Common Phrases: Do You Know Their Original Meanings?

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What Does The Phrase Piece Of Cake Mean?

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What Does Under The Weather Mean?

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What Does Break A Leg Mean?

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What Does Bite The Bullet Mean?

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What Does Rule Of Thumb Mean?

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What Does Spill The Beans Mean?

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What Does Let The Cat Out Of The Bag Mean?

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What Does Barking Up The Wrong Tree Mean?

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What Does Cold Shoulder Mean?

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What Does Bury The Hatchet Mean?

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What Does Pulling Someone's Leg Mean?

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What Does Break The Ice Mean?

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What Does Burn The Midnight Oil Mean?

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What Does Kick The Bucket Mean?

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What Does Cost An Arm And A Leg Mean?

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What Does Turn A Blind Eye Mean?

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What Does Beat Around The Bush Mean?

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What Does Crocodile Tears Mean?

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What Does Rub Someone The Wrong Way Mean?

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What Does Being In The Limelight Mean?

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What Does Go The Whole Nine Yards Mean?

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What Does Caught Red Handed Mean?

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What Does Put Your Best Foot Forward Mean?

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What Does Saved By The Bell Mean?

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What Does Hold Your Horses Mean?

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What Does Read Between The Lines Mean?

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What Does Straight From The Horse's Mouth Mean?

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What Does Being On Cloud Nine Mean?

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What Does Play It By Ear Mean?

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What Does Apple Of My Eye Mean?

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What Does At Loggerheads Mean?

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What Does Baker's Dozen Mean?

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What Does Mad As A Hatter Mean?

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What Does Bite Off More Than You Can Chew Mean?

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What Does Give Someone Cold Feet Mean?

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What Does Under Someone's Thumb Mean?

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What Does Once In A Blue Moon Mean?

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What Does Let Your Hair Down Mean?

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What Does Pull Out All The Stops Mean?

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What Does Chew The Fat Mean?

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What Does In The Doghouse Mean?

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What Does Fly Off The Handle Mean?

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What Does Pass The Buck Mean?

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What Does Cut To The Chase Mean?

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What Does Pay Through The Nose Mean?

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What Does Riding Shotgun Mean?

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What Does Between A Rock And A Hard Place Mean?

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What Does Sleep Tight Mean?

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What Does Bring Home The Bacon Mean?

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What Does Face The Music Mean?

1

Something Very Easy To Do

2

A Delicious Dessert

3

A Hard Workday

4

A Small Error

This expression likely originated from the nineteenth century when cakes were prizes for winning simple competitions or walks.

1

Standing In Rain

2

Feeling Sick Or Unwell

3

Watching The Clouds

4

Wearing A Jacket

This maritime term refers to sailors who felt ill from the motion of the ship and went below.

1

Wishing Someone Good Luck

2

Dancing Very Badly

3

Falling Down Stairs

4

Expecting An Injury

This theatrical superstition suggests that wishing for good luck would actually cause bad luck so people say the opposite.

1

Buying Some Ammo

2

Starting A Fight

3

Eating Very Quickly

4

Enduring Pain With Bravery

Before anesthesia was common patients would bite on a bullet to help them cope with the pain every day.

1

A General Practical Rule

2

A Way To Garden

3

A Carpentry Method

4

A Writing Technique

This term likely refers to tradesmen who used the width of their thumb as a rough and practical measurement.

1

To Cook A Meal

2

To Reveal A Secret

3

To Buy Some Seeds

4

To Drop Your Food

Ancient Greeks used beans to vote in secret and spilling them would reveal the results of the election early.

1

Revealing A Secret Accidentally

2

Going To The Store

3

Freeing A House Pet

4

Starting A Quiet Fight

In the past dishonest merchants might substitute a cat for a piglet in a bag to cheat their customers.

1

Searching For Keys

2

Climbing A Tall Oak

3

Following A False Lead

4

Training A New Dog

This phrase comes from hunting dogs that would bark at the base of a tree after their prey escaped.

1

To Be Very Friendly

2

To Have A Sore Joint

3

To Need A Jacket

4

To Intentionally Ignore Someone

Hosts would serve a cold cut of meat from a mutton shoulder to unwanted guests to signal their departure.

1

Making Peace Between People

2

Digging A Deep Hole

3

Building A New House

4

Hiding A Useful Tool

Native American tribes would literally bury their weapons to symbolize a peaceful agreement between formerly warring groups or nations.

1

To Trip A Friend

2

To Stretch Before Play

3

To Help Someone Walk

4

To Tease Or Joke

This phrase may have originated from street thieves who would trip people to rob them during the Victorian era.

1

Chilling A Cold Drink

2

Starting A Social Conversation

3

Cutting Through Frozen Water

4

Going Ice Skating Today

Icebreaker ships used to clear paths through frozen water allowing trade vessels to pass and engage in commerce safely.

1

Cooking A Late Dinner

2

Working Late Into Night

3

Wasting Expensive Fuel

4

Lighting A Large Fire

Before electricity people had to use oil lamps to see while working or studying long after the sun set.

1

To Play A Game

2

To Pass Away Quietly

3

To Be Very Angry

4

To Clean The Floor

This term may refer to the bucket or frame used to hang slaughtered animals which would kick during processing.

1

To Get A Tattoo

2

Something Is Very Expensive

3

To Lose A Limb

4

To Win The Lottery

This phrase likely refers to the high cost of portraits where including limbs in the painting cost significantly more.

1

To Ignore Something Purposely

2

To Need New Glasses

3

To Close One Eye

4

To Look Away Fast

Admiral Horatio Nelson supposedly held his telescope to his blind eye to avoid seeing a signal to retreat every day.

1

Cleaning Up The Garden

2

Going For A Hike

3

Avoiding The Main Point

4

Hunting For Wild Birds

Hunters would hire beaters to flush out birds from bushes instead of going directly into the thick brush every day.

1

Being Very Scared Today

2

Showing Insincere Sorrow Now

3

Having Very Dry Eyes

4

Crying Very Loudly Indeed

Ancient myths claimed that crocodiles would weep while eating their prey to lure in more victims with false sympathy.

1

To Give A Massage

2

To Clean A Surface

3

To Annoy Someone Slightly

4

To Walk Past Someone

This phrase comes from colonial times when servants would rub wood floors against the grain which caused unsightly scratches.

1

Being Center Of Attention

2

Painting A Bright Room

3

Eating Sour Green Fruit

4

Working In A Garden

Early stage lighting used a chemical reaction involving lime to create a bright white light for the lead performers.

1

Running A Long Race

2

Giving A Complete Effort

3

Measuring Some Fabric Length

4

Buying Nine Small Items

The origin is debated but it may refer to the length of ammunition belts used in World War II every day.

1

Caught Committing A Crime

2

Wearing Bright Red Gloves

3

Having Painted Your Hands

4

Feeling Very Cold Outside

This old legal term referred to a person found with the blood of a poached animal still on hands.

1

Make A Good Impression

2

Wearing Fancy New Shoes

3

Starting A Fast Race

4

Walking Very Quickly Now

This phrase likely relates to the importance of showing off a well-shaped leg when wearing tights in earlier centuries.

1

Winning A Boxing Match

2

Rescued From Bad Situations

3

Hearing A Morning Alarm

4

Ending A Long School Day

This phrase may refer to safety coffins that had a bell for people accidentally buried alive to signal help.

1

Riding A Small Pony

2

Waiting And Being Patient

3

Winning A Horse Race

4

Feeding The Farm Animals

This expression was a literal command to drivers of horse-drawn carriages to slow down or stop the animals immediately.

1

Highlighting Important Text Today

2

Reading Very Slowly Now

3

Using A Book Marker

4

Finding A Hidden Meaning

In the past people would use invisible ink to write secret messages between the lines of a standard letter.

1

Feeding A Large Horse

2

Talking To An Animal

3

Having Some Bad Breath

4

Getting Info From Source

Horse buyers would look at a horse's teeth to determine its age and health directly rather than trusting sellers.

1

Being Very Confused Today

2

Sleeping For Many Hours

3

Being Extremely Happy Now

4

Flying In A Plane

The International Cloud Atlas once classified the cumulonimbus cloud as the highest and most impressive of the cloud types.

1

Listening To Good Music

2

Acting Without Fixed Plans

3

Having Very Great Hearing

4

Learning A New Instrument

This phrase originally referred to musicians who could play a piece of music simply by listening to it once.

1

Having Very Green Eyes

2

A Vision Problem Today

3

Someone Cherished Above All

4

A Favorite Red Fruit

Ancient people believed the pupil of the eye was a solid object shaped like an apple and was precious.

1

Playing A New Game

2

Being Deeply Asleep Now

3

Cutting Down Many Trees

4

Being In Strong Disagreement

A loggerhead was a heavy iron tool used for heating pitch which could be used as a weapon every day.

1

A Group Of Thirteen

2

Buying One Large Cake

3

Learning How To Bake

4

Twelve Fresh Bread Buns

Medieval English bakers added an extra loaf to a dozen to avoid being fined for selling underweight bread products.

1

Being Completely Crazy Now

2

Being Very Angry Today

3

Wearing A Funny Hat

4

Being Late For Tea

Hat makers often suffered from mercury poisoning which caused tremors and erratic behavior that looked like madness to others.

1

Being Very Hungry Now

2

Taking On Too Much

3

Eating A Large Meal

4

Buying Expensive Food Today

This expression comes from the practice of taking a large plug of chewing tobacco that was too big every day.

1

Sitting In Cold Snow

2

Going Ice Skating Today

3

Needing Some Warm Socks

4

Becoming Nervous About Events

The origin might relate to a military term where soldiers with frozen feet were unable to fight in battle.

1

Learning A New Skill

2

Being Very Small Today

3

Helping A Friend Out

4

Being Controlled By Others

This phrase likely refers to the power of a master or ruler who could control others with simple gestures.

1

A Full Moon Night

2

Something That Happens Rarely

3

Painting The Moon Blue

4

A Rainy Evening Sky

A blue moon is the second full moon in a single calendar month which is a relatively rare event.

1

Getting A Short Haircut

2

Brushing Your Long Hair

3

To Relax And Behave

4

Wearing A New Hat

In the past women were expected to wear their hair up in public and only let it down home.

1

Finishing A Hard Project

2

Opening All The Doors

3

Stopping A Large Machine

4

Using Every Possible Effort

This phrase comes from playing a pipe organ where pulling out the stops allows air to flow through pipes.

1

Eating Meat Very Slowly

2

Having A Friendly Chat

3

Being Very Angry Now

4

Cooking A Tasty Meal

Sailors would often chew on hard salted pork fat while they spent hours talking to pass the time sea.

1

Sleeping Outside Today Now

2

Owning A New Pet

3

Building A Small Shed

4

In Trouble With Someone

This phrase implies being sent away to the dog's kennel as a punishment for making someone very angry today.

1

Breaking A Useful Tool

2

Going For A Drive

3

Becoming Suddenly Very Angry

4

Flying In A Plane

This refers to the head of an axe flying off the handle unexpectedly when the wood had dried out.

1

Winning A Card Game

2

Giving Someone Some Money

3

Hunting For Wild Deer

4

Shifting Responsibility To Others

In poker games a knife with a buckhorn handle was used as a marker to show whose turn every day.

1

Getting To Important Parts

2

Starting A New Race

3

Running After Someone Now

4

Stopping A Movie Early

This phrase originated from early silent films where the exciting chase scene was the part the audience enjoyed most.

1

Buying A New Perfume

2

Smelling Something Very Good

3

Paying An Excessive Amount

4

Having A Bad Nosebleed

A ninth-century Danish tax involved slitting the noses of those who failed to pay their dues to the government.

1

Sitting In Front Seat

2

Carrying A Heavy Load

3

Driving A Large Truck

4

Going On A Hunt

In the Wild West the person sitting next to the stagecoach driver carried a shotgun to protect against bandits.

1

Being Stuck In Caves

2

Facing Two Difficult Choices

3

Going Mountain Climbing Now

4

Finding A Large Stone

This phrase likely refers to being trapped by a difficult situation with no easy or pleasant way to escape.

1

Sleeping Very Quickly Today

2

Tying Your Bed Down

3

Wearing Tight Pajamas Now

4

Sleeping Soundly And Well

In the past mattresses were supported by ropes that needed to be pulled tight to keep the bed comfortable.

1

Earning Money For Family

2

Going Grocery Shopping Now

3

Cooking A Large Breakfast

4

Winning A Pig Race

This phrase may come from the Dunmow Flitch competition where couples were rewarded with a side of bacon annually.

1

Playing A New Instrument

2

Going To A Concert

3

Accepting Consequences Of Actions

4

Singing Very Loudly Today

This phrase likely refers to a disgraced soldier being drummed out of his regiment to the sound of music.

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Step back in time to discover the fascinating stories behind the words we use every day! This delightful quiz explores the surprising history and original meanings of popular idioms. Let’s see if you truly know the roots of these common phrases!

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