It's time to explore more strange idioms.
An idiom has a few clustered words that create a meaning. It's not a literal description. When those words are defined individually, the grouped meaning seems far-fetched.
The word "idiom" has Greek roots meaning "to make one's own."
To boot — Grandma gave us ice cream for dessert, with caramel sauce to boot.
Are we supposed to kick the caramel sauce? No, Grandma wouldn't be pleased.
"To boot" means something in addition to. It comes from an Old English word meaning an advantage or something included.
Armed to the teeth — This phrase, meaning well-armed, was around before orthodontists armed kids with braces. Seventeenth-century pirates liked being armed to the teeth. They would want to be ready with so many weapons for a fight that they'd even carry a knife in their teeth.
No dice — This means something is a no-go.
Can I borrow your Jaguar for a week?
Uh, no dice.
The phrase came from the early 20th century, when betting on dice was illegal in some places. The dice-rollers would hide the dice when police appeared. The alleged gamblers would be acquitted in court if police couldn't produce the dice as evidence.
Blast from the past — This has nothing to do with something old that explodes.
It means something from the past returns after being away for a while. You flip the channels on Saturday morning and see Lucas and Mark discussing chores on The Rifleman. That would be a blast from the past — as long as you hadn't watched it just a week earlier.
Radio DJs invented the phrase, but which DJ isn't certain.
Acid test — Acid test has come to mean an evaluation that gives you proof.
The phrase came from 18th-century gold prospectors and buyers looking for a way to make sure nuggets truly were gold. The buyer would use nitric acid to test for gold, because other metals dissolve more easily than gold.
No man is an island — Also, no island is a man, thank goodness. Buying him clothes would be a challenge.
Yes, some people are unsociable. But one theory is that people do better when they're not on their own. British poet John Donne, born in the 16th century, explained the concept:
No man is an island, entire of itself ... any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
Drop a dime — I saw Justin smash into a parked car, so I dropped a dime to the police.
This means to make a phone call, usually to snitch on someone.
The phrase may become more obscure in our lifetimes. First, payphones, which have the slots into which the dimes are dropped, are becoming less common. And finding a payphone that will let you make a 10-cent call isn't likely.
Put a sock in it — When people are being too noisy, this is a rude way of telling them to be quiet. Still, it would be ruder literally to put a sock into the mouth of the noisy person.
You stole my thunder — To steal someone's thunder is to take someone's idea and use it yourself.
Truly stealing someone's thunder would no doubt be difficult, but it might burn less than stealing someone's lightning.
The origin is from the theater's sound effects department. John Dennis, a British playwright born in the 17th century, created a better way to make the sound of thunder for his short-lived play Appius and Virginia. He rolled metal balls in a wooden bowl.
After Dennis' play closed, a nearby production of Macbeth used the thunder-making trick. Dennis already was irritated that his play had closed. Then they took his thunder idea.
Cat got your tongue? — You don't seem to be speaking. Has a feline purloined your tongue?
What would a cat do with a human tongue? Scare a mouse?
One source says the phrase is from medieval times. If you saw a witch, the witch's cat might take your tongue so that you couldn't report what you'd seen. Other sources dispute this origin.
Start from scratch — This means to begin at the beginning, with no bonus help.
I was sure it had originated from baking. You don't use a mix; you make a cake from scratch. But the phrase is from sports. In cricket, a batsman starts at a line scratched in the ground.
Tempest in a teapot — This means an unimportant event that causes an overreaction.
This would be amusing to watch, I think. A teeny, tiny storm doesn't sound scary. What would meteorologist Jim Cantore wear for the report?
The phrase wound through many kitchen items from its start. Roman philosopher Cicero wrote, "He was stirring up billows in a ladle."
A 17th-century English duke described a conflict as "but a storm in a cream bowl."
An early 18th-century magazine had a "storm in a wash-hand basin."
Then came the British version, "storm in a teacup." This is more understated than the American version, "tempest in a teapot."
Sources: American Heritage Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, pride-unlimited.com, lifehack.org, neatorama.com, phrases.org.uk, knowyourphrase.com, grammarphobia.com.
Style on 11/19/2018