Meerkat Prompts: Funny Phrases
In my last Meerkat Prompt, I used a turn of phrase, ‘bear with me’. I dare say we all use little expressions like this, but we rarely stop to ponder where they come from. Some are rooted in modern parlance, whilst other quirky sayings date back hundreds of years. The origins are often not what we expect them to be.
‘Bear with me’, when you pause to think about it (should that be paws?!), is a tad weird. Is there actually a bear with me? Is that safe?! It stems from an old English word, beran, which means ‘to carry or support’. These days it means ‘to ask for patience’. It has never had anything to do with literal bears!
‘My system’s crashed’ is an expression often used in modern times, referencing when a computer system stops working. There are some circumstances where this expression renders less confidence than others. For example, I once heard that employees of airlines use this phrase, and as you can imagine crashing is not something you wish to associate with air travel! In that same training session, I heard that apparently employees of ferry companies say ‘my system’s sunk’! Once again, not something you want to hear!
These phrases get even weirder. ‘The dog’s bollocks’ is a popular term in the UK, and it’s actually used to signify something being good! I’m not sure how canine testicles symbolise positivity, and the origin is a little bit mysterious. It might have something to do with typewriting and colons, but it’s certainly a strange quip, especially in the given context!
Returning to that training which has somehow stuck with me after so many years, ‘all tied up’ is another expression often used to express being occupied or busy. One can only hope that you’re not actually tied up (unless you’re into that sort of thing!).
Some industries have phrases that are more or les unique to them. In the theatre, a popular term of encouragement is ‘break a leg’. Now, I don’t know about you, but breaking a bone doesn’t strike me as encouraging! The whole idea is to ward off bad luck with the ironic, jinx-breaking remark, and thus whilst it is often used before a a theatrical performance, you might hear it before someone gives a speech or presentation too. ‘Barking up the wrong tree’ is an expression used to denote when someone is pursuing an incorrect or misleading argument, and it comes from hunters following dogs who were literally barking at the wrong tree, having mistakenly believed their prey to go up them.
‘It’s raining cats and dogs’ means that it’s raining heavily, so it’s a commonly-used phrase here in the UK! Quite where it comes from is a bit of a mystery; it may have something to do with Norse mythology, but no one is quite sure. It could have origins in 17th Century Britain. It certainly is peculiar!
I could certainly go on and on with this. There are scores of quirky idioms in the English language alone. Some are modern, some are ancient, all of them are a demonstration of the eccentric nature of language, and make for some colourful commentary! Do you have a favourite? Let me know!
‘Kat Comments