English idioms and their amusing origins 

Improve your Vocabulary

Did you know that some commonly used idioms in the English language have interesting stories about their origin? Here we list down some of them for you. 

Common English idioms 

The idiom is used when someone gets facts directly from a source. Did you know that in olden days, a horse's age was determined by inspecting their teeth (rather than believing the seller)? And hence the idiom was made! 

Straight from the horse's mouth 

The idiom is used when a person knows something but they don't acknowledge the fact. Its origin dates back to 1801 when a British navy officer Horatio Nelson was leading an attack during the Battle of Copenhagen. Horatio Nelson was blind in one eye. In the battle, Horatio Nelson was signalled to retreat by Admiral Sir Hyde Parker but the former pretended to not see the signal and proceeded for the attack. 

To turn a blind eye 

The idiom means to disclose a secret. Did you know that many centuries ago, street vendors sold piglets wrapped in a bag? But sometime, they would replace the piglet with a cat to deceit the buyer and if the cat was out of the bag before the purchase was made, then the secret was revealed to everyone! 

Let the cat out of the bag 

As per Britannica, the idiom means "to do something unpleasant or painful because it is necessary even though you would like to avoid it." Years ago when doctors didn't have enough anesthesia or had to work quickly during a war, they would often ask their patient to literally bite a bullet. This was done to distract the patient from their pain. And thus, the idiom was created. 

Bite the bullet 

The idiom is used for something which isn't quite useful but costs too much to keep. It's origin goes back to the Siamese King in Siam (now Thailand) in ancient times. When the King didn't like someone, he would often gift them white elephants which were very expensive to maintain or even re-gift. And hence the idiom! 

White elephant 

It means to feel unwell. Years ago, when sailor felt unwell they would often go under the deck to be saved from bad weather conditions like rains or lightening. This led to the origin of the idiom-- feeling under the weather. 

Feeling under the weather 

It means to disclose a secret. The origin of this idiom goes back to the voting process in ancient Greek times when people casted their votes using beans of different colours. And so, if someone spilled the beans the voting result would be out for everyone to know. 

To spill the beans 

It means to ignore someone on purpose. Did you know during the medieval in England, the host would sometimes give a cold piece of shoulder meat to their guests to indirectly tell them that it was time for the guests to leave? 

Give the cold shoulder 

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