75ZT Community

This could be a interesting thread,
Posts up a famous saying and the meaning, google is allowed.

I'll start the thread off with.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

This refers back to mediaeval falconry where a bird in the hand (the falcon) was a valuable asset and certainly worth more than two in the bush (the prey).

The children's rhyme "Ring a ring of roses" has been said to refer to symptoms of the great plague. Those being rosy cheeks and a tendency to sneeze. Posies were used in an attempt to ward off the influence and "all fall down" is self explanatory

raistlin wrote:The children's rhyme "Ring a ring of roses" refers to symptoms of the great plague. Those being rosy cheeks and a tendency to sneeze. Posies were used in an attempt to ward off the influence and "all fall down" is self explanatory

Stephen Fry dismissed that explanation on QI saying that it is not true.

I don't remember the reasons why now. (Age related I guess)

Bernard wrote: I don't remember the reasons why now. (Age related I guess)

The first published version was in 1881, if I recall correctly, long after the plague. In addition, the ring of sores around the mouth and the sneezing have not been established as symptoms of bubonic plague.

I still think it's a good story though My OP edited with a suitable caveat

Everyone must be out enjoying the sunshine so here's another one for you.

Laugh like a drain

Meaning

To laugh coarsely or loudly, especially at the discomfort of others.

Origin

This is a UK phrase, from around the time of WWII. It is first recorded by Eric Partridge in A dictionary of forces' slang 1939–45, 1948. He describes it as 'Ward-room and also Army officers’ slang'.

The reason why drain was picked for this simile isn't clear. Most similes include items that especially display the property being described, e.g. as white as as snow. Drains don't immediately make one think of laughter, although the gurgling sound might have been thought of as being similar to chuckling.

One from my childhood which I've not heard since:

'As dim as a Toch H lamp'.

I know what it means, but does anyone else (without using google?!)

The symbol (icon) of Toc H. (Talbot House) was a dimly burning oil lamp as far as I remember.

Well done! Toch H being an international charity started after WW1 to take care of wounded servicemen and their families. Still active, but knowledge of and support for varies greatly according to region. The lamp symbol was, and I'm not too sure about this, a reference to the dim light given off by Florence Nightingale's lamp when pacing the wards at night.

kandyman wrote:This could be a interesting thread,
Posts up a famous saying and the meaning, google is allowed.

I'll start the thread off with.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

This refers back to mediaeval falconry where a bird in the hand (the falcon) was a valuable asset and certainly worth more than two in the bush (the prey).

The expression 'hoodwinked' also stems from falconry - from the practice of placing a hood over the falcons head.

'Happy as Larry'

Who was Larry and why was he happy? Larry was a 19th Century Australian boxer though why he was credited with being happy is not really known - perhaps he always won his fights?

People use the term "The Queens English" regarding proper pronunciation and grammar. The correct term is "The Kings English" because it refers to a book published in 1906 of the same title about the same subject. The title of the book may have a connection to the Kings James Bible which was the third but definitive English translation.

On your tod

Meaning

On your own.

Origin

This is one of the best-known examples of Cockney rhyming slang (on your tod -> on your Tod Sloan -> on your own). It's a common device of rhyming slang to use the name of a popular celebrity. Other contenders for 'on your own' are 'on your Jack' (Jones - UK) and 'on your Pat' (Malone - Australia). Fame can be fleeting though and none of these are exactly household names now.

James Forman (Tod) Sloan was born in Indiana in 1874 and overcame neglect and poverty in his early life to become a highly successful jockey. Initially rejected by his parents, his life changed when he discovered his talent as a jockey and began to win prestigious and lucrative races. His success was based on the short-stirrup style of riding, sitting high on the horse's neck, which he developed himself - called the 'monkey crouch'. Despite his start in life as an uneducated and malnourished street urchin, Sloan lived the American dream by becoming one of the world's best-known sportsmen. He adopted the name Todhunter and embarked on a flamboyant lifestyle, complete with fast cars, adoring women and a personal valet. George M. Cohan's song The Yankee Doodle Boy, from the show Little Johnny Jones, was based on Sloan's life:

I'm a Yankee Doodle dandy,
A Yankee Doodle, do or die;
A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam's,
Born on the Fourth of July.
I've got a Yankee Doodle sweetheart,
She's my Yankee Doodle joy.
Yankee Doodle came to London,
Just to ride the ponies,
I am a Yankee Doodle boy.

Having won all there was to win in America, Sloan turned his attention to England - then the epicentre of the racing establishment. In 1897 he was engaged by the Prince of Wales as his principal rider. Sloan was initially the subject of ridicule for his riding style and was called 'monkey jockey' by the English press. He continued his winning ways though and a considerable tide of resentment grew against his success, but also against his brashness and allegations of his illegal betting on his own races. He was personally disliked by many of his acquaintances as his lack of social graces often lead to him being considered rude and disdainful.

Sloan's fall from grace was as spectacular as his previous success. Following pressure from Lord Durham, the steward of The Jockey Club, the sport's controlling body, The Prince of Wales dismissed him. In December 1900, The New York Times reported that:

"Now the Prince of Wales has thrown him over no English owner is likely to employ him."

He was later informed by The Jockey Club that he "need not apply for a licence" for the 1901 season due to unspecified "conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the sport". There were allegations of jealousy and anti-Americanism in the US press. These were no doubt justified but it seems that the primary motivation was that they just didn't like him. Whatever the cause, the racing ban was upheld in America too and his career was effectively over. After some ill-fated attempts to open businesses and break into film acting, Sloan faded from public view. He was married and divorced twice but died alone, of cirrhosis, in 1933.

It is rather poignant that Sloan's name should have become synonymous with solitude. Both his early and late life seem lonely and depressing. In his autobiography, called with some feeling 'Tod Sloan by Himself', he wrote of his sadness at being abandoned by his long-dead parents - "I was left alone by those I have never ceased to grieve for".

Tourerfogey wrote:'Happy as Larry'

Who was Larry and why was he happy? Larry was a 19th Century Australian boxer though why he was credited with being happy is not really known - perhaps he always won his fights?

Six dwarves in bed feeling happy so Happy got out

Sorry about that

" Grind to a halt"

This is the term used when grinding flour in a mill and the wind dies down and isnt strong enough to turn the sails to drive the millstones. Thus Causing everything to grind to a halt

Make a bee-line for

Meaning

Go directly towards.

Origin

The phrase derives from the behaviour of bees. When a forager bee finds a source of nectar it returns to the hive and communicates its location to the other bees, using a display called the Waggle Dance. The other bees are then able to fly directly to the source of the nectar, i.e. 'make a beeline' for it. This dance is a surprisingly sophisticated means of communication for a creature with such a small brain. The forager bee performs a short wiggling run - hence the name, with the angle denoting the direction of the nectar-laden flowers and the length of time denoting the distance.

The phrase is American and all the early citations of it come from the USA. The earliest that I can find is from The Davenport Daily Leader, January 1808:

"Gustav Stengel Sr., of Rock Island, was thrown from his sleigh on Third Avenue in that city yesterday afternoon, the horse becoming frightened and turning abruptly, ripping the cutter. The horse made a bee line for home."

And there's a nice honey beer named Waggle Dance after it too!