Origins and meanings of household sayings
The English penchant for wordplay is, perhaps, nowhere more evident than in the staggering array of metaphors, similes and catchphrases with which we furnish everyday speech.
Mothballs and Elbow Grease, published by the National Trust, explores the impact and influence of domestic chores and household items that have become woven into the fabric of everyday life.
Here are some of our favourites...
Randle Tree: The iron bar that used to be placed across a chimney to hang pots and pans over a fire was called, in Scotland, a ‘randle tree’. When the term was applied to a person it graphically explained succinctly that he was tall and thin.
Scrape the kettle: It was the job of the scullion to scrape the kettles and keep them clean and scum-free, and when used in figurative sense it also implies the act of cleansing. Metaphorically speaking, to ‘scrape the kettle’ was to go to confession.
Small potatoes: Anything that is insignificant or worth little can be described as ‘small potatoes’ and has been for a very long time.
Every tub must stand on its own bottom: This rather delightful Elizabethan expression means that there are some things you have to do for yourself and that cannot be done by others. The reference is to the solid tubs that were used for a variety of domestic chores, particularly in the laundry.
Wrap it up in clean linen: In the seventeenth century if you wanted to relay a particularly sordid story you might have chosen to ‘wrap it up in clean linen’. It described the means of speaking delicately about an indelicate subject.
Lick honey with your little finger: While this would never be countenanced in a literal sense, it advises that it is unwise to scoop up flattery and compliments unreservedly. It was also used to advise caution when dealing with unexpected good fortune.
The cup that cheers: The reference is to tea and comes from a quotation by William Cowper, who in 1785 in The Task wrote:
And, while the bubbling and loud-hissing urn
Throws up a stormy column, and the cups,
That cheer but not inebriate, wait on each.
Take meat before grace: Now common practice, ‘to take meat before grace’ referred to enjoying conjugal pleasures before marriage and that was considered more than impolite.
Put a sock in it: This impolite way of asking someone to quieten down is said to come from the days of wind-up gramophones, where the sound came out through a horn. In lieu of a volume control, it was said that a sock was the most efficient way of muffling the sound.
Headband: Now a common accessory, a headband would never be found in the dressing rooms of a great house, for originally a ‘headband’ was a strip of linen worn as a punishment in girl’s schools. A number of such bands, complete with the relevant offence embroidered upon them, were found at a school in Hertford: they include such misdemeanours as ‘Gossiping’, ‘Ill Temper’ and ‘Obstinate’.
Eat One’s Hat: Whilst a ‘hat’ is obviously indigestible, a ‘hatte’ is not. An early form of meatball, hattes were made from a mixture of veal, dates, saffron and other spices, bound with eggs.
Pull the wool over someone’s eyes: The expression meaning to deceive comes from the days when wigs were the fashion. They were commonly known as ‘wool’ because of the resemblance to a sheep’s fleece, especially wigs with tight curls.
Mothballs and Elbow Grease, published by the National Trust, explores the impact and influence of domestic chores and household items that have become woven into the fabric of everyday life.
Here are some of our favourites...
Randle Tree: The iron bar that used to be placed across a chimney to hang pots and pans over a fire was called, in Scotland, a ‘randle tree’. When the term was applied to a person it graphically explained succinctly that he was tall and thin.
Scrape the kettle: It was the job of the scullion to scrape the kettles and keep them clean and scum-free, and when used in figurative sense it also implies the act of cleansing. Metaphorically speaking, to ‘scrape the kettle’ was to go to confession.
Small potatoes: Anything that is insignificant or worth little can be described as ‘small potatoes’ and has been for a very long time.
Every tub must stand on its own bottom: This rather delightful Elizabethan expression means that there are some things you have to do for yourself and that cannot be done by others. The reference is to the solid tubs that were used for a variety of domestic chores, particularly in the laundry.
Wrap it up in clean linen: In the seventeenth century if you wanted to relay a particularly sordid story you might have chosen to ‘wrap it up in clean linen’. It described the means of speaking delicately about an indelicate subject.
Lick honey with your little finger: While this would never be countenanced in a literal sense, it advises that it is unwise to scoop up flattery and compliments unreservedly. It was also used to advise caution when dealing with unexpected good fortune.
The cup that cheers: The reference is to tea and comes from a quotation by William Cowper, who in 1785 in The Task wrote:
And, while the bubbling and loud-hissing urn
Throws up a stormy column, and the cups,
That cheer but not inebriate, wait on each.
Take meat before grace: Now common practice, ‘to take meat before grace’ referred to enjoying conjugal pleasures before marriage and that was considered more than impolite.
Put a sock in it: This impolite way of asking someone to quieten down is said to come from the days of wind-up gramophones, where the sound came out through a horn. In lieu of a volume control, it was said that a sock was the most efficient way of muffling the sound.
Headband: Now a common accessory, a headband would never be found in the dressing rooms of a great house, for originally a ‘headband’ was a strip of linen worn as a punishment in girl’s schools. A number of such bands, complete with the relevant offence embroidered upon them, were found at a school in Hertford: they include such misdemeanours as ‘Gossiping’, ‘Ill Temper’ and ‘Obstinate’.
Eat One’s Hat: Whilst a ‘hat’ is obviously indigestible, a ‘hatte’ is not. An early form of meatball, hattes were made from a mixture of veal, dates, saffron and other spices, bound with eggs.
Pull the wool over someone’s eyes: The expression meaning to deceive comes from the days when wigs were the fashion. They were commonly known as ‘wool’ because of the resemblance to a sheep’s fleece, especially wigs with tight curls.