Antiquated Phrases

During 1800s carnivals, cigars served as prizes for winning games. The updated saying is, "Close, but no stuffed teddy bear."

Working extra hard or late meant burning lamp oil at midnight before electricity or candles existed.

Mid-1800s circuses paraded through towns with bandwagons. Politicians rented space on these wagons to meet crowds. Later, politicians warned against jumping on the opponent's bandwagon; the phrase meant mindlessly following what became popular.

Passengers or drivers call adjusting a car window "rolling" it. This comes from before power windows, when someone physically cranked a lever in the door to move the window.

Before cars, owning a horse showed status. Nobility and high-ranking military men owned them. To "get off your high horse" meant literally dismounting to humble yourself. Today, it suggests someone acts superior, often morally.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, hat-makers often developed cognitive issues from mercury poisoning, a side effect of making felt hats. The famous Mad Hatter ofAlice in WonderlandIt is also a play on this phenomenon.

This idiom is ancient, starting in 77 A.D., though it gained modern use around the 17th century. A grain of salt aided digestion and acted as a poison antidote, so the phrase was literal for hundreds of years. Figuratively, do not accept everything at face value; use your judgment to find the truth.

The passage where this originated comes fromPliny’sNaturalis Historia:

Dressed to the nines meant you had enough money to buy every inch of fabric needed for a tailor-fit outfit, including a vest or jacket. People still use it today to mean someone is dressed in their best.

Disgraced military officers left their regiments in Great Britain and the early American colonial era upon discharge. Today, this means we must face the results of our mistakes.

Before copying machines, copies involved sliding carbon paper between an original and blank paper. Though ink-soaked intermediary paper is obsolete, this phrase still means "an exact copy." If you ask what "cc" means in emails, this is it.

In 18th-century social clubs, a committee voted on membership. Members cast anonymous votes using colored balls. A red ball meant a yes vote for membership; a black ball meant no. Some clubs rejected an applicant with just one black ball vote. Being blackballed meant the vote rejected you and denied membership.

In the 1800s, people dropped a hat to start a race instead of firing a gun.

The phrase "pulling out all the stops" means applying your best effort. This came from organists pulling every stop on an organ pipe to play at maximum volume.

Buying a horse cost a lot. Without knowing where to look, you could easily get tricked. A horse's teeth showed you the horse's age, health, and condition. So, the horse's mouth told you the truth. Today, "to hear it from the horse's mouth" means you get the truth from a solid source.

When bowing to nobility, a gentleman physically put his best foot forward, extending his leg for the bow.

Businessmen tracked debts and interest by carving notches on a tally stick during the 18th century. Paying off a debt before the next notch was carved saved that day's interest, so they arrived in the nick of time.

Soldiers bit down on a bullet during surgery when no painkillers existed in makeshift tents. Now, biting the bullet means enduring something unpleasant but necessary.