Where old sayings come from, part 32

As I’ve mentioned many times over the years, the frequency with which old sayings are used in the English language is amazing and fascinating.

For the 32 ^nd time in this series, let’s have a look at where several of them may have originated.

•You can’t have your cake and eat it, too.

Obviously, if you eat your cake you’ll no longer have it, so the concept behind this famous old saying is that you can’t have something “both ways,” so to speak.

The phrase dates back to England in the 1500s when Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk, sent a letter to Thomas Cromwell, the Earl of Essex, including the words, “a man cannot have his cake and eat his cake.”

A sort of reverse version appears during the same era in a collection of proverbs by playwright and poet Thomas Heyward: “Would you both eat your cake and have your cake?”

•Out of sorts.

Of course, when a person feels like this, they’re experiencing some form of being outside of their routine or just feeling abnormal.

The saying began when printing was a labor-intensive process done by hand, and “sorts” were small pieces of type-printers needed to make up a font. Basically, running out of sorts meant having to stop working, and that wasn’t good since printers were typically paid according to how many pages they could produce per day.

•Tall order.

We all know that when something falls into this category, it’s difficult to achieve.

The exact origin of this idiom has been lost in time, but it likely first appeared in the late 1800s, with “tall” meaning big or considerable and “order” referring to a command or instruction. In other words, it has always had a pretty clear meaning, as it does now.

A similar old saying is “uphill battle.”

•Turn over a new leaf.

A familiar phrase referring to someone starting over or beginning anew with regard to some sort of behavior.

The word “leaf” doesn’t have anything to do with trees, but rather books. In the 1500s, pages were called “leaves” and the phrase referred to someone turning over a new page and seeing what is written on that side.

•Buck naked.

Of course, the meaning is well known as being entirely naked.

It’s an old slang term used by Americans in conversation about Native American males who would hunt minus any clothing. The “buck” part comes from buckskin, which the Natives would often don (if they wore anything).

•Cut some slack.

As is well known, when we do this for someone, we’re “giving them a break” or treating them with less criticism or harsh judgement.

As is the case with so many old sayings, the phrase has a nautical background. Long ago, a sailor might have asked a cohort to loosen a rope, or give him some slack on it.

Second wind.

When someone gets this, they’ve gone beyond fatigue or physical strain and reached a point where they feel renewed and ready for more.

The term originated in the late 1800s and referred to exactly that: When a person feels a refreshed ease of breathing after running out of breath during a physical activity.

Scientific explanations include the body finding a balance of oxygen to counteract a buildup of lactic acid in the muscles, the production of endorphins (the body’s feel-good chemicals) and the heavy breathing associated with such activity, which cools the body.

•Off your rocker.

It’s common to hear this phrase when someone is accusing someone else of being “crazy.”

But what does that have to do with not being on a chair? It’s simple: The term is British slang from the early 1900s referring to how if someone falls from their seat, that suggests a loss of stability or sanity.

At the drop of a hat.

We all know that if we do something this way, we’re doing it immediately or spontaneously.

The term dates back to America in the 1800s when a race, fight or other competition would commence when the person in charge would sweep their hat in a downward motion.

Doug Davison is a writer, photographer and newsroom assistant for the Houston Herald. Email: ddavison@houstonherald.com.

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