We use them without thinking, quirky little phrases that pepper our daily conversations. Yet many of the origins of everyday sayings have bizarre, dark, or downright hilarious backstories. Here’s where ten of our favorite sayings actually came from.
1. Break the Ice
Before it meant easing social tension, “breaking the ice” was a literal nautical task. In the days before icebreakers, ships would send smaller boats ahead to smash through frozen waters, allowing trade routes and communication to resume between ports cut off by winter ice. Over time, the phrase shifted from commerce to conversation.
2. Bite the Bullet
In early wartime medicine, anesthesia was scarce. Soldiers undergoing surgery were given a bullet to bite down on to endure the pain. The phrase later came to mean facing something unpleasant with courage or at least without screaming.
See Everyday Words That Used to Mean Something Totally Different for more language twists.
3. Let the Cat Out of the Bag
At medieval markets, dishonest merchants sometimes swapped valuable piglets with less valuable cats, hiding them in sacks. Once the cat was revealed, the scam was exposed; hence, “letting the cat out of the bag” became synonymous with revealing a secret.
4. Raining Cats and Dogs
This bizarre image of raining cats and dogs likely has grim roots in 17th-century England. During heavy rain, dead animals often washed through streets and gutters, giving the appearance that cats and dogs were literally falling from the sky. Thankfully, today the phrase means “it’s pouring.”
5. Butter Someone Up
This saying originated in ancient India, where people would throw small balls of clarified butter (ghee) at statues of the gods to seek favor. Compliments, it seems, are a far cleaner modern equivalent.
6. Mad as a Hatter
Hat makers in the 18th and 19th centuries used mercury in the felting process. Prolonged exposure caused tremors, hallucinations, and mood swings, a condition known as “mad hatter’s disease.” Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland later immortalized the phrase in fiction.
Check out Words You’re Pronouncing Wrong Without Realizing It for more language lessons.
7. Saved by the Bell
Before telephones and boxing, the phrase came from a genuine fear: being buried alive. Safety coffins in the 18th century were fitted with strings tied to a bell above ground. If a person awoke underground, ringing the bell would quite literally save their life.
8. Kick the Bucket
This cheerful euphemism for dying may have come from slaughterhouses, where animals were hung by their feet from a beam, sometimes called a “bucket.” When the animal kicked during death throes, it “kicked the bucket.”
9. Close, but No Cigar
Carnival games in the late 19th century awarded cigars as prizes. When a player nearly won, the operator would shout, “Close, but no cigar!” The saying stuck long after tobacco was replaced with plush toys.
For another fun fact, read Why Bananas Are Technically Berries — But Strawberries Aren’t.
10. The Whole Nine Yards
This one’s a mystery with several competing theories. The most popular claim originates from World War II aircraft machine-gun belts, which were nine yards long. If a pilot gave “the whole nine yards,” it meant he’d fired every round.
Why We Love These Sayings
Idioms are cultural fossils. They are snapshots of everyday life from centuries ago. They connect us to forgotten trades, old fears, and human quirks that still make us laugh. The next time you “spill the beans” or “call it a day,” remember: you’re repeating history every time you speak.
