{"id":27175,"date":"2018-11-28T15:03:21","date_gmt":"2018-11-28T15:03:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevoiceoflondon.co.uk\/?p=27175"},"modified":"2018-11-28T15:03:21","modified_gmt":"2018-11-28T15:03:21","slug":"opening-a-can-of-worms-what-idioms-mean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/opening-a-can-of-worms-what-idioms-mean\/","title":{"rendered":"Opening a can of worms: what idioms mean"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Idioms are a dime a dozen when it comes to the English language. But what do they even mean? Well, we\u2019ll cross that bridge when we get to it.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you grew up speaking English, chances are you\u2019ve heard people around you using idioms and sayings regularly. But many of these make no sense when you think about it. Where did these crazy sayings come from? We\u2019ve taken a look at 10 idiomatic sayings and where they came from.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Idioms for Idiots\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MzVnpAOQiuY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">(Music: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bensound.com\/royalty-free-music\/2\">bensound.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/idioms.thefreedictionary.com\/See+a+man+about+a+horse\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1. See a man about a horse\/dog<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The first usage of this phrase can be seen in an 1866 play by Dion Boucicault called <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Flying Scud<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. And since its conception, the phrase has kept the same meaning but been used in different contexts. For example: during American prohibition, it was used to excuse oneself to get an alcoholic drink.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.urbandictionary.com\/define.php?term=you%20can%27t%20have%20your%20cake%20and%20eat%20it%20too\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2. You can\u2019t have your cake and eat it too<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Often heard recently in regards to Brexit, this idiom can be dated all the way back to the 16th century. It has often switched the order in which it is said. An early recording has it as the above, but later it was swapped to say \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=ck6bXqt5shkC&amp;pg=PA614&amp;dq=%E2%80%9CA+man+cannot+eat+his+cake+and+haue+it+stil.%E2%80%9D\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">w<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">olde you bothe eate your cake, and have your cake?<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201d In modern times it has since been switched back to be the idiom we know today.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Have a chip on your shoulder &#8211; to seem angry all the time because you think you have been treated unfairly or feel you are not as good as other people.<\/p>\n<p>e.g. Bert had always had a chip on his shoulder because of his accent.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 English Idioms (@english_idioms) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/english_idioms\/status\/1069915275552804864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">4 December 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/idioms.thefreedictionary.com\/the+apple+doesn%27t+fall+far+from+the+tree\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">3. The apple doesn\u2019t fall far from the tree<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The origins of this saying are quite foggy and contested. There are some that say it originates from somewhere in Asia, while others say it comes from Germany or Russia. American author Ralph Waldo Emerson also used this phrase back in 1839.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/idioms.thefreedictionary.com\/can+of+worms\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4. Can of worms<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Can of worms is perhaps one of the youngest and most straightforward idioms on this list. It\u2019s thought to have originated in the US, in the 1950s, when live bait for fishermen was often sold in aluminium cans. Of course, the meaning has since changed to be more metaphorical.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Get an earful &#8211; to receive a lengthy reprimand or lecture.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 English Idioms (@english_idioms) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/english_idioms\/status\/1067082536273289216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">26 November 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/idioms.thefreedictionary.com\/bitter+pill+to+swallow\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5. Bitter pill to swallow<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Initially, the phrase \u201cpill to swallow\u201d was used around the 1600s. But in the 1700s, Rapin Thoyras added the word \u201cbitter\u201d when writing about French and Italian history, saying: \u201cthis event, which happened the 7th of September, N.S. was immediately follow\u2019d by the relieving of time after, with the total expulsion of the French out of all Italy; a bitter pill to swallow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/idioms.thefreedictionary.com\/a+dime+a+dozen\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6. A dime a dozen<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As the usage of the word \u201cdime\u201d might suggest, this idiom finds its roots in the US. In the 1800s, common household goods like apples and eggs were often advertised as \u2018a dime a dozen.\u2019 This has since evolved to its modern meaning of something being of little value because it is so common.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Hide your light under a bushel &#8211; to not tell anyone about your abilities or what you have achieved.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 English Idioms (@english_idioms) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/english_idioms\/status\/1054307334204342278?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">22 October 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/idioms.thefreedictionary.com\/by+the+skin+of+teeth\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">7. By the skin of my teeth<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Perhaps the oldest idiom on this list, \u201cby the skin of one\u2019s teeth\u201d is first seen in the King James translation of the Bible. In the Book of Job, Job endures tests from Satan and the passage reads: \u201cMy bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth\u201d (19:20).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/idioms.thefreedictionary.com\/Blood+is+thicker+than+water\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">8. Blood is thicker than water<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Usually used to say family bonds are stronger than friendships, this famous saying is actually incomplete. The full saying is \u201cthe blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb,\u201d meaning the exact opposite of the common definition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/idioms.thefreedictionary.com\/There+are+plenty+of+fish+in+the+sea\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">9. There\u2019s plenty of fish in the sea<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The first instance of this phrase is from 1573 in a letter from Gabriel Harvey to Edmund Spenser. It has, however, evolved in the 400 years since. It first read as \u201cIn the mayne sea theres good stoare of fishe.\u201d Since then, it has taken on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bookbrowse.com\/expressions\/detail\/index.cfm\/expression_number\/489\/there-are-other-fish-in-the-sea\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">many forms<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> before becoming the idiom we know today.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/idioms.thefreedictionary.com\/jack+of+all+trades\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">10. Jack of all trades<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Featured image: <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/go\/?t=image-list-shutterstock&amp;id=506688964\">Pixabay<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>Words: Elise Fritts | Subbing: Taylor Paatalo<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Idioms are a dime a dozen when it comes to the English language. But what do they even mean? Well, we\u2019ll cross that bridge when we get to it. If you grew up speaking English,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":476,"featured_media":27177,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,52,78,82],"tags":[2122,3094,3582,3681],"class_list":["post-27175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-featured","category-language","category-lifestyle","tag-english","tag-idioms","tag-language","tag-lifestyle"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/476"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27175"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27175\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}