well-trained and experienced bloodhound seldom loses this valuable ‘smell’ without extraordinary distraction.
In the past this included the well-known water crossing, however more recent research has found that an enthusiastic bloodhound can still smell the fugitive in mid-air over the water, requiring it to swim a considerable distance in fast-moving water. . before re-emerging to land again. Another cruel approach has been pepper spraying along the ‘path’ to seriously disrupt its ability for a few hours, and even permanently damage the fine internal structure and capacity of that sensational ability to smell and smell.
As the dog follows the scent of a particular individual, in addition to the countless skin cells constantly shedding as we move, there is little hope for the fugitive. There’s also probably not much hope for the person who’s just trying to divert attention. It seems that there really is no other option than to be ‘face the consequences’ Y ‘Stand up and deliver’ the truth.
The beautiful white stripe on a horse’s face is called a ‘flare’ and interestingly, it’s actually related to the idiom. ‘to open a path’. Whenever a pioneer or explorer wanted others to know and follow the direction he was taking, particularly through a forest or wooded area, he would cut the bark off a conspicuous tree at regular intervals. The newly discovered place would look almost white, like the glow of the horse, therefore the ‘pioneers’ who undoubtedly did No they want to throw their followers ‘out of smell’.
And finally, when we heard that a competitor ‘win easily’, we have no doubt that this was a clear and exceptional victory with a wide winning margin. Few know that these words have their origin in the language of horse racing. When it comes to a close end to a race, the jockey will grab the reins and wield his whip furiously in an attempt to win. ‘for a nose’.
But if victory is clear and easy, he will not only relax his grip, but in a gesture of utter domination and contempt, he will drop his kidneys completely and hang his hands at his sides, like this. ‘win without a doubt’. Oh-hh, the humiliation for his followers!
So the next time one of these short sayings escapes your lips, you can smile as you remember ‘where did they come from’and you may be wondering, as I often do, how many of today’s expressions ‘go the distance’ of these golden oldies.
Christina
