“Red Tape” and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 19)

This is Lisa Beebe and Mrs. L.

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Some of our favorites and next recurring favorite. We continue our series about the curious origins of every day saying you to join us again. Andrew Thompson continues to share another slice from his ultimate guide to understanding these many mysteries of the English language is entered red type is pointless. Bureaucratic procedures are accessing regulations draw some the 16th century in Britain since that time, legal and official documents have been bound with red ribbon documents were rolled in their original condition and seal with red type. This was done as a measure to ensure documents in helping tampered with, similar to wax seals in ancient times, official Vatican documents were also down in red cloth and to the study.

Many legal documents abounding pinko red colored material fries was an expanded to its current form by Charles Dickens, who used it in a number of these books, including David Copperfield bleak House and little dollars to rest on your laurels means to be satisfied with a past performance and to think any future effort is unnecessary and that expression harks back to ancient Greek apply the finest great gold was usually depicted the crown of Laura leaves around his head and a wreath of laurels became a symbol of status and achievement in these wreaths were presented to winning athletes at various athletic games in the six century BC the Romans and embrace Laurel as a status symbol and will present Reese to victorious generals and people who were presented with these wreaths known as laureates town that still used to this day because I would then so I respected laureates while able to bask in the glory of their achievements and rest on their laurels and that's how the expression came about to ride roughshod means to treat harshly and has military beginnings pulses that are roughshod have nail heads and sometimes metal points protruding from the bottom of issues. These are deliberately inserted to provide extra traction in winterizing conditions during the 19th century became common for cavalry soldiers to intentionally rush all day, horses.

These tangles in a brutal weapons, severely damaging the foot soldiers and horses of the enemy. When I charged and ride roughshod over them to ride shotgun means to travel in the cows front passenger seat and it draws from the days of stagecoach travel in America during the ninth century postal express messages became known as shotgun messages because I write up the front of the stagecoach next of the driver and carried a loaded shotgun stagecoaches were often confronted by bandits or dangerous animals such as bears and the person running shotgun was there for protection. A right-hand man is an invaluable or indispensable assistant was sickening to mount and it has its origins in ancient Rome and Greece. In those times leaders are often under attack of threat of assassination. While most people are right-handed by Carrie.

They sold him a ride because I carried their weapons on the right of us from the right that an enemy could disciple a man by grabbing his right is sold, leaving invulnerable to attack, but with a trusted ally sitting on the right believe it would be protected.

But this also meant that the right hand man was in a position himself to disable the Lita said, placing the man there was a gesture of great trust. If you say something rings true means of stories tested and found genuine. It's commonly seen as a story has the ring of truth and it has its origins with the currency manufacturers of the Middle Ages at that time monitoring coins were actually made of gold, silver, or other semi precious metals with a value depending on the white for the middle like contained. It was difficult of the time because of the equipment and the scarcity of metals to produce coins of uniform white and this provided criminals with an opportunity I would counterfeit coins or mixing small quantities of gold or silver with a cheaper metal when dropped on a stone slab. Precious metals have a clear ring to them compared to a doll and flatiron overflight committal is some amount of taste of a coin with genuine all had to do was drop it and see if it rang true to rise and shine means to get out of bed and prepare for the day and it's a simple phrase that stems from the military.

The rise as literal meaning to wake up and get up, usually before Dorn shined derives from showing sparkles and other equipment and soldiers were expected to do each morning before heading to the parade ground for inspection to rise and Sean is caught in a simple one to explain around Robin is something that operates in a rotational manner like a lateral petition or sporting tournament where each player plays all the others that expression stems from the 17th century France when peasant revolts were rife whenever the king received a petition for change which contained a list of signatures he would generally: the top few people on the list who thought we the ringleaders and behead them, but people still desperate to petition the king of the peasants devised the concept by colder Roland Rubin meeting round ribbon. It was a length of ribbon join to form a circle which the petitioners would sign this disguise to sign for us to protected everyone. This practice was actually adopted by silos of 19th century where any complaints were made by signing a circular petition so that no single person look like he was being mutinous. The term was adapted to around Robin. By the 1700s rule of thumb is a rough and useful principle rather than a scientific calculation and its committee potential origins.

The Romans use the thumb as a measure of length from the thumbs lost knuckle to the tape that was 1 inch and before the advent of the moment is bring monsters would test the temperature of beer. The thumbs of all the funds being used that way since ancient times signed and get corn until 1792 was and that he the justice below of the King's bench of England delivered a judgment that formalized the age-old maximum English mold allowed Amanda Beatty's wife provided that he used to student and I think of the Nice thumb was accused of being prejudiced of the time and was attacked an accountant where he was characterized as judge, thumb in the expression rule of thumb became widespread. From that time on, and a terrific job on the production by Greg Engler and a special thanks as always to Andrew Thompson for sharing these terrific short stories about the origins of everyday sayings to get his book hair of the dog to paint the town red. Go to Amazon.com are the usual suspects.

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