Some of the metaphorical phrases we use regularly just trip right off our tongues without us having a clue as to how they originally came about, or even what they mean in a literal sense, but we do know what they mean metaphorically. In fact, they've often become cliché, they're used so easily.
For example:
- He was down at the heels.
- She waited for the answer with bated breath.
- Strewth! (yeah, no one actually says that any more, but those of you writing about medieval knights or Robin Hood have at least thought about putting it in your ms., admit it)
Down at the heels: literally, when a person's shoe heels wear down . . . a visual sign that they haven't got the resources to get their shoes re-heeled or buy new ones (because, as a matter of pride, a person wouldn't be seen in public with worn out shoes if he could possibly help it—this was true in this country nearly everywhere a couple of generations ago, and still is in many places.) We use it metaphorically to mean poor or in a bad streak financially.
Bated breath: this one was a puzzler to me in terms of both where it came from and what it literally means. Bated? Should it really be baited with an 'i?' And how can you bait breath, anyway? I just couldn't get the visual on that. I finally asked a British friend (they always know this stuff), and he said he was "quite sure it comes from the longer, traditional word, 'abated.' It was probably originally written with a hyphen, as in, 'bated." Ah, of course. Abated means stopped, so it's a way of saying she was so anxious or excited that she stopped breathing until she got the answer. That fits with what I know the phrase suggests.
Strewth! (I think the exclamation point is mandatory): an oath, often spoken as an exclamation of extreme disbelief or fear or outrage. I felt wonderfully enlightened when I found out it's a contraction of 'God's Truth!' Heh.
Did you know where these phrases came from? And more importantly, do you have one or two of your own you'd be willing to share? I'd love to collect a whole list and publish it as a post, just for fun (and kismet).
Strewth! (I think the exclamation point is mandatory): an oath, often spoken as an exclamation of extreme disbelief or fear or outrage. I felt wonderfully enlightened when I found out it's a contraction of 'God's Truth!' Heh.
Did you know where these phrases came from? And more importantly, do you have one or two of your own you'd be willing to share? I'd love to collect a whole list and publish it as a post, just for fun (and kismet).
