Hard Idioms

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

Hard of hearing is a reminder of the other and earlier use of ‘hard’, as in ‘difficult’; this seen from the beginning of the 13th century.

Hard liquor also uses the original sense, the term seen from 1789 (when the phrase is actually ‘hard cider’).

Hard drugs, like ‘hard liquor’, uses the earlier sense, although this term is not recorded before 1955.

Hard facts is first seen in 1853.

Hard news is a journalistic phrase first seen in 1918.

Hard copy – printed rather than electronic – comes from 1964.

Hard disk is first documented in 1978.

Hard drive appears six years later than the above in 1983.

Hard rock, the musical reference and not any geological term, is first seen in 1967. Sadly I could not find which act first earned this appellation, although despite his name it won’t have been Neil Diamond.

Hard times is first documented in 1705, this reference to a period of poverty also used as a title for the 1854 novel by Charles Dickens. (And I’ll read it when he reads one of mine.)

Hard cash originally referred to solid coin rather than bankers’ drafts (first) and paper money (later). Indeed, ‘hard money’ was the original term, this seen from 1706.

Nobody played hard to get until 1945 – and I won’t comment on loose morals, as this is not the meaning here at all.

Nobody did anything the hard way until as recently as 1907.

Hard-hearted was first used to describe people like me in the early 13th century.

Nobody was said to be hard-working until 1708.

Hard-line was first used to describe Soviet communist policies in 1958.

Hard-wired was first used in 1969 in reference to computers, but two years later had also been used to refer to the human brain.

Hard-boiled eggs were first described in 1723, later used in the sense of ‘tough’ from 1886.

Hard-cover books were first described in 1949, which makes perfect sense as although books had hard covers since early days of writing, they were simply ‘books’ until the paperback version appeared and required clarity. However, they took their time, for the first paperbacks appeared in 1841, although not until 1934 did Albatross and Penguin produce paperbacks.

Hard-bitten was used from 1715 to mean ‘tough in a fight’, earlier still to describe hunting dogs.

Hard fought first appears around 1660.

Hard-up, as in financial difficulties, is seen from 1821.

Hard-headed, as an insult, was first used in 1520.

Hard-nosed, or stubborn, first appears in 1927.

Nobody wore a hard hat until 1935, but then it was only used to refer to a Derby and not the helmet of today.

Hardwoods are known as such from 1560.

Die-hard, no not the non-Christmas film but one who is deemed difficult to defeat, is recorded in 1844 to describe the 57th Regiment of Foot of the British Army, and later as an adjective from 1871. Incidentally, there is also a DieHard, - no, not the film(s) – this is a brand of car battery introduced in 1967.

And if you’ve got this far and wondered why I haven’t discussed the hard-on, it’s because nobody had until 1893.

Isle of Man Place Names

One definition you will not find in my Isle of Man Place Names book, is that of Ham and Egg Terrace.

The unlikely name of Ham and Egg Terrace was first coined when visitors came to the Great Laxey Wheel. Women living in the terrrace saw the opportunity to offer ham and eggs (and presumably other snacks and drinks) to tourists. The nickname was quickly adopted locally and now known as such instead of the official Dumbell’s Row. The official name is after George William Dumbell, a major shareholder and chairman of the Great Laxey Mining Company.

Sir Francis Lyttleton Holyoaks Goodricke

On Saturday 30th May 1835 outside the Guildhall in Lichfield, Mr W Hand, the Under Sheriff, announced Sir Francis Lyttleton Holyoaks Goodricke had been elected MP for Staffordshire South. This was greeted by cheers which drowned out much of the hisses (note, no booing). The victor spoke of his thanks and reiterated his proposals on which he had been elected. He was then placed on a handsomely decorated chair on which Sir Francis would be transported to a celebratory reception at the Swan Hotel.

Things did not go quite to plan, for almost as soon as he was seated and the seat lifted the crowd's mood changed. Hooting began and accompanied by a rain of apparently rotten eggs. Worse followed when stones were thrown and, when one hit and cut his cheek, he vacated the seat before further injuries followed. The chair carried on its ceremonial route but the new MP and his party arrived at the Swan Hotel by a different route.

Just what gripe the crowd had was never recorded, although perhaps it was something to do with the count - for he had recorded a majority of just 24 votes over his opponent Colonel Anson.

Easter Lagomorphs

Seven years ago I posted something on hares. I recreate same here, suitably amended.

While the rabbit is today considered to be lucky (as in the foot), historically the hare is anything but. Indeed so much superstition and folklore surrounds the poor creature I decided to dig a little and found the following:

As Easter is upon us, along with its association with the rabbit (ie Easter Bunnies), it came as something of a surprise to find Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands preferring an Easter Hare.

The Anglo-Saxon personification of the sun was Ostara, whose ears were those of a hare and who carried eggs on her back. This is how eggs have become associated with Easter.

Pagan followers associate the hare with the goddess Eostre, from where we get the name for Easter.

Gods in other cultures associated with hares are Hittavainen, Cupid, Aphrodite, Venus, Holda, Freyja, Andraste, Cerridwen, Kaltes,

That the creature has been considered sacred and associated with spring, and almost certainly has been since prehistoric times, is down to the hare only really being seen when they are seen boxing in the mating season. Incidentally, the long held belief these are males fighting over a female was shown to be wrong when it was realised at least one of the combatants could just as easily be female.

Several ancient cultures saw the hare the symbol of fertility, of rebirth, and held to possess supernatural powers. The genitals of the jack were carried to ward off infertility. This fertility idea has some truth for the doe can produce up to forty-two young in a single year.

Some ancient African cultures believed the hare to have a lunar origin.

The tales of Brer Rabbit, as told by Uncle Remus, were brought to North America via the slave trade and are adapted from traditional African narratives. Thus these cannot be about a 'rabbit' but a hare for Africa has no rabbits around the tropical latitudes.

In Egyptian mythology Osiris is also known by other names and is then depicted with the head of a hare, as was the goddess Unut. He is also cited as being the messenger of the god Thoth.

Pliny wrote of how he believed the hare was androgynous, likened to the waxing and waning of the Moon when it was deemed to be masculine and feminine respectively.

The hare is also associated with the Moon in ancient China, held to possess knowledge of the elixir of immortality. Other writings show the hare with the phoenix and the unicorn, ubiquitous mythological creatures of wonder and magical powers.

Hindus in India tell the story of Buddha, whose earliest life on Earth was as a hare. Hence the animal is seen as a symbol of resurrection. It is also the subject of a number of traditional tales where it represents wisdom.

Native American cultures speak of Michabo or Manitou, the Great Hare, which is common to the ancestral mythologies of many tribes. Unlike the Old World, in the New World the hare is associated with the sun.

The madness of hares was likened to a coven of witches. Some held the hares were witches who had changed their appearance to allow them to suckle cows until they were dry.

Sailors, probably the most superstitious career which ever has been or ever will be, consider the hare unlucky and would not allow any mention of them while at sea.

Pregnant women would carrying a hare's foot, for should the animal cross her path it could result in a miscarriage or the child being born with a hare-lip.

The hare's foot charm was also held to be the answer to rheumatism, while the stage perfomance of many a thespian was solely down to such being hidden beneath their costume.

The fat from a hare would be used to fuel a lamp burned when it was important that all present should be in good spirits throughout.

The brain of the hare was added to wine to prevent any danger of oversleeping.

Cambridgeshire folk seeing a hare running through the streets saw this as a sign that a fire was about to break out.

Cornish girls who died of a broken heart after being spurned by their lover would turn into a white hare and pursue him from beyond the grave.

Personally I just wish I could taste this recipe for jugged hare.