Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $9.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Idioms for Idiots - The Real Story Behind Everyday Expressions
    Idioms for Idiots - The Real Story Behind Everyday Expressions
    Idioms for Idiots - The Real Story Behind Everyday Expressions
    Ebook116 pages1 hour

    Idioms for Idiots - The Real Story Behind Everyday Expressions

    By Joseph Thuotte

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    No one knows who wrote, spoke, or possibly drew the world's first idiom. Some language historians point to a newly discovered cave painting that depicts a large bear shitting in the woods. But was the intent simply to convey a caveman's literal fascination with the great beast's stool or was there a more figurative meaning; the debate rages on. Anyway, what we do know is that bored, unemployed English majors often write books regarding idioms' meanings and origins. Since those books already exist, and most are really quite boring, we decided to take things a step further by offering an alternative story behind some of our favorite idioms. We've also included some slightly-better-than-stick-figure illustrations to assist those readers intimidated by even minimal amounts of text. Anyhoo, are we confident that you'll like the book? "Does a bear shit in the woods?"

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJoseph Thuotte
    Release dateJun 9, 2015
    ISBN9781513002255
    Idioms for Idiots - The Real Story Behind Everyday Expressions

    Related to Idioms for Idiots - The Real Story Behind Everyday Expressions

    Related ebooks

    Dictionaries For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Beauty Of LANGUAGE

      Feb 4, 2021

      What does a Jerusalem artichoke have to do with Jerusalem? Why do we fall head over heels when that’s the right way up? And doesn’t having your cake and eating it make total sense? If you’ve ever pondered any of these linguistic curiosities, the answ

      3 min read

    • Article

      100 Ways to Buff Your Book

      Nov 2, 2020

      100 Ways to Buff Your Book
      8 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Apr 22, 2024

      Books
      6 min read

    • Article

      A Muddy Refuge

      Oct 8, 2020

      Lost and Found on the River Thames Lara Maiklem Bloomsbury 2020 Pb, 317pp, £9.99, ISBN 9781408889237 As children, nearly all of us have an instinct for curiosity and collecting. I still have a stone with a hole in it I found on Chesil beach as a thre

      9 min read

    • Article

      Post-Its

      May 1, 2024

      Post-Its
      10 min read

    • Article

      Letters

      Oct 3, 2024

      Letters
      11 min read

    • Article

      Your Friendly Neighborhood Opossum

      Mar 1, 2024

      Your Friendly Neighborhood Opossum
      11 min read

    • Article

      LeTteR BocKS

      Jun 24, 2021

      SCIENTISTS say that in the future, all meals will be in the form of a pill. Let’s hope they are right, and they don’t develop them in the form of a suppository. I think that would make dining out a most unpleasant experience. Umberto Coaltit, Hull YO

      13 min read

    • Article

      Live The Farm Life

      Jul 1, 2023

      Live The Farm Life
      10 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Oct 24, 2022

      Books
      6 min read

    • Article

      Rebooting Steve Jobs

      Jan 8, 2019

      Rebooting Steve Jobs
      8 min read

    • Article

      Letter From The Editor

      Feb 11, 2021

      Letter From The Editor
      3 min read

    • Article

      Boredom-busting Brainy Bits

      Dec 2, 2024

      Boredom-busting Brainy Bits
      12 min read

    • Article

      Bird’s Words

      Apr 15, 2024

      The Big Issue created its own children. First it created itself and then it created imitations of itself. Or, more accurately, you could say that Street News of New York created itself in 1989 as the world’s first street paper. And then, inspired by

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Wonderland Dodo Cover

      Nov 13, 2020

      The Wonderland Dodo Cover
      3 min read

    • Article

      Dare To Be Different

      Oct 19, 2022

      What makes for a real eccentric? It’s a question I’ve been chewing over since deciding to pick a new crop of Daily Telegraph obituaries for a book, Eccentric Lives. ‘The eccentric’ is the quintessential Telegraph obituary subject, pioneered in the la

      3 min read

    • Article

      'The World-Ending Fire' collects 31 essential Wendell Berry essays

      May 23, 2018

      Who better than Berry to explain to us 'who we are, where we are, and what we must do to live'?

      4 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Jan 4, 2024

      Book Club
      5 min read

    • Article

      It's Jack-o'-lantern Time!

      Sep 1, 2023

      It's Jack-o'-lantern Time!
      6 min read

    • Article

      Beyond The Floppy Fringe

      Feb 24, 2022

      WHO NEEDS comedians when you’ve got 650 here-today-gone-tomorrow white collar bullshitters, a greedy civil service whirling through a 1000rpm revolving door, and a force of rozzers taking gardening leave till early retirement beckons? All of them peo

      3 min read

    • Article

      Letters

      Sep 10, 2020

      A possible case of identity theft (Noel Rooney, “The Man Who Would Be Q”, FT395:42-44) involves reclusive American chess genius, madman, and Fortean Times namesake Bobby Fischer (1943-2008), who certainly haunted a generation of chess players. Around

      18 min read

    • Article

      Book Extravaganza

      Dec 3, 2021

      Having worked for the likes of Google and Amazon, Singh Cassidy knows a thing or two about taking risks. And there’s one myth she wants to bust: it’s not just one big decision that stands between most people and success – your career is built around

      4 min read

    • Article

      Letters

      Nov 5, 2020

      Sadly, the wonderfully prescient quotation from Samuel Pepys [FT397:70], “A dram in exchange for the pox is an ill bargain indeed,” is not by the great diarist, but from a spoof Twitter account. (https://londonist.com/london/books-and-poetry/samuel-p

      13 min read

    • Article

      Meryl Streep On Acting

      May 1, 2024

      Meryl Streep On Acting
      5 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Apr 3, 2024

      Books
      16 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Idioms for Idiots - The Real Story Behind Everyday Expressions

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Idioms for Idiots - The Real Story Behind Everyday Expressions - Joseph Thuotte

      Expression #1 - Chink in the Armor

      Modern Meaning/Origin - An area of vulnerability. Since the 15th Century, a chink or slit in a soldier's armor was considered a weak spot, which could be taken advantage of by his or her enemies.

      The Real Story - During the Middle Ages, knights often had their armor modified to accommodate a diminutive, oriental soldier. In battle, the knight would release his tiny warrior to give himself a tactical edge. Accordingly, the expression often referred to persons who were deceitful or trying to hide something for their advantage. (Illustration)

      Expression #2 - Like White on Rice

      Modern Meaning/Origin - Being as close to something as possible. Origin unknown, but commonly associated with the fact that rice was covered in whiteness.

      The Real Story - When 21 year-old Jimmy White graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in Political Science, his only goal was to serve his country to the best of his ability. That was before he met his new boss, then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in the smooth, silky flesh. Jim's infatuation with his superior knew no bounds and his unbridled dreams of hooking-up with the unattainable Condi became so legendary along the Washington beltway that this phrase spoke to persons seeking inaccessible goals.

      Expression #3 - An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

      Modern Meaning/Origin - An apple can prevent illness. In the 19th Century, apples became known for being medicinal as well as tasty. Although often attributed to Ben Franklin, his pear-like shape brings into question his commitment to the apple.

      The Real Story - Sure apples contain a range of vitamins and minerals and can make you feel good, but so do a lot of other fruits and women. Apples also contain sugars, starches and carbohydrates, which aren't easily digested by the small intestine. This undigested food then moves downstream to the intestine's larger cousin where it's broken down by bacteria that release hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane, i.e., gas. So, yes, an apple can keep the doctor away, but only because he or she would rather probe a non-apple eating patient than a farting one. (Illustration)

      Expression #4 - Between a Rock and a Hard Place

      Modern Meaning/Origin - No good options. The expression is based on the situation Odysseus faced when he traveled between Scylla (a monster) and Charybdis (a whirlpool); neither choice was all too inviting.

      The Real Story - Sweaty, nubile female rock climbers oftentimes stimulate their male co-climbers. So it was no shock to find that this phrase came to be when a certain, moderately-hung gentlemen climber exclaimed to his female partner during a particularly erogenous climb, Looks like you're between a rock and my hard place, baby. To this woman mountaineer, like Odysseus, neither option was to her liking. She did, however, get the last laugh when his overexcited blood rushed south to Mr. Piton causing a sudden change in his center of gravity. The resulting plunge to a soon to be bloody pile of dirt below meant she was no longer between a rock and his mangled hard

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1