The Surprising Origins of 12 Phrases | Mental Floss

The English language is bursting with colorful expressions that come from strange and surprising places. Many of them once had literal meanings that the general public has long since forgotten. This episode of The List Show is all about why we say what we say—from the poem that gave us albatross around your neck to the hands that gave us hands down. 00:00 Slush Fund 00:50 Intro 01:17 Albatross around your neck 01:54 Silver screen 02:29 Bucket list 03:01 Kick the bucket 03:26 Egg on your face 04:27 Egg on 04:59 Apple of my eye 05:36 The writing on the wall 06:15 The land of Nod 06:47 Close but no cigar 07:06 Hands down About Mental Floss: Mental Floss is where curious people come for trivia-tastic information. Mental Floss produces lists of fun facts, debunks common misconceptions, and tells untold stories from history, science, culture and more. Follow Mental Floss: Website: https://www.mentalfloss.com/ Mental Floss Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mentalflossmagazine Mental Floss Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mental_floss/ Mental Floss TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mental_floss Mental Floss X: https://twitter.com/mental_floss Mental Floss Discord: https://discord.io/mentalfloss Copyright Notice: This video and YouTube channel contain dialog, music, and images that are property of Mental Floss. You are authorized to share the video link and channel, and embed this video in your website or others as long as a link back to this YouTube Channel is provided. 2025 Mental Floss The Surprising Origins of 12 Phrases | Mental Floss https://www.youtube.com/@MentalFloss