Wood Idioms

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

Can’t see the wood for the trees is said to have first appeared in print in 1546, used in John Heywood’s Prouerbes in the English Tongue.

Out of the woods, a way to say ‘safe’, is most often used when describing a patient who is on the road to recovery. I found it surprising to learn it appears in print as early as 1792.

Matchwood, first seen around 1390 to describe small pieces of wood used as kindling, took on the use of small fragments of wood in 1791.

Heartwood, that central portion of the tree, is found as late as 1400.

Deadwood, as used to refer to something useless, is found from 1887.

Nobody collected driftwood before 1660 – at least they certainly collected it but did not refer to it as such.

Similarly firewood is not found in writings until the late 14th century, and yet humans must have been burning the stuff from the time when they first tamed fire.

Woodpeckers have only been known as such since 1520 – prior to that a variety of dialect terms were used including laughing Betsey, taffingale, yappingale, Jack Eikle, rainbird, weather cock, wet bird, and (as featured in that well-liked BBC series for children named Bagpuss) yaffle.

Nobody played a woodwind instrument until 1876, again used prior to that but not referred to as such.

Knock on wood is in print from the 19th century, but is believed to originate with the Druids more than two thousand years ago.

Put wood in the hole (or shut the door) is a phrase of uncertain origins, although I can guarantee it was not used before doors were used.

Come out of the woodwork – something long-lost relatives did on American soap operas -

Wooden spoon, is to come last in a competition, is said to have originated in the early 19th century at Cambridge University and an award given to the student coming last in the mathematics tripos – a course taught specifically at Cambridge.

And I could not resist putting in ‘shiver me timbers’, a phrase synonymous with Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island - although he also uses ‘shiver me sides’ and ‘shake up me timbers’ – yet the first appearance in print is in 1834 when Captain Frederick Marryat published Jacob Faithful.

Work Idioms

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

Work of art in its modern sense (as anything wondrous to behold) is first recorded in 1774, however there is an earlier sense dating from 1728 when it was clearly coined to refer solely to something created by mankind.

Work ethic is first seen in 1959.

Out of work, or unemployed if you prefer, is first recorded as early as 1590.

Making short work of something is first seen in the 1640s.

The proverb ‘many hands make light work’ is first recorded around 1300.

Having one’s work cut out for one is first seen in 1610.

Work in progress is recorded for the first time in 1930.

To work in (clay, wood, metal, etc) is seen for the first time in the 1670s.

To work up (a sweat, excite, raise, etc) appears for the first time in print around 1590.

To work over, as in to beat up, dates from 1927.

To work against, as in to undermine - delay, subvert – dates from the late 14th century.

To work out, in the physical sense, is recorded in 1530; in the mathematical sense from 1821; in the sense of emerge from around 1600; and in the mining sense from 1540.

Guesswork is first seen in 1725.

Fieldwork, as in gathering statistics or other on the ground research, appears in a document dated 1767, and in a military sense in 1819.

Legwork first appears in print in 1891, but then was used solely by news reporters to refer to a story which resulted in a great deal of physical work compared to the resulting word count.

Masterwork is used to refer to one which sets a standard or model, first appearing in 1610 and thought to have come to English from Dutch and/or German.

Nobody was considered a night-worker until 1590 – of course people did work nights, but the phrase is not used until the late 16th century.

Overwork, as in working too hard, appears in a document dated 1520. Yet the word had been in use for almost a thousand years prior to that, but used in the sense of ‘to redo’.

Piecework is something from a couple of generations ago, it is being paid by performance, but historically this had been used since the middle of the 16th century.

Homework, something I never saw any of my siblings do (perhaps they thought I had enough for all of us), is first seen in 1934. Prior to that it was used to refer to tuition in the home, and earlier still any cottage industry.

Handiwork appears as early as the 12th century.

Patchwork is first seen in 1690 and used in a derogatory sense to describe ‘that put together clumsily’, and first sense in the modern sense just 30 years later.

Workday is pretty obvious one would think, and yes since the early 16th century that is what the word has implied. Yet prior to that, and from the pre-Norman era, it had the opposite meaning in being ‘a day when work was suspended’.

Why Do We Say That?

Following on from last week's look at sayings and phrases which I have been known to confuse others with, as promised an examination of the meaning and origins of some of the more unusual expressions in general use.

To describe anything with the prefix 'Dutch' is normally the opposite of the normal understanding. I had heard of a Dutch Treat where everyone pays for themselves (most often said as 'to go Dutch'), a Dutch Auction sees the price steadily decrease, and a Dutch bargain proves quite expensive. However the phrase Dutch Wife was new to me. According to certain sources it refers to a blow-up doll (yes those), while traditionally I found it used to liken Dutch females to the full-length bolsters once found in the beds of the Dutch Indies.

Welsh Rarebit is in the dictionary although more often pronounced as 'rabbit' today, 'rarebit' was supposed to represent Welsh pronunciation. It began as the somewhat unkind suggestion of how the Welsh were so poor the could not afford rabbit but were forced to substitute it with cheese. If you don't know what Welsh rarebit is, here's Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's recipe http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/perfectwelshrarebit_13772

White Elephant is a phrase used to mean something of little actual worth. This strange expression is held to date from a court of an Eastern potentate who, wishing to bring down a courtier who he had taken a particular dislike to, is said to have presented him with one of the court's white elephants. These great beasts were sacred and none would think of putting them to work. Hence it took not only a great deal of time and effort but also a considerable amount of money to keep them in the manner to which they were justly accustomed. While the elephant suffered not a jot, the courtier would soon be broke and on the streets.

Charlie's Dead was always one of my favourites if only because it seemed so few people (effectively women) understood what I was saying. The phrase "Charlie's dead' was a discreet way of informing the lass her slip or petticoat was hanging below the hem of her dress or skirt. What seems a rather contrived explanation was all I could find which stated it referred to the death of Charles II - ok there was one individual who thought it referred to the death of Communism but I'll leave you to add your own response to that drivel. Apparently the king had had so many mistresses when women heard of his death they flashed their petticoats to wave farewell.

Halcyon Days today refers to any period which is peaceful and particularly enjoyable. The original halcyon days applied to just 15 days, the day of the spring or venral equinox and the seven days both before and after same. It was held this was when the halcyon bird (an old name for the kingfisher) built its nest which was said to have floated on the sea. Hence the calmest seas were held to be found over this period of 15 days.

Gone To Pot describes something which has deteriorated. This dates back to the time when the village blacksmith would throw broken or poorly worked items of metal into a nearby pot kept specifically for the purpose. Eventually these would be melted down and reworked.

Tommy Atkins is the nickname applied to all British soldiers. This is due to official regulations by the British Army in 1815, when the specimen sheet showed the example of one Thomas Atkins.

Pews, Buttons and Balloons

On the odd occasion it has been said I use some really strange expressions. I suppose anything never heard elsewhere would qualify so I could see why they might be regarded as strange.

There are those I have picked up from others which, owing to my rapidly advancing years, might not have been heard by younger generations. One example being 'Pull up a pew' meaning 'take a seat' and one I'm sure I still hear others use but, or so I'm told, this is not the case. Another would be that meaning 'to go on ahead' with 'Lead on McDuff' surely a direct quote from Shakespeare's Macbeth. However if you consult Act 5, Scene 8 the three words are 'Lay on, Macduff', a completely different meaning urging the man in question to attack with yet greater fury.

There are also those which I would never claim to have invented but which I have never seen or heard anyone else use (apart from my daughter who has clearly picked it up from me). I have no idea when it was first used but it dates from the days of coin-operated telephones when it was necessary to put the money in before making the call. If the call was answered the caller pressed button A to pay for the call and be heard the other end, if there was no answer by pushing button B the coins were returned. For as long as I remember any mention of pushing a button - at pedestrian crossings, for example - has been said as 'Push button B' to which my daughter will respond '...and get your money back' despite the fact she has never encountered those old pay phones - indeed she would be unlikely to view those huge lumps of plated metal as buttons.

There is also 'What balloon?' an expression which I do know is unique and am fully aware of how it started. It is 1980 (or thereabouts) and I was gainfully employed in the offices of a light engineering company. The afternoon in question was rather slow and the occupants of those desks nearby were passing the time of day by arguing their case as to why they shouldn't be the one to be thrown out of the basket below this balloon in order to save the lives of the others. Basically a plea as to why others are more expendable. A number of equally implausible reasons had been offered - I particularly remember "I am a Birmingham City supporter and have therefore suffered enough" (no it wasn't me) - when we asked P for her offering. Perhaps we should have realised P had not been paying any attention to our gibberish when she asked us to explain further (not exactly what she said but it was the general meaning). So we explained again - all of us in a basket beneath a balloon, balloon is sinking, too heavy, throw one out, why shouldn't it be you, sort of thing - and the answer was a look of utter bewilderment and the classic response "What balloon?". Now I realise this is no longer particularly amusing (you had to be there) but having been there it was highly amusing. Since that time I have related the story on many, many occasions and so "What balloon?" has become the term used to describe a perplexed expression.

All this made me wonder where other expressions come from so I shall look at a few examples in thenext post. If there are any you would like to see explained drop me a line and I'll do my best to oblige - never could resist a challenge.