Where’d that phrase come from?

Kimberly R. Smith, Special to The County
2 weeks ago

As I was having an interesting conversation with a friend recently in which many “idioms” or unusual expressions were used, I started wondering where some of the more colorful expressions we use in everyday language come from — knowing, of course, that these must all be rooted in history somehow.  

Have you ever heard anyone say, “This place is going to hell in a handbasket”?  What an odd expression.  Apparently, during the California Gold Rush in the 1840s, miners were sometimes lowered by hand in a large cart or basket into the depths of the earth to set explosive charges.  Not knowing if they would survive this risky endeavor, it became known as “going to the depths of hell in a hand basket.”

Anyone interested in theatre has probably heard or maybe even uttered the phrase “break a leg.” In the early days of theater, actors who were not yet required to be on stage lined up behind the “leg line.”  If you were lucky enough to be called to perform and thus cross the leg line, you actually got paid.  Since it was considered bad luck to directly wish someone “good luck” before a performance, the phase “break a leg” came to mean being lucky enough to cross the performance or leg line, and ultimately simply came to mean good luck.  

Another expression that always baffled me as to its origin is “happy as a clam.” The full expression is actually “happy as a clam at high water,” which makes a bit more sense. It means to be very joyful or pleased. The phrase is based on the fact that clams are safer from fishermen during high tides because they are less likely to be dug up.  Allegedly, this phrase originated between 1830 and 1840 and may have first been used in The Bangor Daily Whig And Courier in December 1841.

How about “toe the line”?  It is said that this phrase comes from the early 1800s, originating with the British Royal Navy, whose sailors were required to stand barefoot and at attention for inspection. They lined up along the deck with their toes along the seams.  The phrase came to mean doing what one was told or behaving as expected. 

And one of my all-time favorites when someone does something not considered very wise is “He needs his head examined.” In the 1800s, the Victorians considered phrenology, the act of examining the bumps and indentations on one’s head, a science.  They believed that this practice could reveal, and perhaps was an excuse for, certain personality characteristics or traits.  It was a worldwide phenomenon and, at the time, was used to provide job references, determine if someone was good enough to marry, and in at least one case here in Maine, used as a legal defense.  

There are many other examples of colorful and unusual phrases.  Think about where these might have come from the next time you hear one.

Kimberly R. Smith is the secretary/treasurer of the Presque Isle Historical Society.