Origins of phrases! Sinister beginnings that you maybe never even knew.....

I have read of the origin of raining cats and dogs but then some dismissed it as being just a tale. According to the tale, people used to live in thatched roofs where the straw were just piled on top of each other and nothing was supporting it underneath like wood or whatever. The dogs, the cats, and the mice all lived in the roof . (And I wonder why they actually loved such elevation). So that when the storm came in, they all slipped and fell to the floor. Thus the phrase, "raining cats and dogs". But a lot of people disagree that this was its real origin.

I don't think I am wise enough to get this one! Just so you know, my English is very bad. Hmmm, let me have a try! First, I had wondered the origins of panda spanking for a long time. See, I just asked a question in a word forum long long ago! Is " spanked a panda" an idiom or a slang or something? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Have you spanked a Panda today? No? Then HERE is where you do it!" I don't quite get it? Does the guy really want to spank the lovely panda? Thanks for your attention! Re: Is " spanked a panda" an idiom or a slang or something? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I doubt it, somehow. What is the context? Where is this strange request from? Re: Is " spanked a panda" an idiom or a slang or something? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The guy said that " Panda spanking and all out craziness is what we need once in a while so don't be shy! " I was confuesed. Does anyone tell me what does "spanked a panda" mean? Re: Is " spanked a panda" an idiom or a slang or something? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi, Cropje_jnr has asked where this text comes from, and I second that. Please, tell us where you came across this. Re: Is " spanked a panda" an idiom or a slang or something? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oh, I read this on net. Without the guy's agreement, I don't know weather it is appropriate to ask a question about his dicussion. Anyway, if he happens to notice my question here, I just beg for his pardon anyway. "Have you spanked a Panda today? No? Then HERE is where you do it! WE all have days or moments where we wish to step completely outside of our normal and expected behaviours and let loose once in a while! You know what I mean right? People post discussions on a whole range of serious topics from politics to relationships and current affairs etc; yet you get this sudden urge to just do something silly. Something quirky. Something TOTALLY unexpected so that people will look at what you have just shared and say WTF??? Who's with me?" The passage above is the "spanked a panda" thing I have been confused. It comes from a dicussion on net. I've already listed all of them. Thanks for your time! Best regards! Re: Is " spanked a panda" an idiom or a slang or something? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- " do something silly. Something quirky. Something TOTALLY unexpected" Herein lies the key to your writer's meaning. Spanking a panda is something totally absurd and incongruous. It's something that no one would ever think of doing. It's similar to a phrase on an old bumper-sticker: "Nuke the whales"—entirely out of the question. Re: Is " spanked a panda" an idiom or a slang or something? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks a lot for your response. I get it! Wish you all the best for your work or study!

These are quite interesting James. While i've come across a few, i'm not sure how sinister they sound. Thought i'd share them anyway. Face the music : Originates from the British Military practice of playing the drums when someone was court marshaled Mumbo jumbo: Has something to do with an African God Wolf in sheep's clothing : I think has it's origin from the Aesop's Fables. Will think of a few more and see if i can add them as well.

Here's one more Pay through the nose- to pay a heavy price The vikings imposed what they reffered to as 'nose tax', because they slit the nose with a knife if somebody did not pay.

I did not know about the Thumb's rule and I think that is not a pleasant origin or whatever.Here are some origin of phrases I dug out for you. Pushing the envelope Meaning - To approach or exceed known performance boundaries. Origin - This expression came from the USAF test pilot program of the late 1940's. It meant flying an aircraft at or beyond its known performance envelope or recommended limits. Pass the buck Meaning - Pass off responsibility to someone else. Origin - A marker known as a buck is used in card games to mark the player who is the current dealer. When the buck is passed to the next player, the responsibility for dealing is passed. The buck stops here Meaning - To take responsibility for something. Origin - This expression is the opposite of the previous phrase "Pass the buck". Crocodile tears Meaning - Phony tears, usually shed to manipulate or exploit. Origin - Sunning crocodiles often keep their mouths wide open and this pressurizes the tear glands to shed tears. It is thought that these fake tears - not produced from any emotional response - help in digesting the meal. Flash in the pan Meaning - A thing of great promise that doesn't live up to expectations. Origin - This expression comes from the Gold Rush days when prospectors glimpsed a flash of gold in their pan, but it actually came to nothing. Albatross around your neck Meaning - Weighed down by a past misdeed or deep shame. Origin - This expression comes from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner". The captain in the poem killed an albatross (a symbol of good luck) and this was thought to be the reason for the wind dropping and the ship being rendered motionless. Between a rock and a hard place Meaning - Not left with any good choices. Origin - This expression arises from the Greek Classics. Odysseus had to pass between the monster Scylla and the deadly whirlpool Charydbis. I'll be a monkey's uncle Meaning - Get off, it can't be true, I can't believe it, how can it be true? Origin - We must blame Darwin for this one. Or rather the non-believers in his theory.

I knew about the ring around the rosie. As for the rule of thumb, as a woman all I can say is I'm glad times have changed!In German they say "Gesundheit!which apparently means good health.

Wow..I just read something a little similar like that http://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Nursery_rhyme#Meanings_of_nursery_rhymes But it didn't give as much info as you did about it. If a man tried to beat me with a stick as big as his thumb..he be pulling out out elsewhere of his body later on...lol

I knew of all of those but the "rule of thumb" one. didn't know that. Ok now how about this one.....Up a tree without a rowboat".....one of my mom's many sayings that my brothers and I just used to laugh at...didn't quite get. This all makes me think of the fairy tales that I used to read and later discovered inner meanings to.

Hi James. It is a very interesting topic for discussion. I do not have any in mind but I did not know the origin of the plague one until my partner told me. It was just something children sang. I would think that most people do not know the origins of many of the phrases they use. Maybe the rhyme was invented to teach children to be careful. The law about the size of the rod was to make sure that he could not cause serious damage. After all the patriarchal cultures made it a rule that women had to be beaten to keep them subservient. It is only in recent times that it has become illegal to beat your wife and in some cultures it is still quite legal. I do not understand why some men fear women thinking for themselves. It is the same with many family names. At least in England people used to take their family name from their occupation, like smith, weaver etc. I do not know about other countries.

Hi, James! Did you ever notice that almost all the traditional fairy tales are terrifying? In their original versions, kids would be too scared by them to misbehave or wander off, or do any of the many things against which they warn. Modern fairy tales are far less sinister, and there are sanitized versions of most of the old standards because we're no longer really into scaring our kids.

I knew about the nursery rhyme and about the rule of thumb thing. I personally think that a man should not be beaten by anything thicker than his wife's leg. But I digress. Here are a couple of nautical ones I looked up just for your discussion: As the Crow Flies - When lost or unsure of their position in coastal waters, ships would release a caged crow. The crow would fly straight towards the nearest land thus giving the vessel some sort of a navigational fix. The tallest lookout platform on a ship came to be know as the crow's nest. Leeway - The weather side of a ship is the side from which the wind is blowing. The Lee side is the side of the ship sheltered from the wind. A lee shore is a shore that is downwind of a ship. If a ship does not have enough "leeway" it is in danger of being driven onto the shore. Windfall - A sudden unexpected rush of wind from a mountainous shore which allowed a ship more leeway.

No, i never knew all that. It is very interesting. Im saving that information to share with others. Thank you. Have you ever heard of the original "Grimm Brother's"? I have heard of, but never seen or read it yet. I hear its pretty grimm.

Hi! I have heard of the saying about ring around the rosie before about a couple months ago. Now the one with Bless You when you sneeze I didn't know that one. I never heard of the soul leaving the body every time you sneeze. But the black plague for the rhyme yes. Didn't know about the flowers in the pocket either. I don't know of others. Thank you for sharing this.

AHHHH Etymology! A lovely place to be! Where to start......*leans back in chair, feet up on desk-enters dream like state*

As a country boy, I occasionally had city company, and we were sometimes out in the field when things got urgent. It was common advise, if I liked the person, to say, Don't "P" into the wind...

While getting my B.S. in Microbiology in medical history, we were taught that the saying, Bless you, was because people believed sneezing was casting off evil spirits... Some polite people still say it, and one is expected to reply, Thank you.

Well, now that I have popped in to respond to this, I can't think of a single one. Especially nothing sinister. I know that a lot of children's songs and nursery rhymes have some pretty creep origins. And, again, I can't think of a single one, now that I started typing.*L*

Hi, The only one I can think of is the "Bless you" but it dates back to the days of the black plague. Sneezing was seen as a first sign, therefore people said "bless you" to help protect the soul, as you pointed out in your post. I went to a training college & my nickname was Bless you as I always said it whenever someone seized regardless of what we were doing!! Even during lectures!! If I think of any more, I'll be back!! Mrsl x x