Do You Know These Expressions Your Ancestors Used? (Part 5)

Introduction: In this article (Part 5), Jessica Edwards continues her discussion of the meanings and origins of idioms (figurative phrases) that our ancestors used – including some from the Bible. Jessica has had a lifelong interest in her family’s history – especially on her father’s side, which goes back to the first settlers in Pennsylvania, Jamestown and New England – and has documented and added more than 21,000 people to her family tree!

Idioms (figurative phrases) have been used throughout the centuries and may appear in what was said or written by our ancestors. Understanding these expressions will help you better understand what your ancestors were saying – and finding out the history of these sayings can be quite entertaining!

I hope you enjoy this series, and perhaps it will allow you to better understand what your ancestors may have meant in their letters and diaries, or in newspaper articles written about them – as well as increase your knowledge and vocabulary.

Today I’m going to discuss some more idioms, including a selection of phrases that trace to the Bible (unless otherwise noted, I am using the King James Version when referring to the place the idiom can be found).

• Devil’s advocate: used to describe someone presenting the other side of an argument (whether you believe that way or not). This idiom has an interesting origin. When the Roman Catholic Church canonized someone (declared them a saint after they died), an official – called the “devil’s advocate” – was appointed to argue against the canonization, as part of the process to ensure the candidate was worthy.

• Proof is in the pudding: comes from the British saying, “the proof of the pudding is in the eating,” which has existed for several hundred years to imply that success is measured by the results.

• Right as rain: something that is perfect. Since the Middle Ages there have been many similar idioms to this (i.e., “Right as a book,” “Right as a nail,” etc.) which were to indicate something being solid and true. In the 1800s this particular phrasing, “right as rain,” became the standard, possibly because of alliteration.

• Throw caution to the wind: you are being reckless or you are taking a risk. Based on the idiom “to the winds,” which has been used since the 1600s to mean “to be utterly lost.” Later, during the mid-1800s, “throw to the winds” was used to mean “cast away completely” or “utterly disregard.” The full idiom, “throw caution to the wind,” has been used since the early 1900s.

• What the Dickens! used to show surprise, this idiom does not refer to the author Charles Dickens – but rather, it refers to the Devil, or the similar term of devilkin or diabolical imp (the little dickens).

Here are some idioms that have come from the Bible.

• A leopard can’t change its spots: trying to get the idea across that people don’t change what they do or who they are. From Jeremiah 13:23: “Can an Ethiopian change his skin or a leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.”

• As you sow so shall you reap: says that the consequences of your actions will catch up with you. Found in Galatians VI.

• Asking for someone’s hand in marriage: originally, this was concerned with two types of negotiations: 1) how much of a dowry the bride brings into the marriage, or 2) what the bride’s father might get out of the marriage. It was referred to in several places in the Bible (such as when Jacob wanted to marry Rachel, his prospective father-in-law asked for him to provide seven years of service to him). Saul asked this of David as well. It was part of ancient Roman culture.

• Does something by the skin of their teeth: this means just barely make it. This idiom can be traced back to when the Geneva Bible was first printed in 1560. It was found in Job 19:20, which provides a literal translation of the original Hebrew: “I haue escaped with the skinne of my tethe.”

• Have the best of both worlds: means that the choice or solution has all of the advantages of two contrasting things at the same time. It is believed to have come from a Bible reference that someone who does good deeds in the name of God and helps others is going to be received in Heaven. Such a person is getting the “best of both worlds”: the earthly world and the spiritual world.

• Labor of love: doing a difficult task because you love someone or something. This is found in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 and Hebrews 6:10. The original King James Version uses the English spelling of “labour,” but the New King James and other modern translations use the American spelling of “labor.”

• Seeing eye to eye with someone: means you have found grounds to agree upon. Usage was recorded in the Bible centuries ago (probably around c. 1600) when the idiom was used in a biblical passage in Isaiah, chapter 52, verse 8 of the King James Version, when Prophet Isaiah prophesied that “when the Lord is seen as one true God.”

• Wash my hands of this: One passage in the Bible that is cited often when you want to show that you’re abandoning a problem or responsibility is from Matthew 27:24, where during Jesus’ trial the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, saw that he could not save Jesus and “washed his hands before the multitude, saying I am innocent of the blood of this just person.”

More to come!

Note on the header image: “Genealogy” logo designed and copyrighted by Mary Harrell-Sesniak.

Related Articles:

• ‘Curiosity Killed the Cat’ or What Your Ancestor Really Meant
• Genealogy Tip: Idioms through the Ages
• Do You Know These Expressions Your Ancestors Used? (Part 1)
• Do You Know These Expressions Your Ancestors Used? (Part 2)
• Do You Know These Expressions Your Ancestors Used? (Part 3)
• Do You Know These Expressions Your Ancestors Used? (Part 4)