{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-blog-post-js","path":"/EN/7/c71447eecc2323482c5de71113023c17_t/","result":{"data":{"site":{"siteMetadata":{"title":"Leonids"}},"markdownRemark":{"id":"28e9af23-4f3f-5ce4-b2dd-b025634d202a","excerpt":"","html":"<div class=\"gatsby-highlight\" data-language=\"text\"><pre class=\"language-text\"><code class=\"language-text\">     &lt;i&gt;&lt;/i&gt;   &lt;i&gt;&lt;/i&gt;   &lt;i&gt;&lt;/i&gt; -1&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/c-users-zainab-afridi-downloads-26-10-2418-jpg.jpeg&quot;/&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1989.jpeg&quot;/&gt;Shutterstock.com &lt;p&gt;“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch!” “Who let the cat out of the bag?” “Let’s kill two birds with one stone.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;These are just some of the wacky expressions, phrases, and proverbs we tend to use while chit chatting with our friends, family, or colleagues. You’ve probably never paid attention to it but I’m sure everyone has used these phrases at one point in their life.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;But do you ever stop to think, where do these phrases come from, what do they even mean and why do they make sense when they don’t? Confused, right? So am I! Some of these phrases sound just like riddles and could even take a while to figure out. But, don’t you worry your pretty little head because I’m about to throw some facts your way that will make things as bright as day. Let’s get started!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;9. ‘Mad as A Hatter’&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-43.gif&quot;/&gt;Giphy.com &lt;p&gt;Now, an average Joe will tell you that this phrase comes from our beloved Alice in Wonderland, but you’d be surprised to know that it’s wrong. The reason for this phrase isn’t inspired by the Mad Hatter character who is obviously completely nuts himself.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The origins goes back in time when actual hatmakers would use mercury to make their hats! The mercury no doubt seeped into their system and poisoned the poor souls! You see if mercury gets into the nervous system, it can cause the victim to behave aggressively, have terrible mood swings, and irrational behavior.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The disease was later on called the “Mad Hatter’s Disease” and the term has remained popular ever since! I can’t help but wonder if the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland had the disease as well?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;8. ‘Cat Got Your Tongue?’&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1990.jpeg&quot;/&gt;Shutterstock.com &lt;p&gt;You can’t help but smirk with a smug look on your face when you use this line. “Cat got your tongue?” is a phrase you use when someone is at a loss for words or you’ve caught them off-guard. But, what does it really mean?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;You might be surprised when I tell you it has nothing to do with our cute little furry friends or their tongues. The English Navy had a very disturbing way of punishing their sailors by beating them with a whip! However, this whip was special, this particular whip was called cat-o’-nine-tails.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The beating from the weapon was so bad that often times the sailors would go mute from the pain and wouldn’t utter a word even after the punishment was over with. Quite a fearful weapon I should say.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;As harsh as the punishment was, the next day you would have to deal with drunken Navy sailors yelling “Cat got your tongue?” as a way of taunting you. Yikes looks like the English Navy really knows how to take care of their lads!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;7. ‘Don’t Throw the Baby Out with the Bathwater’&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1991.jpeg&quot;/&gt;Shutterstock.com &lt;p&gt;This expression is quite disturbing, to say the least. Let’s go back in time to 1500s. You might find this kind of gross, but people in the 16th century only bathed once a year! And, that’s not all, they used the same bath water as well. The water remained unchanged as each person took turn bathing.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The men would bathe first, the women, the children came after them, and finally, at last, the babies. Can you imagine how dirty the water must have gotten by the time it was the babies turn to bathe? The water would get so dirty that it would get cloudy and mothers would actually have to check to make sure their babies didn’t get thrown away in the filthy bathwater. I don’t know what was going on in the 16th century that they would have to share bath water and bathe once a year and I don’t want any part in it!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Now, let’s get back to the 21st century, a more civilized and clean time where people can bathe in their own water and no babies are thrown out. Nowadays this expression is used to tell people to be careful when throwing out their things they no longer care for, just to be sure that no valuables are thrown away with it!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;6. ‘It’s Raining Cats and Dogs’&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-44.gif&quot;/&gt;Giphy.com &lt;p&gt;Back in the olden days, the roofs of houses were made out of straws. These straws were the only things that were used to make a ceiling with no wooden foundation underneath. So, you can imagine it wasn’t the most secure of roofs around. These thatched roofs could typically be found on farms or anywhere that had a larger population of wildlife than others.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;On chilly windy nights, animals would wander around looking for a warm place to rest their heads. These roofs were a popular place for animals like cats, dogs, foxes, rodents and even bugs to slumber in. Just like I mentioned before these roofs weren’t that strong and when it would rain heavily, the animals sleeping on the roof would just slip through the roof and fall! So, literally, it would be raining cats and dogs.&lt;/p&gt;     &lt;p&gt;A lot of people don’t buy the origin of the story as it would make no sense, why would animals sleep on a roof during a rainy night? The origin of the phrase is unclear and remains debatable. There are many other theories and they’re quite interesting. One, in particular, caught my eye from Norse Mythology. This story features the Storm God, Odin. Odin was always accompanied by dogs and wolves. Very Alpha-male of him! There are also witches that would fly around during the heavy storms on their brooms, with their black cats by their side. When Odin would get angry he would cause a treacherous storm. The black cats would bring the storms and the dogs would bring the heavy winds. That’s definitely a bedtime story worth telling!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;5. ‘Bring Home the Bacon’&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1992.jpeg&quot;/&gt;Shutterstock.com &lt;p&gt;The origin of this phrase has multiple stories, two which has to do with pigs. The first theory comes from catching greased up pigs at state fairs competitions. There was always a sense of power, control, and dominance when you caught those little piggies.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The second theory is even odder than the first. Back in the day if you wanted to show people how successful you are, you would buy some pork, and cook up a batch of bacon. Then you would hang it up on the walls of your house whenever a guest would come over. Nothing screams success like bacon on walls!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Nowadays “Bring home the bacon” means to bring home the money and provide food on the table. It shows that you are the provider of the family.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;4. ‘A Bird in the Hand Is Worth Two In The Bush’&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1993.jpeg&quot;/&gt;Shutterstock.com &lt;p&gt;This proverb was first used in 1670 when John Ray published it in his book called, A Hand-book of Proverbs.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;This one is a little tricky to explain, what this proverb is trying to say is that sometimes it’s better to have a less of an advantage when dealing with a situation than looking for a greater advantage. If the lesser advantage has a better outcome than it’s better to stick to that path.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The medieval art of falconry has a huge role in this proverb. “A bird in the hand” referring to the majestic falcons who are no doubt the dominant species here, and “two in the bush” refers to two birds hiding in the bush. These two birds are the falcon’s dinner! I mean I would rather be the falcon any day than be any of those two birds who are about to get eat. It’s better to be the predator than the prey.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;3. ‘What’s Good for The Goose Is Good for The Gander’&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1994.jpeg&quot;/&gt;Shutterstock.com &lt;p&gt;The famous comedian, Jerry Seinfeld would probably tell you that this proverb is talking about “a goose that had the old’ switcheroo pulled on ‘em.” And then just like all comedians he would smile and say he was just messing around.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;So, then what is the real origin you might ask?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The real meaning of this proverbs is that whatever is good enough for a man (the gander) should be considered good enough for the woman (the goose). In our progressive time of social media and feminists hiding in every corner, we longer use this expression. But, equal rights for men and women? I can get behind that,&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;You might be interested to know that the original proverb was “what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;2. ‘Eat Crow’&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1995.jpeg&quot;/&gt;Shutterstock.com &lt;p&gt;Well, it’s pretty self-explanatory and there’s no riddle with this one. If someone tells you to eat crow, it probably means you’re wrong after taking a stance for something you were sure you were right about! Don’t sweat it, kid, we’ve all been there. You can’t always be right.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Now, the expression “eat crow” originates in connection with the meat of a crow. It’s disgusting, tastes awful and is even harder to swallow. But, the origin story is quite a plot twist!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;During the War of 1812, an American soldier went hunting on British enemy lines. The American soldier hunted and shot a crow down when suddenly a British soldier appeared. He complimented the American on his aiming skills and somehow tricked him into giving up his gun.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Having the gun in his hands the British soldier pointed in his face and ordered him to take a bite of the crow. The American soldier did as he was told, surprised at his ability to swallow the bite, the British soldier returned the gun. In an instance, the gun was pointed at the British soldier and he was forced to finish off the rest of the bird.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;1. ‘On Cloud Nine’&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1996.jpeg&quot;/&gt;Shutterstock.com &lt;p&gt;How many times have you used the impression “I’m on cloud nine,” or being so happy that you throw the phrase around? If you’re living a happy, healthy life you’ve probably used this expression.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;One would think that the origins of this expression would refer to a holier place, heaven. But, it actually originated based on the classification of clouds. In 1950 the US Weather Bureau defined what “Cloud Nine” actually is. It’s a fluffy cumulonimbus cloud, which is considered to be the most attractive of all the clouds out there.&lt;/p&gt;     &lt;p&gt;Others believe Cloud Nine is a higher stage of enlightenment in Buddhism.&lt;/p&gt;   &lt;i&gt;&lt;/i&gt;</code></pre></div>","frontmatter":{"mitle":"9 Origins of Famous Phrases I Bet You Didn't Know","description":"Ever wondered where those famous originated from? Number 3 will shock you!"}}},"pageContext":{"slug":"/EN/7/c71447eecc2323482c5de71113023c17_t/","previous":{"fields":{"slug":"/EN/7/c7f639d6b23f0115258deb535a75d3d7_t/"},"frontmatter":{"mitle":"10 Simple Clothing Hacks Every Girl Must Know"}},"next":{"fields":{"slug":"/EN/7/ac3bdc707300de350c0ebf28bc261af7_t/"},"frontmatter":{"mitle":"The 5 Zodiac Signs That Make the Most Dependable Friends"}}}},"staticQueryHashes":["2841359383"]}