etymology

Give someone the cold shoulder

Give someone the cold shoulder

Originates from Medieval England when homeowners hinted at guests overstaying by serving them cold lamb shoulder.

Ride shotgun

Originates from the Wild West, where a person with a shotgun sat next to the stagecoach driver to fend off thieves.

Coconut

The term "coconut" comes from the Portuguese word "coco," meaning bogeyman.

Bikini

Named after the Bikini Atoll, where the first atom bombs were tested, as the designer believed it would have an explosive effect on the beach.

He/She’s no spring chicken

Refers to someone not being young; originated from farmers selling winter chickens as spring chickens to fetch a higher price.

Get up on the wrong side of the bed

Originated from an ancient Roman superstition associating the left side with evil, leading to bad luck if one put their left foot down first.

Sincere

Derived from the Latin phrase "sin cera," meaning without wax, to indicate honesty as dishonest sculptors used to fill mistakes with wax.

Raining cats and dogs

Possibly from Norse mythology associating dogs with storms and cats with rain, poor drainage in medieval English cities drowned animals left in the street during a storm causing dead animals to be visible after rain.

Beat around the bush

Originated from the medieval sport of bat fowling, where beaters would hit bushes to wake birds before beating them.

Quiz

Originated in Ireland when a man hired people to write the word "quiz" around the city because of a bet, initially meaning a hoax or practical joke.

Steal My Thunder

Originated from John Dennis, whose plays had good thunder effects; when his plays were shut down, he accused Shakespeare of stealing his thunder because his thunder sound effects were used in Macbeth.

Heart in the right place

Originated from peasants believing that feeling a heartbeat in various places meant that the heart was traveling, a well-put-together person had their heart in the right place.