{"id":70308,"date":"2014-05-22T08:53:29","date_gmt":"2014-05-22T07:53:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/insight\/origin-of-phrases-part-eight\/"},"modified":"2014-05-22T08:53:29","modified_gmt":"2014-05-22T07:53:29","slug":"origin-of-phrases-part-eight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/origin-of-phrases-part-eight\/","title":{"rendered":"The origin of phrases: Part eight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even the most unmusical of us make reference to it in some common English phrases. It\u2019s time to face the music with part eight of our ten-part series on the origin of phrases.
\nFace the music<\/strong>
\nMeaning:<\/em> Deal with what you know is going to be a difficult situation, or the consequences of such a situation.
\nOrigin:<\/em> There are, as with many idioms, several plausible options for the origin of \u2018face the music\u2019. We can\u2019t confirm that any of them are in fact the case but they\u2019re fun all the same. One is that disgraced servicemen were drummed out of their regiment, another that actors faced the music (the orchestra) when they went on stage. The latter doesn\u2019t have quite the same imagery as the first but could certainly be true.
\nSwan song<\/strong>
\nMeaning:<\/em> A person\u2019s final action (often performance) before retirement or in life.
\nOrigin:<\/em> The origins of this phrase were actually known to be inaccurate as long ago as AD77 but the imagery proved stronger than scientific fact and it survives in the ever-changing English language to this day. It is based on the myth that a swan is mute throughout its life until just before it dies when it sings a beautiful song. It was first used as we know it today in 1767 by Scottish cleric Jon Willison, who wrote \u2018King David\u2019s swan-song\u2019 in one of his Scripture Songs<\/em>.
\nWhistle-stop tour<\/strong>
\nMeaning:<\/em> A very fast run-through or tour with very brief pauses at important points or memorable sights.
\nOrigin:<\/em> Whistle-stop was originally the name given to a very small town along a railway route. Instead of scheduled stops at these towns, the passenger would ask the conductor to stop the train. In turn, he would blow a whistle to let the driver know to stop. The pauses were very brief, just enough time for the passenger to get off.
\nPull out all the stops<\/strong>
\nMeaning:<\/em> To put every effort into trying to make something happen.
\nOrigin:<\/em> Unlike many other idioms, with this one the origin is as obvious as it first appears (that is, if you know anything about organ construction). The pipes of this instrument are fitted with stops, which control the airflow. The music is louder if the stops are pulled out and more air can flow through the pipes.
\nPlay second fiddle<\/strong>
\nMeaning:<\/em> Come second best to someone.
\nOrigin:<\/em> We\u2019re finishing with an easy one. This comes from a traditional orchestra which might feature a lead violinist. Other violinists would back them up but they wouldn\u2019t be seen to be as important and came to be known as second fiddles.
\nIn part six<\/a> we looked at ANIMALS and part seven<\/a> covered CLOTHING, \u00a0in part nine we\u2019ll be discovering NATURE.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even the most unmusical of us make reference to it in some common English phrases. It\u2019s time to face the music with part eight of our ten-part series on the origin of phrases. Face the music Meaning: Deal with what you know is going to be a difficult situation, or the consequences of such a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[314],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-copywriting-us"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe origin of phrases: Part eight - Stratton Craig - Global Copywriting & Content Marketing Agency<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/origin-of-phrases-part-eight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The origin of phrases: Part eight - Stratton Craig - Global Copywriting & Content Marketing Agency\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Even the most unmusical of us make reference to it in some common English phrases. 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