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.

Dutch Idioms

Several words have found themselves used in a number of phrases. We looked at 'break' last time and this time it's 'Dutch'. Before coming to what turns out to be rather a longer list than I expected, it should be noted that none of these will have been in use before 1600. Furthermore, many of these will be seen as derogatory which is down to the trading conflicts between the English/British and the Dutch since the 17th century.

Going Dutch is where those dining in company pay for themselves.

If that's true I'm a Dutchman is a way of denying what was said. (Also: if not I'm a Dutchman - seeks to strengthen an argument.)

Dutch cure is to commit suicide.

Dutch bargains are settled over drinks.

Dutch auction is where the price starts high and steadily reduced until someone accepts the offer.

Dutch agreement is made when intoxicated.

Beat the Dutch is to exceed expectations.

Dutch collar is a horse collar.

Dutch comfort is to derive comfort by thinking things could be worse.

Dutch concert is to make a lot of noise.

Dutch courage comes from alcohol.

Dutch defence is no defence at all.

Dutch headache is more often called a hangover.

Dutch leaf might look like gold leaf, but it isn't.

Dutch leave when a military man is Absent Without Leave (AWOL).

Dutch gold is an allow of copper and zinc, it's what Dutch leaf (above) is made from.

Dutch oven is an enclosed cooking pot from around 1769, but there is also a later definition in which there are two people sharing a bed and one farts and pulls the covers over the other to give them the dubious benefit of the full experience.

Dutch nightingales are frogs.

Dutch reckoning is a high bill, especially one not itemised.

Dutch rub is when one rubs their knuckles firmly across the top of the head of another.

Dutch talent is best defined as more brawn than brain.

Dutch widow or prostitute.

Dutch wife is a long bolster pillow.

Double Dutch refers to one talking gibberish.

Dutch uncle is seen from 1838 and refers to a kindly figure but one who is straight-talking and strict.

Hit Idioms

Several words have found themselves used in a number of phrases. We looked at 'foot' last time and this time it's 'hit'.

Hit it off dates from as early as 1780, and was used the same as the modern 'hit on' only from 1970.

Hit the nail on the head is recorded as early as 1570, but had nothing to do with hammers. This was an archery reference.

Hit the hay is first seen in 1912, which is strange as by then few mattresses would have been stuffed with hay.

Hit the bricks dates from 1909. Not heard today, it was trade union slang and referred to going on strike.

Hit (someone) up, to request something of someone, dates from 1917.

Not know what hit them is first seen in print in 1923.

Hit the road appears in print for the first time in 1873.

Hit and run has had no less than three lives. The vehicular reference is first seen in 1924; later this was also used for a military strike, first appearing in 1940; but the earliest, and probably the most obvious, is the baseball reference from 1899.

Hit the bottle is not seen before 1933, although 'hit the booze' had been in use since at least 1899.

Hit song/record/film/ etc dates as early as 1811, when it was used to refer to plays and shows.

A Round of Drinks

Being partial to a drink now and again, I overhear some unusual slang terms when ordering at the bar. This is particularly true when travelling around the British Isles, closer to home they are more familiar and mostly ignored. Words such as bevy, tipple, wallop, grog, etc., are known to all and require no explanation.

However it was when I picked up my Dictionary of Historical Slang I discovered just how many slang terms there are in the English language for the demon drink, for those who enjoy same, and everything related to it.

A is for ANOTHER ACROBAT meaning 'another drink'. Tumbler being another word for an acrobat and also a glass.

B is for BLACK POT meaning 'a toper' (one who enjoys his drink a little too much). A black pot was a beer mug in the days when bottles and tankards were made of leather and sealed with tar.

C is for CANTEEN MEDAL, describing a military man who wore a beer stain on his tunic. A persistent drunkard (today we would say 'alcoholic') was similarly described as a Canteen Wallah.

D is for DEADY meaning 'gin' and thought to have originated from a proprietary name of a distiller.

E is for ELBOW-CROOKER, a nineteenth century term for a heavy drinker and for obvious reasons.

F is for both FELLOW-COMMONER an 'empty bottle' and FIDDLER'S BITCH one who is 'very drunk'. While we know what they mean, where the come from is a mystery.

G is for GASP meaning to 'drink a dram of spirits', presumably from its possible effect.

H is for HEAVY BROWN, describing porter. The first beer aged at the brewery and despatched to the inns ready to drink, it was a kind of stout.

I is for INDENTURED, meaning 'to stagger under the influence of drink'.

J is for JACK SURPASS, rhyming slang for 'a glass (of liquor)'.

K is for KILL-PRIEST, a slang term for port wine.

L is for LUSHING-KEN, a very run down and dirty public house.

M is for MOPPY, another word for 'intoxicated'.

N is for NANCY DAWSON, a naval term for the rum ration.

O is for O-BE-JOYFUL, a public house.

P is for PAINT, to drink something very strong.

Q is for QUANTUM, a late nineteenth century term for an ale.

R is for RUSH-LIGHT, any strong liquor, from the late eighteenth century.

S is for SCREECH, a nineteenth century word for potent whisky.

T is for TAPE, a general term for strong liquor but most often referring to gin.

U is for UNPAVED, to be aggressive under the influence of drink.

V is for VARNISH, a late nineteenth century term used specifically for bad champagne.

W is for WET QUAKER, a man who on the surface is most pious but in secret is a heavy drinker.

X is for .... well I couldn't find one, so I thought I'd make one up. If xenophobia is the irrational fear of foreigners and oenophobia is a fear of wines, then could XENOENOPHOBIA be the irrational fear of foreign wines?

Y is for YADNAB, which should really be ydnarb because it is supposed to be brandy backwards.

Z is for .... again I couldn't find one so I've cheated and gone for ZIBIB, a colourless drink distilled from raisins.

Cheers!