{"id":70320,"date":"2014-04-24T11:01:02","date_gmt":"2014-04-24T10:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/insight\/origin-of-phrases-part-one\/"},"modified":"2014-04-24T11:01:02","modified_gmt":"2014-04-24T10:01:02","slug":"origin-of-phrases-part-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/origin-of-phrases-part-one\/","title":{"rendered":"The origin of phrases: Part one"},"content":{"rendered":"

Would you think twice if someone told you a bride at a wedding had got cold feet? Or if your friend started a difficult conversation by saying she wasn\u2019t going to beat about the bush? Probably not. But, if asked, could you explain why you used these phrases?
\nThe English language is littered with strange phrases that we often use and rarely question so we thought we\u2019d offer some explanations. Here are five to kick us off:
\nBreak the ice<\/strong>
\nMeaning:<\/em> Breaking down social barriers with people you\u2019re meeting for the first time
\nOrigin:<\/em> A very old phrase, it was first used by in writing by Sir Thomas North in the 1579 translation of Plutarch\u2019s Lives of the noble Grecians and Romanes<\/em>: \u201cTo be the first to break the ice of the enterprise.\u201d However, it wasn\u2019t until 1678 that it started being used in the way we recognise now, in Samuel Butler\u2019s Hudibras<\/em>. When specialist ice-breaking ships were designed to make Polar explorations more effective, the term made a resurgence in the English language.
\nMake the grade<\/strong>
\nMeaning:<\/em> Reach the required standard
\nOrigin:<\/em> It\u2019d be understandable to think this related to exam grades, but this isn\u2019t where the phrase originally came from. Grade in this phrase is short for gradient, a key factor in 19th<\/sup> Century railroad construction. Engineers had to make precise calculations to ensure carriages didn\u2019t encounter sudden, steep gradients that would throw it dangerously off track.
\nOver a barrel<\/strong>
\nMeaning:<\/em> To be at someone\u2019s mercy
\nOrigin:<\/em> The earliest known reference to this was during the Spanish Inquisition, when one form of torture involved suspending a person over a barrel of boiling oil. If the victim didn\u2019t comply with demands, he would be dropped in.
\nUp to scratch<\/strong>
\nMeaning:<\/em> Meets the required standard
\nOrigin:<\/em> Now often used in the workplace, this was originally a boxing term. Fighters would meet at a line scratched in the ground. If they failed to come up to scratch, they would automatically concede defeat.
\nTake a back seat<\/strong>
\nMeaning:<\/em> Have minimal involvement in something
\nOrigin:<\/em> It sounds like a car reference and it actually makes sense with this in mind too. However, the meaning originates from parliament, which, when seated in the House of Commons, sees less senior people sitting at the back.
\nKeep your eyes peeled for\u00a0Part Two <\/strong><\/a>and find out more about the Bee\u2019s Knees
\nAnd in\u00a0Part Three<\/strong><\/a> we\u2019ll be on a Wild Goose Chase<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Would you think twice if someone told you a bride at a wedding had got cold feet? Or if your friend started a difficult conversation by saying she wasn\u2019t going to beat about the bush? Probably not. But, if asked, could you explain why you used these phrases? The English language is littered with strange […]<\/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-70320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-copywriting-us"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe origin of phrases: Part one - Stratton Craig - Global Copywriting & Content Strategy 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-one\/\" \/>\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 one - Stratton Craig - Global Copywriting & Content Strategy Agency\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Would you think twice if someone told you a bride at a wedding had got cold feet? 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