White Idioms

Several words have become part of the language in being used in phrases. Last time we looked at ‘pink’ and now look at ‘white’.

White flag used to signal a truce, is first seen in the early 17th century. There must have been a time when both sides agreed this would signal a temporary ceasefire, for if only one side knew it could be disastrous for them.

White dwarf is an astronomical reference to a type of star and first recorded in 1924.

White witch, one who uses her power for good, is first recorded in 1620.

Nobody told a white lie until 1741.

White water, a reference to the turbulent waters over rapids, is first seen in the 1580s.

White collar workers were first described in 1911. Although white collar crime was not seen until 1957.

White elephant, something which proved expensive and nigh impossible to get rid of, is first seen in 1851. This was said to be because the King of Siam insisted on giving a present of a sacred albino elephant to any courtier who had fallen out of favour. Said courtier could not sell it nor dispose of it without incurring the wrath of the monarch, but would still have to pay for its upkeep.

White meat, chicken for example, is first seen in 1752.

White bread was not described as such until the early 14th century – this simply because the flour used to make the bread was not white.

White feather, a symbol of cowardice, is first seen in 1785 – although then it referred to the blood sport of cock fighting, when the bird with no white feathers was considered to be braver.

White noise, the sound you get when a receiver is not tuned properly, is first described in 1970.

Nothing was white hot until 1820.

White out – when everywhere is blanketed in a cover of snow – is first recorded in 1946. In 1977 it was also used to describe correction fluid, until the preparatory name took over.

Egg white, that part of the egg which is colourless until cooked, must have been known since the earliest days when Homo sapiens walked the planet. Yet it was never referred to as egg white until as recently as 1881. As we all know it is also known as albumen, but for the vast majority the term ‘glair’ was used before egg white gained in popularity.

Pink Idioms

Several words have become part of the language in being used in phrases. Last time we looked at ‘black’ and now look at ‘pink’.

Pink slip is a North American reference to dismissal from employment. First seen in 1915, sometimes the reference was to a signature from the employee stating they would leave the union.

Pink elephants are apparently an hallucination for those suffering a little too much to drink. The reference is first seen in 1913, when it appeared in Jack London’s John Barleycorn.

Pink eye is a contagious eye infection first named in 1882. Earlier, from 1570, it referred to a small eye.

Pink collar – if clerical jobs are white collar, and manual workers are described as blue collar, it is not hard to work out those jobs usually performed by or associated with women are pink collar jobs. This reference is first seen in 1977.

Nobody was tickled pink until 1909, although ‘tickled’ had been used to mean ‘pleased’ since 1580.

In the pink today means ‘in the best of health’ and has done since 1720. However there is an earlier reference from 1597, when someone called William Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet when Mercurio spoke of himself as “Why, I am the very pinke of curesie” which was a reference to the acme, pinnacle, the best, rather than just to health.

Strike me pink is an expression of surprise attributed to the Australian vaudeville character Roy Rene around 1903. He would also use ‘strike me lucky’, ‘strike me….’ Well just about anything to get a laugh.

See pink spiders is used the same as pink elephants, but also used to refer to the hallucinations associated with withdrawal symptoms. The Pink Spiders was also the name of a band debuting in 2005.

Pink tax is a phrase from the USA in the 1990s when the Gender Tax Repeal Act of 1995 prohibited price discrimination meaning women did not pay more for goods.

Shrink it and pink it is a reference to a previous ploy by advertisers to make clothing more appealing to women, tactics such as relabelling a size 10 as a size 8.

Pink wave is a reference, chiefly in the USA, to a period seeing an abundance of female candidates for political office.

Pink slime is finely textured or ground meat – the phrase coined to question the quality of the product.

The pink dollar was first used in the 1990s in the USA to describe the spending potential of gay people in retail outlets.

Black Idioms

Several words have become part of the language in being used in phrases. Last time we looked at ‘brown’ and now look at ‘black’.

Black coffee is first described as such in 1796.

Black, when referring to something terrible or wicked has been known since the late 14th century.

Black has been the colour of sin since the early 14th century.

Black arts and black magic emerged in the 1580s.

Black drop is a liquid preparation of opium, first seen in 1823.

Black flies have been around since the early 17th century.

Blackbirds have been recorded as such since the 16th century, although it had been a surname for around 150 years. Note the blackbirds in America are not the same as the European variety – the latter misnamed as only the males are black, the females are a drab brown (and slightly more numerous).

Black Prince was the name of Edward III’s eldest son, first named such in 1560.

Black flag, a sign that no mercy will be shown by pirates, has been known since 1590.

Black dog, a phrase meaning ‘melancholy’, is seen since 1826. Joke? Sorry, you’re getting it: a man crossed a watery fruit with a sheepdog, he didn’t know what it was but it looked melon-collie.

Black belt in the judo sense is first recorded in 1913.

Black Friday began in the USA as the day after Thanksgiving (always on a Thursday) when the Christmas shopping season traditionally opens and the best bargains are to be had. In the gold UK, we Brits have also adopted Black Friday and make it last ten days – must be decimalization.

Black eyes are first seen (pun intended) in the early 17th century.

Black-eyed Susan, a generic name for a number of ornamental species, is first recorded in 1881.

Black letter is an early description of heavy Gothic-style typeface.

Black swan – is undoubtedly my favourite here (and not just because it’s a pub name). Until Captain James Cook discovered black swans in Australia around 1770, the very definition of a swan was to be white. But the pub name and the image of the Black Swan had existed well before the black swan was discovered. Indeed, the Roman poet Virgil wrote about the black swan 2,000 years ago – describing it as a rara avis or ‘rare bird’. And that was exactly what was being said when using the black swan in heraldry (or as a pub name), the message is that this is unique.

Brown Idioms

Several words have become part of the language in being used in phrases. Last time we looked at ‘frog’ and now look at ‘brown’.

Brown sugar, not the Rolling Stones masterpiece, is first seen in 1704. Want a joke? Tough, you’re getting this (which is likely as old as the Stones track): White sugar cubes are rare, brown sugar cubes – Demerara. It is also a slang term for heroin.

Brown Bess, seen since 1785, is the slang name given to the flintlock musket used by the British Army.

Brown study, seen since 1530s, refers to mental abstraction or meditation – fundamentally saying you’re thinking about it but with no proof whatsoever.

Brown paper, the wrapping material, is first recorded as same in 1650.

Brown-nose is first seen in 1939, a reference to one trying to make an impression on one perceived as superior or in authority. Want to know why ‘brown’? Write and ask – but not me, think of someone who does such and ask them.

Brown Shirt, a reference to the Nazi Party militia as they wore same when founded in 1921, later a generic term for a fascist.

Brown out is the same as a black out (or power outage, if you prefer), but leaving a few lights on.

Brownie can be one of three things: a square of rich chocolate cake since 1897; a younger member of the guiding movement since 1916; a type of camera from 1900; or originally a benevolent goblin haunting houses in Scotland, and had been since 1510.

Brown bag, and I don’t just mean a brown bag, but a brown bag containing a lunch or hidden alcohol.

Brownfield, since 1992 has referred to abandoned or disused former industrial land.

Brownstone, a building material made from a darker form of sandstone which is first named as such in 1849.

As brown as a berry is seen since 1400, when it was used in one of the most famous publications in medieval history – Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. However unlike today, when it is used to describe someone with a good sun tan, Chaucer used it to refer to a horse “His palfrey was as broune as is a bery” (sic).

Browned off is first seen in 1948, and is widely associated with the British military and particularly the RAF. Origins of the term? Nobody has the foggiest idea. Incidentally, the similar phrases ‘brassed off’ and ‘cheesed off’ have equally unknown beginnings.

Frog Idioms

Several words have become part of the language in being used in phrases. Last time we looked at ‘bite’ and now look at ‘frog’.

Leapfrog refers to any number of games since at least the 16th century. The present version is first described in 1898. Of more interest are the versions found in other countries: France has ‘leapsheep’; the Dutch, Chinese and the Romanians ‘leap goats’; India it is ‘horse leap’; Italy has ‘leap small or baby horse’; Filipino version is ‘leap cow’; Koreans have ‘pile driving’; and Japanese also ‘leap horse’.

Frog in your throat, describing one with a perceived ‘croaky’ voice, is first seen in 1892; although the phrase is used from the middle of the 17th century to refer to someone with a swelling in their neck.

Frog march dates from 1871, when it referred to police officers carrying a drunken or otherwise awkward prisoner. This involved four individuals, each holding one limb, carrying the offender face down. Since the 1930s this usually refers to someone being taken away with an arm (or two) behind their backs.

Bullfrogs have only been known as such since 1738, called such because of their loud call.

Frogman is used to describe scuba divers in suits from 1945.

And with only a few commonly heard phrases, I thought it might be fun to include some, at least to my mind, some few if any will have heard before.

A Big Frog In A Small Pond, essentially uses frog instead of fish.

Frog Face, is an insult as frogs are not considered particularly attractive (so why do so many princesses kiss the things in folklore?)

A Frog Choker, is a reference to heavy rain which is enough to choke a frog.

Frog Slicing, apparently a reference to anatomy classes in school which invariably involve chopping up frogs. I was ill the day the things were brought into school to go under the knife, I don’t think I’ve suffered too much from missing out.

To Be As Cross As A Frog In A Sock, a very strange expression using ten syllables to mean ‘angry’ which has but two syllables.

Like Herding Frogs, where frogs have replaced cats. I would think it easier to herd frogs than cats, indeed I would have thought it easier to herd anything than it would be cats.

Fine As Frog Hair, sometimes Frog Fuzz, describes something as excellent.

To Eat The Frog, is to begin the day with the most difficult task and thus everything else on the agenda is easier. Perhaps this is why magistrate courts always decide to sit on the most difficult case first, thus keeping as many as possible waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and …..

As Mad As A Box Of Frogs, is the same as a bag of wet mice, and many other containers of creatures not normally found in such.

To Juggle Frogs, is to attempt to multitask to the point where nothing gets done.

A Boiling Frog, a situation which isn’t seen as bad until it’s too late to do anything about it.

To Know No More Than A Frog Knows About Bedsheets, is an odd expression suggesting the individual knows little or less about a subject.

If Frogs Had Wings They Wouldn’t Bump Their Butts When They Hop, is simply wishing for something that are simply impossible. Wishing for the moon would be a more common version.

Frog, as a derogatory term for a Frenchman, came to Britain in the First World War. Prior to that it was used by those from the Benelux countries, and earlier still by the French to describe Parisians and thought to derive from the toads once appearing on the emblem of the French capital.