Source: Bored Panda
Imagine you’re learning a new language and hear someone say ‘it’s raining cats and dogs’ or ‘break a leg’, this would be very confusing! And on top of it all, even if you ask a native speaker what on earth these ridiculous sayings mean, unfortunately, not many would be able to answer your question.
But here at Bored Panda we went the extra mile to find out the origins of the most frequently used phrases. Who knew you could learn about language and have fun at the same time? So buckle up cause we’re about to dive deep into the history of languages to find out the incredible origins of commonly used phrases all around the world!#1 Cat Got Your Tongue
#2 The Walls Have Ears
Meaning: Be careful what you say as people may be eavesdropping.
Origin: The face Louvre Palace in France was believed to have a network of listening tubes so that it would be possible to hear everything that was said in different rooms. People say that this is how the Queen Catherine de’Medici discovered political secrets and plots.
#3 Bury The Hatchet
Meaning: End a quarrel or conflict and become friendly.
Origin: During negotiations between Puritans and Native Americans men would bury all of their weapons, making them inaccessible.
#4 Big Wig
Meaning: An important person, especially in a particular sphere
Origin: Back in the 18th century, the most important political figures would wear the biggest wigs, hence today influential people are called big wigs.
Meaning: Be pursuing a mistaken or misguided line of thought or course of action.
Origin: This phrase refers to hunting dogs who chase their prey up a tree. Once it climbed the tree the dogs bark at them, yet sometimes the dogs would continue barking even if the prey was no longer there.
Meaning: Used to indicate that a person has been discovered in or just after the act of doing something wrong or illegal.
Origin: There was an old law stating that if someone butchered an animal that didn’t belong to him, he would only be punished if he was caught with blood on his hands. If one was caught with the meat but his hands were clean, he would not be punished.
Meaning: Decide to do something difficult or unpleasant that one has been putting off or hesitating over.
Origin: During battles there was no time to administer anesthesias while performing surgeries. Because of that, patients were made to bite down on bullets to distract themselves from the pain.
Meaning: Find fault with something that has been received as a gift or favor.
Origin: While buying a horse, people would determine the horse’s age and condition based on its teeth, and then decide whether they want to buy it or not. This is the reason why people use this idiom to say it is rude to look for flaws in a thing that was given…
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