Red Herrings and White Elephants : The Origins of the ...

[Pages:273]RED HERRINGS

AND

WHITE ELEPHANTS

The Origins of the Phrases We Use Everyday

ALB E RT JACK

With Illustrations by Ama Page

This book is dedicated to the memory of Albert Victor Childs (1916?1998)

CONTENTS

Introduction

v

1 Nautical

1

2 Military

21

3 Literature

31

4 Languages

49

5 The Ancients: Greeks and Romans

67

6 Sport

85

7 Work and Trade

97

8 The Bible

109

9 People and Places

115

10 Politics

129

11 The Law

135

12 Music, Theatre and Performance

149

13 The USA

159

14 Food and Drink

179

15 Hunting

185

16 Simple Phrases, Simple Origins

191

17 Miscellaneous

213

Index to phrases

251

Acknowledgements About the Author Credits Cover Copyright About the Publisher

INTRODUCTION

In the course of a day, we all use many examples of what is known as an idiom. Idioms are words and phrases which those of us with a native English tongue take for granted, as we have grown up to recognise their meaning. That is despite the words being used having absolutely nothing to do with the context of a conversation we are having.

For example, if I explained I am writing this preface `off the cuff', you would immediately recognise it as an unprepared piece being written in one take (which, by the way, it is). But why do I call that `off the cuff' when it has nothing to do with my cuffs, much less being either on or off them?

If I suggest everything in this book is absolutely true, I can emphasis that statement by insisting every word in here is `straight from the horse's mouth'. Again, we all know that means it has come directly from the source of information and is therefore reliable. But I haven't got a horse.

V

INTRODUCTION

I have never spoken to one and unless I can find one that wins more often, even when I hedge my bets, then I might have nothing to do with any of the beasts again.

These phrases appear in conversation all over the English-speaking world every minute of the day and we take them for granted. Have you ever heard someone say they had a bone to pick with you or they could smell a rat? Have you wondered what on earth they were talking about? No, probably not, because we all grow up knowing what these phrases refer to, but, if you were overheard by anyone learning our beautiful language, they'd think we were all mad.

However, have you ever wondered where those phrases come from in the first place and why we use them? I did, when I was sitting in a pub with a friend, who was feeling a little groggy and under the weather, as he had been out painting the town red the previous night. I suggested a hair of the dog was in order and the bar-person, who was an English student from Colombia, and a very good one at that, thought we were crazy. She told us dogs weren't allowed in the pub. How we all laughed.

It was wintertime, and cold enough to freeze

VI

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