Strange Sayings and Their Meanings
American culture is dynamic and, at times, hard to define. It’s a quintessential “melting pot” where peoples of varying nationalities and ethnicities blend together, for the most part (no matter how melted the pot, there will always be lumps in need of sieving). Much like American culture, the English we speak is cobbled together from no less than six languages.
Beginning with Germanic roots brought when invading tribes (the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes) turned up on the shores of Britain in the fifth century from what is now Denmark and Northern Germany, English went on to borrow from Latin, Ancient Greek, French (brought over by William the Conqueror which became the language of the Royal court), and later more German and then Spanish with the expansion into the western states that were once part of Mexico (What is English?, n.d.). This amalgamate naturally lends itself to some very colorful idiomatic expressions and slang.
We all use idiomatic expressions, and while we loosely understand their meaning, their origins usually aren’t discernable at face value. Here are a few expressions I have been particularly curious about.
All hat and no cattle
Meaning: A boastful or pretentious person. Someone who talks big, but can’t deliver.
Use: Mr. Gent’s boastful manner left me wondering if he was all hat and no cattle.
Origin: The saying was first found in print in the March 1944 edition of Agricultural Leaders’ Digest where an Indigenous dude ranch worker refers to city slicker as, “Big hat, no cattle” (American Agricultural Services, p. xiii; Popik, 2006). Historians attribute the saying to the state of Texas.
This colorful expression has got to be one of my favorites. It’s right up there with, “I remember when you were knee-high to a grasshopper!” Which translates to, “I’ve known you since you were just a baby.” Man, I love English!
Get your goat
Meaning: to allow someone to irritate you.
Use: Sally knew she shouldn’t let Bill get to her, but every time he came around, his teasing ended up getting her goat.
Origin: According to The Phrase Finder, the saying first appears in print in the U.S. book Life in Sing Sing (1904) where the word goat has the slang meaning for anger. Sure, goats are precocious and stubborn, but angry? Not really. The common consensus is that historically, horse trainers used goats to calm other animals, particularly racehorses. While no one can confirm this assertion, trainers still use goats today to calm high-strung thoroughbreds before a race (Winters, 1996). The idea is a nefarious person would remove the beloved goat from the horse’s paddock, causing the racer such strain they would underperform, losing the race.
This is another expression close to my heart. I love the idea of someone dressed like Carman San Diego sneaking into a paddock to steal people’s metaphorical PTSD service pets.
Off the cuff
Meaning: To give a speech without practicing. Off the top of one’s head.
Use: There he goes again, completely unprepared and off the cuff.
Origin: According to the Language Log entry filed by Marc Liberman, historians traced the expression to the use of disposable, paper cuffs worn by men in the 1870s. These men then wrote notes on them for use in public talks. However, the use of such paper cuffs was long out of style by the time the OED first cited the saying from the New York Panorama in 1938. To Liberman, the gap in dates has four possible explanations: first, the use of paper cuffs didn’t completely die out in the 1900s, but continued much later among a select few. Second, certain professionals continued jotting notes on their cuffs long after they were no longer disposable. Third, the saying, born in the 1870s, stayed out of print until the 1930s. And fourth, the saying was created long after the practice died out. Whatever the reason, the language nerd in me loves this!
I didn’t think much of this expression before I started reading up on it, but now I think it’s amazing. I just love how knowledge provides a greater appreciation for the little things.
Living the Life of Riley
Meaning: An easy and contented life.
Use: He was a privileged lad, living the life of Riley.
Origin: This phrase has its roots in Irish-American communities before the First World War. While historians don’t think Riley was a living person (there is no documentation leading us to anyone in particular), they believe Riley became a generic term referring to the Irish. But that doesn’t explain why Riley got the gig (Martin, n.d.). However, there are two possible explanations for the name choice.
In the early 1880s, two songs became popular, each depicting a rich man named Mr. Reilly living the good life. The first is the incredibly racist, Is That Mr. Reilly? which the Irish-American singer, Patrick Rooney popularized (Martin, n.d.; Mooney, 2015). The second title, The Best in the House Is None Too Good for Mr. Reilly details the extravagant life of the wealthy Reilly (Martin, n.d.).
Considering how long this expression has been around, I had managed to avoid hearing it until recently. From the context of the conversation, I could deduce what it meant, but I asked for clarification just to make sure. It’s easy to imagine why I was curious as to the origins of this saying. Who is Riley, and why is he so damned lucky?
Fronting or to front
Meaning: To confront aggressively, to lie.
Use: Why you frotin’?
Origin: This gem has its roots in the 1800s when pickpockets would use a front to distract the mark while the cutpurse lifted said victim’s wallet or other items of value. Later, the term morphed into any illegal activity until the 1960s when it shifted again, this time for much more hardened crimes, usually of the organized variety. Later still, a front became associated with cons, such as street cons like the shell game (A Way With Words, 2010).
Then, enter the hip-hop scene of the 1980s. Now the criminal element begins to fall away and to front means to posture or to put on a show. Similarly, someone who is all hat and no cattle would be fronting. Usually reserved for circles of young men where genuine emotions are a virtue (A Way With Words).
Fast forward to the 2000s, and to front simply means to lie (A Way With Words).
Talk about the beauty of the evolution of language. I love it! It reminds me a little of how those summertime shoes with the cord that fits between your first and second toes were once called thongs. Ask your parents. They’ll know.
So there you go. Five idiomatic expressions and their origins. If you enjoyed this post, or have a word or saying you would like to know more about, and would rather someone else do the legwork, leave a comment below. I enjoyed researching this post so much, I would love to do more in the future.
References
A Way With Words (2010). Slang Term “Fronting”. http://www.waywordradio.org/slang-term-fronting/
American Agricultural Services (1944). Agricultural Leaders’ Digest; (v. 24-25, 1944), p. xiii. http://tinyurl.com/zrvrqnr
Liberman, Marc (2012). Off the Cuff. Language Log. http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=4130
Martin, Gary (n.d.). Living the Living of Rielly. Phrase Finder. http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/the-life-of-riley.html
Mooney, Jennifer (2015). Irish Stereotypes in Vaudeville 1865-1905. Palgrave Macmillan. From Google Books: http://tinyurl.com/gobxw9n
The Phrase Finder. The meaning and origin of the expression: Get your goat. http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/get-your-goat.html
Popik, Barry, (2006). “All hat and no cattle.” http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/big_hat_no_cattle/
What is English? History of the English Language. https://www.englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm
Winter, Christine (1996). Stable Goats Help Calm Skittish Thoroughbreds. Chicago Tribune. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1996-08-01/news/9608010109_1_goat-horse-high-strung-thoroughbreds
Images
All Hat and No Cattle by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
Got your Goat by SF from Pixabay
Off the Cuff by Irina L from Pixabay
Living the Life of Riley itay verchik from Pixabay
Fronting by jorgophotography from Pixabay
