History of Everyday Sayings

In this episode you discover the meaning and origin of the word “gobsmacked”. You also learn the meanings and origins of the two root words, “gob” and “smack”. --- Timestamps: 00:00 - Episode topic; 00:13 - Host and show info; 00:54 - Meaning & origin of gobsmacked; 06:43- How to learn more about gobsmacked; 07:01 - How to listen to other episodes; 07:13 - How to contact host. Sources: McMillion B...

In this episode you discover the meaning and origin of “Bee in the Bonnet”. Twists and turns in our investigation take us to London, the English Civil War of the 1640s, the church at Dean Prior, a book with 1,200 poems, and other odd destinations as we track down the meaning and origin of “Bees in the bonnet”. Timestamps: 00:00 - Episode topic; 00:32 - Show and host info; 00:53 - All the buzz abou...

Do You Ever “Wait with bated (baited) breath”? Where did this odd phrase come from? You’ll discover the real source of this phrase in this episode of “History of Everyday Sayings”. Reference sources: “The Phrase Finder”: https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/bated-breath.html Vocabulary.com: https://www.vocabulary.com/articles/pardon-the-expression/bated-breath-vs-baited-breath/ Host; Stephen Carter...

In this episode you discover how the phrase, "To hell in a handbasket" came to be. The history of this phrase takes to the California gold rush, the French revolution and the use of guillotines, a stain glass window in an old English church, and other surprising destinations as we investigate the phrase's origin. Mentioned in the episode: "The History of Everyday Sayings" episode titled, "How 'Hel...

In this episode you and I investigate the origin of the phrase, "Pull the wool over your eyes". You'll learn the wooly truth about this phrase and so much more. Host: Stephen Carter; Email: CarterMethod@gmail.com ; Technical information: Recording and initial editing DAW: Audacity. Final edits and rendering: Hindenburg Journalist Pro. Microphone: EV RE320 Sources: Robert Henrickson, "The QPB Encyc...

Discover the odd history of the term "Upper Crust". It begins in England in the 1400s, winds it's way through English history of the 1700s and then into United States history in the 1800s before taking on the meaning we now give to the term, "Upper Crust". Host: Stephen Carter, CEO Stress Solutions, LLC - https://www. EFT-MD.com ; Email: CarterMethod@gmail.com . Listen to previous episodes: https:...

In this episode you learn the surprising origin of the phrase, "Hell on wheels". Discover why this phrase was used to describe the living conditions of workers hired by the Union Pacific Railroad back in the 1860s. Information Source: Robert Hendrickson, "The QPB Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins"; page 397. Host: Stephen Carter; Email: CarterMethod@gmail.com ; Technical Information: Recordi...

What does "Above Board", also written as "Aboveboard" really mean and when did it first appear? Some believe the term arose from a reported practice of hiding pirates below deck - below board - while the ship's crew through all was well "above board" or on the upper deck. The strongest evidence points to the term "Above Board" as coming from the world of gambling. Hear all the details in this epis...

Episode Summary: Discover why we "Knock on Wood" or "Touch Wood" when things are going well, going badly, or we want to invite positive spirits to help us. This practice goes back centuries so prepare for this informative journey back to the 1600s. Expanded Summary and Partial Transcript: I was listening to Serious/XM radio the other day, when a song by Eddie Floyd came on called, “Knock on Wood”....

The phrase, "Make Ends Meet" is shrouded in historical mystery and could have arisen from several sources. We investigate the evidence for each possibility as we journey back to the 1600s. Host: Stephen Carter Email: CarterMethod@gmail.com Mic: EV RE320 References for this episode: References: Webb Garrison, “Why You Say It”; Thomas Nelson Publishing, Copyright 1992; page 147. Robert Hendrickson,...

Washington D.C. is a hotbed of political intrigue. But where, exactly, does the term, “Hotbed” come from and when was it first used? Discover the answers in this episode of, "History of Everyday Sayings”. According to Merriam-Webster Online, the earliest use of “Hotbed” dates to 1626 where the word described, "a bed of soil enclosed in glass, heated especially by fermenting manure, and used for fo...

In today’s highly charged political and social world, you hear the word, “Boycott” constantly. But where does that term come from? Where was the first reported boycott and why did it happen? These questions answered and more in this episode of, "History of Everyday Sayings". Host: Stephen Carter Contact email: CarterMethod@gmail.com Information resources and references: The Fact Site: https://www....

Where Does the Term Charley Horse Come From? That question will be answered - well kind of - in this episode of, History of Everyday Sayings podcast. Where does the term Charley Horse come from? According to those who research such questions there are three possible sources for the term. For our first, and perhaps the most interesting possible source, we journey back in time to the world of baseba...

If you’re a lawyer, business person, or a politician who wants to weasel out of a promise, avoid taxes, or otherwise shirk responsibility, you feverishly look for a loophole in a contract, law, or agreement that will allow you to escape fulfilling a promise or avoid an obligation. But did the term “Loophole” always refer to legal agreements, taxes, or promises? We’ll discover how the term Loophole...

Gum Up the Works - Episode 3 of, "History of Everyday Sayings". Host: Stephen Carter Key Points: * "Gum up the Works" - Used today to refer to anything or anyone who negatively affects a process or activity. * According to the Chewing Gum Facts resource, people have been chewing gum in it’s natural forms for thousands of years. * In North America, Native Americans chewed sap from spruce trees cent...

"3 Sheets to the Wind" - Episode 2 of the, "History of Everyday Sayings" Podcast Summary: Learn the origin of the phrase, "3 Sheets to the Wind". - "3 Sheets to the Wind" is a nautical term originating in England during the early 1800s. - A sheet is a rope or sometimes a chain holding a sail in place. Contrary to popular belief, a sheet does not refer to the sail itself. - If the sail isn't held p...

Selling Like Hotcakes I know you’ve heard the phrase, “Selling Like Hotcakes”. But how exactly did that phrase come to be? To discover the answer we climb into our Wayback Transport Ship and set our coordinates for Colonial America in the mid and late 1700s. What we know today as pancakes and hotcakes, were known as hoe cakes, Johnnycakes, and flapjacks in the American Colonies. The term, “Pancake...