can't tell you how many times i'm having a conversation, say some weird phrase, then stop and go, "why the heck do we say that? where did it come from???" next thing you know it's a piece on mental floss 🤣
I understood "kick the bucket" to come from the notion that when a person tries to commit suicide by sel-hanging, they stand on a bucket, then after everything is set, kick the bucket away, which is a horrible way to die as it is not done by snapping the neck, but by strangulation There are so many of these phrases, like "bite the dust", "he went west" that you could "rinse and repeat" until "the cows come home"
That was the explanation I had heard, and I was coming to the comments to say as much. You, however, had already done so, saving me the need to comment.
@@bigandfluffy2000 I totally used to say "the brightest bulb in the drawer." not thinking about how weird that was because my parents kept our light bulbs in a drawer.
"How'd you like them apples?" My grandmother would always say...usually referring to something you wouldn't like I think. I was never exactly sure what she meant because I liked apples. 😂
#3 is only surprising to the young. us olds knew the name came from the higher quality screens being silvery in color. addendum: we also watched the movie, "the bucket list" on them.
There's a phrase in my family: Sufficiently Suffoncified, meaning to have eaten one's fill in a comfortable manner. It's not specific to my family, though I think it is somewhat regional, and I've never been able to find a solid origin for the phrase any time I've tried doing shallow research on it!
In spanish the coloquial phrase "estirar la pata" means to die this translates literally to "straighten out the leg" as reference to the leg twitch. Kicking the bucket and estirar la pata mean the same thing literally and figuratevely.
"Hands down this is the best day I can ever remember - always remember the sound of the stereo, the gleam of the soft lights, the scent of your hair as you twirl around your fingers and the time on the clock when we realized 'it's so late!' and the walk that we shared together." Really surprised to see no Dashboard reference from a fellow Millenial!
I suppose it wasn't! I had thought perhaps pulling out all the stops was a reference to pipe organ stops and I was delighted when that appeared to be the case
x Relating to Slush Fund: o The reason I put oregano on pasta is because it is from the movie Heathers...a movie in which J.D. is Veronica's "Slush Fund" (he buys her a cherry slushie at the local convenience store). † Heathers was also one of the most important movies I watched while in graduate school. - So much that last year, on my anniversary of my graduation from grad school, I watched the double feature I call Mean Heathers - It is watching the movie Mean Girls then Heathers. x Related to an albatross: o One of the most anticipated movies to see at the theater when I was in elementary school was The Rescuers Down Under, which had an albatross named Wilbur (voiced by John Candy) that they flew like he was a plane. † The Rescuers Down Under is a sequel to the very successful movie The Rescuers. † I really loved The Rescuers movie and had a picture book of it too. † I, like Penny in The Rescuers, really loved teddy bears. † The writers thought that they could get kids to care as much about an endangered golden eagle (in The Rescuers Down Under) as they could get them to care about a poor, good-natured, isolated girl with hardly a hope in the world (Penny in The Rescuers)...a mistake that ended their film franchise. - It FELT like a box-office bomb when I saw it in theater and hardly a word was spoken of it afterwards. - It was released the same date Home Alone (the only movie I watched three times in the theater) and Rocky V was released. † Interestingly, there is an Enneagram Tritype called The Rescuer. - It is a type whose main purporse is to rescue people that need it, which is basically identical to the mindset of the rescuers in the movie The Rescuers. - I have talked and observed people of that tritype before and their actions are consistent with the description of the type. - Some people of that type actually memorized the "Rescue Aid Society" song of The Rescuers and sang it over and over again! (here is the song: ruclips.net/video/VN1W5iq4724/видео.html) x Relating to the silver screen: o I was born in 47 county (Valley County), 47 being the atomic number for silver in '79 (79 is the atomic number for gold). x About the bucket list: o In the 2000s (what I call The Explorer Decade), I bought a large leather binder from a thrift store and created a Bucket List Binder. † This was in response to the general pattern of others losing motivation to do basically anything after passing milestones like graduating college or starting a family. † I was VERY committed to my Bucket List Binder, would look at it basically everyday, and would add to it all the time. † I used clear sheets for notebook pages and computer printouts for things I wanted to do, which ranged from things like places I wanted to visit, unique experiences I wanted to have, to books I wanted to read and movies I wanted to see. † Some examples of some of the entries were: - Eat anchovy pizza - Watch the tv series Twin Peaks - Eat Durian - Read Madame Bovary - Travel around the state of Arizona - Train in an MMA gym - Find a Four-Leaf Clover - Go to the Roller Skating Museum - Stay in a treehouse (haven't accomplished that one yet) - Sky dive (haven't accomplished that one yet either) x Related to kick the bucket: o The main reason I had a Bucket List Binder for things to complete before I "kick the bucket" is simply to be confident that I am doing the best I can and to maintain the thrill of living. x Related to Egg on Your Face: o The cats and kittens that I give eggs to in the morning sometimes get egg on their faces...and their coats. † They like the eggs so much that when I drop them on the cement porch they really go wild and pounce right under where I am dropping them. † Chance (one of the tortoiseshell cats) is so enthusiastic about getting eggs that she climbs up to the top of the screen with her claws (when she sees me with the eggs) and then jumps down for the eggs. x In reference to Egg On: o I celebrated Mischief Night (October 30th) night one year and we ran around in dark clothes and ski masks throughout the night. o We made sure to put the "Egg On" everything that we threw it at, from other Misfits to all types of creative things. o We were hiding behind the bleachers and the local sheriff turned on his lights to corner us... † One daring/insane member of our group threw an "Egg On" the sheriff's car hood and the sheriff lost it! - He starting saying "YOU KIDS THINK YOU'RE SO TOUGH BUT JUST YOU WAIT! COME ON OUT UNLESS YOU'RE TOO SCARED! (Note: We weren't scared, but we also weren't braindead. They never caught us MU HA HA HA!) x About Apple Of My Eye: o In reference to Apples, Vala's Pumpkin Patch added the Apple Orchard part to their name likely because apples are part of a lot of Halloween traditions. † They now have a lot of ciders (some of which are hard ciders) served in all types of glasses. † They also have big apple dumplings, apple pie, candy apples, caramel apples. † They do a type of apple tour where they take guests to the orchard and they can pick the apples from the tree and put into their bag. x A fantastic example of the The Writing On The Wall: o From The Greatest Adventure: Stories From the Bible - Daniel and the Lion's Den ( ruclips.net/video/CwrLkBEmWtc/видео.html ) x In reference to The Land of Nod (where Cain was exiled after murdering Abel) o One of the top 100 best-selling books in the world is Kane & Abel. † It is story of two men born worlds apart and but are born on the same date. † Voice actor Eric Bauza and I both have the same birthdate (December 7, 1979), he recently won Emmy Awards for his performances in Looney Tunes cartoons. x In reference to Close, But No Cigar saying at Carnivals: o I went on my first date at the D.C. Lynch Carnival. x Speaking of Hands Down and horse races: o The celebrity most similar to my personality is Jennifer Lawrence, whose hometown (Louisville) is the location of the famous Kentucky Derby.
"came on like gangbusters" -- Gangbusters was a popular radio show during the golden age where actual police officers and detectives would narrate the story by proxy; that is, an actor would read their lines. It came on with lots of loud sirens and whistles and gunfire at the beginning. So anything with a spectacular beginning was said to come on like Gangbusters.
Once when we were having dinner at an older couple's house, the hostess told us that the mashed potatoes were gone by telling us there "wasn't enough to stick in your eye." My family was baffled by this and we used it ironically ever since.
Two odd phrases we use in my family. "Daft haypeth" which I assume is shortened from half penny worth meaning stupid and "not as green as I am cabbage looking" meaning not as stupid as I look
I never realized it was weird, but in my family when you are helping a little kid change their shirt - as you pull off the shirt you say "skin the bunny!" I never even pondered the meaning until a few years ago. Why are we happily comparing taking a child's shirt of to skinning a bunny.
I had thought that "close but no cigar" was originally from men sharing cigars after a child's birth. I am happy to now know that the phrase is not actually about miscarriages.
It’s from Macbeth. Macduff learning his family is dead: “What, all my pretty chickens and their dam at one fell swoop?” as if his family were birds and they were killed by a raptor in one attack.
When "Jumping through hoops" doesnt accurately describe the level of effort you activity is taking,.. replace the "hoop" with your own asshole. Ive been hearing and saying "im jumping through my own asshole" as a way to describe being super busy for decades.
x Eating Chicken Alfredo...while watching this video! o I added basil, oregano, and parmesan cheese. o Chicken Alfredo is the meal I would make for guests when I was a graduate student at the University of Missouri. o Chicken Alfredo is the most popular favorite meal of the Burwell High School Class of 2004, 11% reported it is their favorite.
I couldn't tell you the number of times my sister reminded me what I said was of racial origins. She doesn't usually have to tell me twice, but, boy oh boy, I'm way more racist than I'm comfortable with.
I will never get sick of Erin. She bosses this channel.
Same. I've low-key got a crush on her.
@@teddyray8597 Awww. That's cute. She seems to be a very cheerful sweet person.
can't tell you how many times i'm having a conversation, say some weird phrase, then stop and go, "why the heck do we say that? where did it come from???" next thing you know it's a piece on mental floss 🤣
@@mentalflosserin Same.
I love these word lists, whether singular or phrases. Etymology is one of my biggest loves, so thank you!
I understood "kick the bucket" to come from the notion that when a person tries to commit suicide by sel-hanging, they stand on a bucket, then after everything is set, kick the bucket away, which is a horrible way to die as it is not done by snapping the neck, but by strangulation
There are so many of these phrases, like "bite the dust", "he went west" that you could "rinse and repeat" until "the cows come home"
That was the explanation I had heard, and I was coming to the comments to say as much. You, however, had already done so, saving me the need to comment.
I came to the comments to see if that was the explanation anyone else was taught as well.
I'm a huge fan of Malaphors. My personal favorite is "We'll burn that bridge when we come to it." or "It's not rocket surgery."
I frequently use "I guess we'll burn that bridge when we cross it" and "when flies pig".
not the sharpest fish in the shed
not the brightest knife in the bowl
not the smartest bulb in the drawer
@@bigandfluffy2000 I totally used to say "the brightest bulb in the drawer." not thinking about how weird that was because my parents kept our light bulbs in a drawer.
Those are hilarious!
@@bigandfluffy2000 not the sharpest french fry in the drawer.
Anyone else convinced “Bucket List” existed long before the movie of the same name?? Is this another Mandela Effect because I just can’t believe that.
A+ video!
LOVE IT! What awesome expressions and their origins, very thought-provoking!
"How'd you like them apples?" My grandmother would always say...usually referring to something you wouldn't like I think. I was never exactly sure what she meant because I liked apples. 😂
#3 is only surprising to the young. us olds knew the name came from the higher quality screens being silvery in color. addendum: we also watched the movie, "the bucket list" on them.
There's a phrase in my family: Sufficiently Suffoncified, meaning to have eaten one's fill in a comfortable manner. It's not specific to my family, though I think it is somewhat regional, and I've never been able to find a solid origin for the phrase any time I've tried doing shallow research on it!
Do you live near Canada? I think in Canada suffonsify means to eat well or satisfy the appetite...
@@suchanhachan I'm in Southern Ontario, yep! Afaik, it can be found here and on the East Coast especially.
In spanish the coloquial phrase "estirar la pata" means to die this translates literally to "straighten out the leg" as reference to the leg twitch. Kicking the bucket and estirar la pata mean the same thing literally and figuratevely.
"Hands down this is the best day I can ever remember - always remember the sound of the stereo, the gleam of the soft lights, the scent of your hair as you twirl around your fingers and the time on the clock when we realized 'it's so late!' and the walk that we shared together." Really surprised to see no Dashboard reference from a fellow Millenial!
top tier dashboard song!!
I like how the phrase "balls to the wall" has no anatomical origins.
I was running balls out to make that comment. .
I hope pulling out all the stops is part of this. one of my favorite obscure-ish origins that make total sense once you hear it
I suppose it wasn't! I had thought perhaps pulling out all the stops was a reference to pipe organ stops and I was delighted when that appeared to be the case
x Relating to Slush Fund:
o The reason I put oregano on pasta is because it is from the movie Heathers...a movie in which J.D. is Veronica's "Slush Fund" (he buys her a cherry slushie at the local convenience store).
† Heathers was also one of the most important movies I watched while in graduate school.
- So much that last year, on my anniversary of my graduation from grad school, I watched the double feature I call Mean Heathers - It is watching the movie Mean Girls then Heathers.
x Related to an albatross:
o One of the most anticipated movies to see at the theater when I was in elementary school was The Rescuers Down Under, which had an albatross named Wilbur (voiced by John Candy) that they flew like he was a plane.
† The Rescuers Down Under is a sequel to the very successful movie The Rescuers.
† I really loved The Rescuers movie and had a picture book of it too.
† I, like Penny in The Rescuers, really loved teddy bears.
† The writers thought that they could get kids to care as much about an endangered golden eagle (in The Rescuers Down Under) as they could get them to care about a poor, good-natured, isolated girl with hardly a hope in the world (Penny in The Rescuers)...a mistake that ended their film franchise.
- It FELT like a box-office bomb when I saw it in theater and hardly a word was spoken of it afterwards.
- It was released the same date Home Alone (the only movie I watched three times in the theater) and Rocky V was released.
† Interestingly, there is an Enneagram Tritype called The Rescuer.
- It is a type whose main purporse is to rescue people that need it, which is basically identical to the mindset of the rescuers in the movie The Rescuers.
- I have talked and observed people of that tritype before and their actions are consistent with the description of the type.
- Some people of that type actually memorized the "Rescue Aid Society" song of The Rescuers and sang it over and over again! (here is the song: ruclips.net/video/VN1W5iq4724/видео.html)
x Relating to the silver screen:
o I was born in 47 county (Valley County), 47 being the atomic number for silver in '79 (79 is the atomic number for gold).
x About the bucket list:
o In the 2000s (what I call The Explorer Decade), I bought a large leather binder from a thrift store and created a Bucket List Binder.
† This was in response to the general pattern of others losing motivation to do basically anything after passing milestones like graduating college or starting a family.
† I was VERY committed to my Bucket List Binder, would look at it basically everyday, and would add to it all the time.
† I used clear sheets for notebook pages and computer printouts for things I wanted to do, which ranged from things like places I wanted to visit, unique experiences I wanted to have, to books I wanted to read and movies I wanted to see.
† Some examples of some of the entries were:
- Eat anchovy pizza
- Watch the tv series Twin Peaks
- Eat Durian
- Read Madame Bovary
- Travel around the state of Arizona
- Train in an MMA gym
- Find a Four-Leaf Clover
- Go to the Roller Skating Museum
- Stay in a treehouse (haven't accomplished that one yet)
- Sky dive (haven't accomplished that one yet either)
x Related to kick the bucket:
o The main reason I had a Bucket List Binder for things to complete before I "kick the bucket" is simply to be confident that I am doing the best I can and to maintain the thrill of living.
x Related to Egg on Your Face:
o The cats and kittens that I give eggs to in the morning sometimes get egg on their faces...and their coats.
† They like the eggs so much that when I drop them on the cement porch they really go wild and pounce right under where I am dropping them.
† Chance (one of the tortoiseshell cats) is so enthusiastic about getting eggs that she climbs up to the top of the screen with her claws (when she sees me with the eggs) and then jumps down for the eggs.
x In reference to Egg On:
o I celebrated Mischief Night (October 30th) night one year and we ran around in dark clothes and ski masks throughout the night.
o We made sure to put the "Egg On" everything that we threw it at, from other Misfits to all types of creative things.
o We were hiding behind the bleachers and the local sheriff turned on his lights to corner us...
† One daring/insane member of our group threw an "Egg On" the sheriff's car hood and the sheriff lost it!
- He starting saying "YOU KIDS THINK YOU'RE SO TOUGH BUT JUST YOU WAIT! COME ON OUT UNLESS YOU'RE TOO SCARED!
(Note: We weren't scared, but we also weren't braindead. They never caught us MU HA HA HA!)
x About Apple Of My Eye:
o In reference to Apples, Vala's Pumpkin Patch added the Apple Orchard part to their name likely because apples are part of a lot of Halloween traditions.
† They now have a lot of ciders (some of which are hard ciders) served in all types of glasses.
† They also have big apple dumplings, apple pie, candy apples, caramel apples.
† They do a type of apple tour where they take guests to the orchard and they can pick the apples from the tree and put into their bag.
x A fantastic example of the The Writing On The Wall:
o From The Greatest Adventure: Stories From the Bible - Daniel and the Lion's Den ( ruclips.net/video/CwrLkBEmWtc/видео.html )
x In reference to The Land of Nod (where Cain was exiled after murdering Abel)
o One of the top 100 best-selling books in the world is Kane & Abel.
† It is story of two men born worlds apart and but are born on the same date.
† Voice actor Eric Bauza and I both have the same birthdate (December 7, 1979), he recently won Emmy Awards for his performances in Looney Tunes cartoons.
x In reference to Close, But No Cigar saying at Carnivals:
o I went on my first date at the D.C. Lynch Carnival.
x Speaking of Hands Down and horse races:
o The celebrity most similar to my personality is Jennifer Lawrence, whose hometown (Louisville) is the location of the famous Kentucky Derby.
I can’t believe you guys didn’t do “screwed the pooch.”
"came on like gangbusters" -- Gangbusters was a popular radio show during the golden age where actual police officers and detectives would narrate the story by proxy; that is, an actor would read their lines. It came on with lots of loud sirens and whistles and gunfire at the beginning. So anything with a spectacular beginning was said to come on like Gangbusters.
Two entries on this list are Iron Maiden related.
Once when we were having dinner at an older couple's house, the hostess told us that the mashed potatoes were gone by telling us there "wasn't enough to stick in your eye." My family was baffled by this and we used it ironically ever since.
I always assumed that “the silver screen” was a reference to the fact that silver is used in the processing of the actual film.
I always say
Scratched the tip of the iceberg
Two odd phrases we use in my family. "Daft haypeth" which I assume is shortened from half penny worth meaning stupid and "not as green as I am cabbage looking" meaning not as stupid as I look
I heard that egg on your face mean you were eating eggs you were supposed to be collecting for the family or farmer.
I'd like to know the origin of asking someone to do you a solid as a means to ask for a favor.
It's simply a shortening of "do me a solid favor".
I had always thought "kick the bucket" was both more literal and more..... self-inflicted, as it were
My dad used to say "you can lead a horse to water, but if you can get him to float on his back ,you got something there"
I extended "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink" with "you can lead a man to logic, but you can't make him think."
@@kenbrown2808 you can lead a horticulture but you cannot make her think
I never realized it was weird, but in my family when you are helping a little kid change their shirt - as you pull off the shirt you say "skin the bunny!" I never even pondered the meaning until a few years ago. Why are we happily comparing taking a child's shirt of to skinning a bunny.
going to the land of Nod does anyone need anything
Tell Kane the Tiberium isn't ripe yet.
My crossword clue this morning was
Easy (2,1,6)
The answer was "At a canter". I imagine that has something to do with horse races, too.
more a leisurely pace than racing ... from when horses were not just for racing
I like to use close but no chocolate bar 🍫especially when talking to children.
I had thought that "close but no cigar" was originally from men sharing cigars after a child's birth. I am happy to now know that the phrase is not actually about miscarriages.
I have never had a negative connotation to slush fund my understanding was it was extra money designated for things not foreseen in the budget.
Hmm, I haven't heard about an albatross around my neck, but I have heard about a monkey on my back.. Do they have similar origins?
❤
A phrase I use often is, "in one fell swoop", which I'm pretty sure has origins in Macbeth or maybe Hamlet?
In one swell foop is also fun to say
It’s from Macbeth. Macduff learning his family is dead: “What, all my pretty chickens and their dam at one fell swoop?” as if his family were birds and they were killed by a raptor in one attack.
@@TonyHammitt It sure is!😂
Dang, always heard that was how you break your dog from killing your chickens!
I've been wondering for a while the origin of telling someone to pound sand.
Another expression ,"In one ear and out the other", for someone is not listening or paying attention.
When "Jumping through hoops" doesnt accurately describe the level of effort you activity is taking,.. replace the "hoop" with your own asshole. Ive been hearing and saying "im jumping through my own asshole" as a way to describe being super busy for decades.
"My retirement grease!"
I prefer 'off to Bedfordshire" rather than land of Nod personally
Do “the whole nine yards” and watch the comment section blow up.
I thought "Hands Down" meant that the opinion was not up for debate, as in don't raise your hand to argue - hands down.
"because elephants don't climb trees."
why was my comment on kicking the bucket removed I believe that is the real origin in an old method of suicide
Upvote if you know the plot of the "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" only thanks to Iron Maiden.
x Eating Chicken Alfredo...while watching this video!
o I added basil, oregano, and parmesan cheese.
o Chicken Alfredo is the meal I would make for guests when I was a graduate student at the University of Missouri.
o Chicken Alfredo is the most popular favorite meal of the Burwell High School Class of 2004, 11% reported it is their favorite.
keep your powder dry
Oh yeah, Because there's NOOOO corruption in today's government. I almost spit out my food. LOL
I couldn't tell you the number of times my sister reminded me what I said was of racial origins. She doesn't usually have to tell me twice, but, boy oh boy, I'm way more racist than I'm comfortable with.
i like how chinese people describe these kinds of phrases and idioms
"story.zip"