Where Common Terms And Phrases Originated

Whether you realize it or not, the languages we speak are changing every day

And as the English language evolves, many of the words and phrases we use become antiquated

Their meanings are seemingly lost to time. Some evoke controversy and require reassessment while

others have found whole new applications. Today, we're going to revisit some age-old

terms and phrases and explain where they came from and what they mean

Okay, don't run amok, because we're about to cover that. Do you have the time to listen to us whine about how Green Day used the term basket case

But decades before Billy Joe Armstrong was even in a baby basket

the term basket case was being used in a not-so-catchy-and-fun way. The term was originally used to describe World War I soldiers who had lost limbs during battle

The reasoning behind the term basket case was implying that these now immobile soldiers

would have to be carried around in a basket. While it's unclear if this ever actually happened

to a wounded soldier, the term was so widespread that the Surgeon General eventually had to step in

and deny any foundation for stories of basket cases in any hospital he knew about

Eventually, the term stopped being exclusive to World War I soldiers and became a catch-all phrase

to apply to anyone who lacked emotional coping skills. It's the perfect word to describe everyone on the road who isn't you

It shouldn't surprise anyone that the word moron is derived from the Greek word for foolish

Another great word to describe the guy who rode your ass all the way to work. But what might surprise you is the extremely blunt way the word moron was used in the medical

field to describe substandard intellectual abilities. Dr. Henry H. Goddard had some pretty crummy views of mental disabilities when he coined

the term in the early 20th century. He separated mental disabilities into two groups, idiots and

morons. Idiots being mentally challenged people who do not have children, while morons continued

the race with a line of children like himself. Goddard's words. Goddard and his eugenicist

cronies had some other views that could be described as incredibly uncool. Today, the word

moron has ceased to be a disability diagnosis and has more or less gone back to its foolish roots

Hypothetically, if a rhinoceros were to escape the zoo and destroy the city, we might say that rhino

was running amok downtown. Or we might say, there's a rhinoceros! Ah

Depending on our proximity to the rhino. The phrase, which typically evokes images of homicidal

or violent behavior, actually originated with 16th century Indonesian warriors called the amuko

According to a 16th century merchant, Duarte Barbosa, the Amuco were ingenious and subtle, cunning and treacherous

They were daring in their mischief and valiant fighters who would go out onto the streets and kill as many persons as they meant

English poet Andrew Marvell used a similar phrase in his 1672 satirical book, The Rehearsal Transposed, writing

He runs amok as they call it there stabbing every man he meets Exactly like a hypothetical escaped rhino The scourge of every shy kid at a large gathering

the phrase, cack at your tongue, has been long used as a way to state, hey, you're quiet

The suspiciously specific phrase was coined in either ancient Egypt or the 17th century

depending on who you ask. Some versions of this origin story say the phrase is referencing the literal punishment

of cutting out tongues and feeding them to cats in ancient Egypt. Others say the phrase comes from the 17th century British Navy

as a way to mock fellow sailors who were whipped by a cat-o'-nine tail. The punishment was reportedly so painful that hapless victims

were left unable to speak for some time afterward. Being grandfathered in means someone can keep operating

as they always have despite status quo changes. You could be exempt from new laws, get a great deal on apartment rent

or even retain your cheaper mobile service after your provider realized how unprofitable unlimited data

is for them. The phrase itself has its basis in legal context

related to 19th and 20th century voting restrictions. Sometimes, as an attempt to disenfranchise voters

the right to vote had literacy requirements, poll taxes, and residency or property restrictions

But you could avoid all that rigmarole so long as your grandfather was exercising his right

Yeah, if you had a grandpa who voted before the Civil War, you could skip all the requirements

and sashay yourself to the front of the voting line. The idea wasn't to restrict anyone from voting

but more to ensure that illiterate whites wouldn't be excluded from their civic duty

This blocked many African Americans from voting in many parts of the rural South

Eventually, the 15th Amendment would make it illegal to discriminate based on race

However, the Grandfather Clause had other requirements that allowed the law to be circumvented

Thanks a lot, Grandpa. We've all been in a situation where we unexpectedly run into one of our old high school acquaintances and have absolutely nothing to say

That's when it's time to reach into your back pocket and pull out the old reliable, long time no see

Its origin has actually been traced back to various non-English speaking groups

Though who exactly started it is up for some debate. A dictionary of catchphrases, American and British, claims the phrase was introduced by the U.S. by British merchants in the early 20th century

Theories say the phrase is a Chinese translation of hachou mei chien guo

which directly translates to long time no see. The phrase first appeared in print in 1900 in a popular novel by author William F. Drannan

His attribution is to a Native American character who says, Good morning. Long time no see you

Later that year, long time no see was used by another Native American character in the book

Tales of the Sierras, by Jeff W. Hayes. To describe something as hoit is to call out foolish behavior

The word is not used so much anymore, but in the 17th century

journalist Sir Roger Lestrange coined the phrase after watching people enjoy dancing

Thus you can assume, Lestrange hated fun and described women, he says

changing and jigging to every tune they heard and all upon the hoity-toity

like mad wenches of 15. The end of the 18th century saw the meaning shift away from describing boisterously annoying people Today the phrase is usually presented to people who are haughty and snobbish You hear that Lestrange

Who's hoity-toity now? Hmm? If someone has ever accused you of something

to avoid getting blamed themselves, then we're sorry to say you have been thrown under the bus

The phrase first appeared in a 1980 issue of the Financial Times

Author Eleanor Goodman used it in reference to the political turmoil happening in England at the time

Except over there, they call buses coaches. Since then, thrown under a bus has been used in any context

where someone is put into a vulnerable position. Rock star Cyndi Lauper may be the first to use the phrase

in its current context in 1984, as she remarked to the Washington Post

you are either the bus or you're under it. Still, others claim the phrase actually originated in minor league baseball

and their penchant for transporting players to away games via bus. We can only assume minor league players were routinely run over

We know Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, and we have some information about his hair situation

But aside from that, where did the original phrase come from? The origin is from a poem, but not that poem

Rudyard Kipling's poem, Fuzzy Wuzzy, originally coined the phrase when his British soldier character

referred to the indigenous men he faced as Fuzzy Wuzzy. The people referenced were the Hadandoah, who

had dark skin and curly hair. Today, mentions of Fuzzy Wuzzy are usually

pretty complimentary. But the term and its connection to the physical appearance

of the fighting Sudanese warriors still remain to this day. During the early 20th century, the United States saw an influx of Irish immigrants flocking to the

land of opportunity. What they also saw an influx of was Irish discrimination based on

the perception of criminal behavior by those who hail from the Emerald Isle. Around 1909

it wasn't out of the ordinary for policemen to round up these patties into the back of something

called a wagon. Can you see where we're going with this? Ever since then, pretty much any large vehicle capable of transporting any variety of criminal

can be referred to as a paddy wagon. No Irish need apply. If you are planning to catch a tiger by its toe, you better make sure you equip your eenies

meanies, minies, and moes. While the spelling of the rhyming words may vary, the nursery rhyme is the same the whole

world round. According to scholar Adrian Raphael, the rhyme can be traced back to England and Wales

and the methods used by shepherds when they were counting sheep just before they fell asleep

The precise origins of eeny, meeny, miny, moe have been lost to time

but the sounds and cadence from the rhyme have transitioned into actual sentences and melodies over time

You may associate it with annoying people sitting in cheap seats while being loud and belligerent

If you're a bit older, you may remember it as the kids section on the Howdy Doody show in the 40s and 50s

You may even relate it to Charlie Brown and the gang. But the origin of peanut gallery predates all of that all the way back to 1867 The first documented use of the phrase was found in a review for a vaudeville show that described content that made individuals in the peanut gallery to blush

The phrase included some racial references as well as other controversial connotations

that make the use of peanut gallery a negative thing to call a group of people

Not a weird history, though. We rely on our comment section peanut gallery to keep things running around here

Keep those comments cranking. We know what you're going to say. You know all about the rule of thumb and how it relates to that old wife's tale

You know, the one that says there was an ancient legal provision that a husband could beat his wife with a rod or stick no thicker than his thumb

Well, aside from no evidence of that ever having been the case, nothing even comparable to it even appeared until the 17th century

But despite that made-up backstory, the framework of that belief stuck around well into the 18th century

when it became a piece of the conversation about any kind of punishment at all

Aside from that, the best anyone can assume is that the rule of thumb was related to the actual length of your thumb, for some reason

Hip, hip, hooray. That cheer has been linked to many possible origins

One theory says that the phrase is rooted in anti-Semitism, pointing out the similarities

between hip-hip and hep-hep, which references Jerusalem's destruction in 135 CE. The original version of the phrase continued on through the Middle Ages and even into the

early 20th century. But others say it's nothing so horrible and is in fact meant to be a more cheerful cry

Sailors in the early 17th century were known to shout hip-hip-hurrah, which may be an early

prototype of today's version. Historians also placed another militaristic version of Hep Hep Hooray on drill sergeants

who had successfully trained their cadets and wanted to shout about it. When you're feeling exasperated, no one could fault you for shouting

now wait just a cotton-picking minute, especially if you threw in some yeehaws

and maybe a couple, what a tarnation, for good measure. The origin of this phrase comes from, no surprise here

the actual picking of cotton, one of the most tedious and least exciting parts of cotton production

Picking cotton all day was pretty rough on the fingers, which would become raw and eventually develop rough calluses

So naturally, cotton picking became associated with bad vibes. Cotton picking is an old game, and the phrase

can be traced back to sometime around the 17th century. But the racially negative connotations of the phrase

can be found in the US starting in the 19th century. When someone gets way too deep into a thing

we like to joke around that they've drank the Kool-Aid. Because who doesn't love a good joke

When Kool-Aid has been consumed, the insinuation is that the decision-making had been completely taken

out of a situation, and the subject will blindly follow any orders given

This phrase sees its unfortunate origin in the events that led up to the Jonestown Massacre in Guyana

in 1978. Cult leader Jim Jones instructed his followers and their families to down a fruit drink

laced with cyanide. Some were willing, many were forced. The final death toll was around 900

We have to admit, that's not quite as fun as the Kool-Aid man's catchphrase