Turn a Phrase

Have you ever listened to some idioms and wondered to yourself where they come from? The English language is filled with peculiar phrases, but fret not, we have compiled a list of five phrases along with their origin stories - explaining where they came from.

Bite the bullet

In WW1 when wounded soldiers had to undergo operations, without anaestetics, they had to literally bite a bullet to deal with the severe pain.

Butter Someone Up

In India it was a customary religious act for a devout to throw butter at the deity’s statue to seek favour and forgiveness.

Cat got your tongue?

This phrase has two possible origins.

1. A whip called “Cat-o’-nine-tails” was used in the British Navy, the pain from the whipping would cause the victim to keep quiet.

2. In Ancient Egypt liars were punished by having their tongues cut out and then fed to cats.

Let Your Hair Down

If Parisian nobles appeared in public without elaborate hairdos the risked condemnation from their peers. So aristocrats would get home after a long day and were then able to relax and let their hair down.

Sleep Tight

In the time of Shakespeare, mattresses had to be tightly tied to bed frames by ropes to make the bed firmer.