What Does That Mean? Five Phrases and Their Meanings pt.2

I enjoyed this so much the first time I had to do another. Heck! I might even make it a semi-regular thing. With no further ado, here are five phrases and their meanings.

Damp Squib

I first heard this saying on The IT Crowd when Roy said “squid” instead of squib. My ears perked up. A new saying to add to my vocabulary? Hurray! Now, what in the world is a damp squib, and more importantly, why does it matter if it’s wet?

Turns out, squib has two meanings. The first is a type of fireworks. As you can imagine, incendiaries work better when dry. This goes with the definition of having great expectations for something while the results were more than a little disappointing. Much like trying to light a damp fuse on an explosive.

Additionally, ‘squibs’ were also short, satirical literary compositions. Both types of squibs were coined in the 1520s, but as to which came first, your guess is as good as scholars, well, probably not. Scholars are pretty learned. Not to say you aren’t. Ahem. Moving on.

Salad Days

Cleopatra: My salad days,
When I was green in judgment: cold in blood,
To say as I said then! But, come, away;
Get me ink and paper:
He shall have every day a several greeting,
Or I’ll unpeople Egypt.

I thank a faithful reader for this one. Indeed, Ryan, what does salad days mean, and how in the world can it possibly allude to the good ol’ days? The intrepid bard of historic fame, William Shakespeare coined this little gem in Antony and Cleopatra (1606):

According to The Phrase Finder, salad days can refer to either youth or our golden years, both of which are supposedly free from care. Anyhow, Cleopatra’s use of ‘green’ queues us she’s referring to the first definition; fresh, a newb, Greenhorn, or wet behind the ears (sayings for another day). My two cents on this saying have to do with salads themselves. Salads are not food that keeps well, especially if you factor in the Egyptian heat. One does not keep salad for leftovers. It’s eat it now, or feed it to the compost heap.

Pencil Neck Geek

This is my favorite on this list. Not because of its meaning, but due to its origin. This fun pejorative owes its creation to WWII Veteran and renowned pro wrestling heel, Freddie Blassie. Back in 1935, Blassie invented the saying to refer to the sideshow Geek he worked with who bit the heads off chickens and snakes. Blassie said the Geek had a long, skinny neck. During his forty-year wrestling career, it became Blassie’s catchphrase. In 1975, Johnny Legend (not to be confused with John Legend, who is a much different musical artist) featured Blassie in his song, Pencil Neck Geek. Blassie even used the phrase for his autobiography: The Legends of Wrestling: “Classy” Freddie Blassie: Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks, which became an instant best-seller, naturally.

Yellow Belly

We all know this one. Two gunslingers meet at high noon, swagger and bravado wafting on the hot desert air like skunk musk. One outlaw raises his chin, the sun catching his bloodshot eyes. “You yellow-belly. You ain’t got the guts,” he crows to his opponent. As you can guess, yellow belly is a derogatory term used for a coward or a traitor, but this wasn’t always so.

Phrase Finder states that yellow-belly first found its way into print via Grose’s A provincial glossary; with a collection of local proverbs etc, in 1787. The original meaning referred to residents of the English Fens who “have yellow bellies, like their eels.” This description is so filled with classism, I don’t even know where to begin. To compare a group of people to eels is incredibly crass and problematic. A General Dictionary of Provincialisms, (1839) by William Holloway, states:

“Yellow-belly, A person born in the Fens of Lincolnshire (From the yellow, sickly complexion of persons residing in marshy situations.)”.

A General Dictionary of Provincialisms, (1839) by William Holloway

While it’s plain that neither of these definitions refers to cowardice, it is easy to see there is still a bit of name-calling going on. For the word to take on its now infamous meaning, we have puddle jump over to Texas. Here we find the US at the brink of the Mexican-American war. The Wisconsin Enquire reported in April (1842):

We learn from Capt. Wright, of the N. York, that it is the intention of the Texans to “keep dark” until the Mexicans cross the Colorado, and then give them a San Jacinto fight, with an army of 5000 to 7000 men. Godsend that they may bayonet every “yellow belly” in the Mexican army.

The Wisconsin Enquire reported in April (1842)

It is unknown whether racism, an allusion to ill-health, or likening the Mexican army to the underside of lizards and snakes motivated Captain Wright’s comment. Whichever it is, yellow belly used to refer to cowards and traitors is independently tied to the American West.

Go for broke

All in. Do everything possible. Risk it all. ‘Go for broke’ comes out of Hawaiian Pidgin, specifically with the dice game, craps. Someone went for broke when they wagered all they had on one toss of the dice. Popularized during WWII, ‘go for broke’ became the motto of the US Army’s 442nd Infantry, one of the most decorated military units in history, which was comprised of Japanese of American descent. A fitting motto for men who served their country while back home, their families faced internment camps. Takes ‘go for broke’ to another level.

Every April 5th, known as National “Go For Broke Day,” is celebrated in honor of the sacrifices the members of the 442nd Infantry made for their county.

All right, folks. There you have it. Five everyday phrases that have more than a little interesting origins and meanings. Well, at least I think so, and I hope you do too.