Back to Square One

MEANING: to start again; back to the beginning

IN CONTEXT: Our planning decision was overturned, so it’s back to square one for the entire project.

Back to square one began in the 1930s when the BBC in Britain began broadcasting soccer matches on the radio. The Radio Times, which was the BBC’s listings magazine, published a numbered grid system which symbolically divided the playing field into eight rectangles. This allowed commentators to describe to listeners exactly where the ball was at any given time, allowing the listeners to follow the game without seeing it. Square one was at the goalkeeper, so whenever the ball was passed back to him and the play was about to resume, it was referred to as being back to square one.

Keeping Up with the Joneses

MEANING: striving to match one’s neighbors in terms of possessions and wealth

IN CONTEXT: Evan didn’t really need a new car but he bought one to keep up with the Joneses.

Keeping up with the Joneses originated from a popular comic strip of that name that was published in the New York Globe. Keeping Up with the Joneses began in 1913 and ran for twenty-eight years, bolstered by a 1915 cartoon film adaptation that played in cinemas throughout America. It was written by Arthur “Pop” Momand, and chronicled his experiences of living in suburbia. Jones was a common surname at the time and was meant as a generic term for “the neighbors.” Years later, Momand wrote: “We had been living way beyond our means in our endeavor to keep up with the well-to-do class. I also noticed that most of our friends were doing the same. I decided it would make good comic-strip material. At first I thought of calling it Keeping Up with the Smiths, but in the end decided ‘Jones’ was more euphonious.”

Ham It Up

MEANING: to show expressions or emotions more obviously than is realistic

IN CONTEXT: Johnny was really hamming it up when he told the story to his grandmother.

While there are a number of competing theories, it is widely accepted that ham it up derives from the world of theater in the 1800s. At that time, black and white minstrel shows were performed around America. These entertainers would sing a popular song called “The Hamfat Man,” about low-paid and inept actors who had to use ham fat to remove their makeup after a show. From this, any bad acting became known as hamming it up. A similar theory is that the expression came from the 19th century actor Hamish McCulloch, who was known as “Ham.” He led a touring troupe of actors around America who were said to give very poor performances.

Soap Opera

MEANING: a television serial drama; a real-life situation resembling one that might occur in a soap opera

IN CONTEXT: She’s always talking about the boyfriends who’ve broken up with her. It’s like one long soap opera.

Soap opera began in 1920s America. Amos ‘n’ Andy was a popular weekly radio show at the time, and one of the earliest comedy series. The show was for family listening, and was broadcast during prime time. Proctor and Gamble, a prominent soap manufacturer, saw the opportunity to obtain widespread exposure and began advertising their products during the breaks in the show. They then went on to sponsor the program. A trend soon developed, and other soap manufacturers began sponsoring similar shows. As a result, these serial shows were being called soap operas by the late 1930s.

Blonde Bombshell

MEANING: a glamorous woman with blonde hair, often a film actress

IN CONTEXT: That new girl in the mail room is a real blonde bombshell and has everyone talking about her.

The expression blonde bombshell originated in Hollywood in the 1930s. Jean Harlow was a highly popular, platinum-blonde American film actress and sex symbol at the time. In 1933 she was the lead in the Hollywood film Bombshell. The key advertising line for the film was “Lovely, luscious, exotic Jean Harlow as the Blonde Bombshell of filmdom.” The term was later used to refer to other actresses, including Marlene Dietrich, Brigitte Bardot, Jayne Mansfield, and most notably, Marilyn Monroe. By the 1950s, the term had largely replaced “femme fatale” as a means of referring to the lead female role in a film.

Fit as a Fiddle

MEANING: fit and in very good health

IN CONTEXT: Frank’s been training all summer and he’s as fit as a fiddle.

Fit as a fiddle is a shortened version of the original saying “fit as a fiddler.” A fiddle is the colloquial name for a violin. In medieval times in England, fiddlers would play energetic street performances to throngs of people. They would dance and weave through the crowd as they played. The best performers were physically fit and agile, hence the expression. Just why and when the saying was contracted is not known.

In the Limelight

MEANING: at the center of attention

IN CONTEXT: Ellen loves attention. She’s always putting herself in the limelight.

In the limelight has its origins in the theater. When calcium oxide, more commonly known as lime, is heated, it produces an intense white light. This process was first used to effect by Thomas Drummond in the 1820s. He was a Scottish army engineer who used heated lime as an aid in map making because the bright light was visible at a distance. The technique was then adopted in theaters to illuminate the stage, and was first used in Covent Garden in London in 1837. The actors who were the center of attention on the stage were said to be standing in the limelight. This saying now applies to anyone who is the focus of attention.

Steal Your Thunder

MEANING: when someone takes credit for something you did

IN CONTEXT: I’d made the meal from scratch but Jan really stole my thunder when she served it to the guests.

Steal your thunder has its beginnings in the theater. In 1704 a literary critic and playwright named John Dennis had his play Appius and Virginia produced at the Drury Lane Theater in London. For the show, he invented a novel method for creating the sound effect for thunder—he hit large tin sheets together back stage. While the audience loved the realistic sound effect, the play flopped and was replaced by Macbeth. When that production used his technique for simulating thunder, Dennis was enraged and was reported to have said, “How these rascals use me. They will not have my play and yet they steal my thunder.”

Break a Leg

MEANING: used to wish someone, such as an actor, success in a performance, especially on opening night

IN CONTEXT: It was Rob’s first night in the lead role, so everybody told him to break a leg.

Break a leg is said by some to be related to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth in 1865. This occurred at Ford’s Theater in Washington DC, and Booth, a renowned actor himself, broke his leg while jumping onto the stage to escape. It is generally accepted that this is not the origin and that the phrase came into existence well before then. When a successful theater performance is applauded by an audience, the cast of a play will return to the front of the stage. This can happen a number of times, the curtain rising and falling on each occasion. The actors are required to bow or curtsy each time, bending or “breaking” a leg as they do. And the more times this happens, the more likely it is that they will trip and actually break a leg.

Cut to the Chase

MEANING: get to the point

IN CONTEXT: Julie’s story was dragging on so I told her to cut to the chase.

Cut to the chase originated in the world of cinematography, specifically the silent films of the 1920s. In the early American film industry, many silent films had long-winded romantic story lines and ended in an exciting car chase sequence. A viewer who was bored and wanted to see the action might say cut to the chase, in a plea for the projectionist to jump forward to the dramatic scene. This has continued through to modern times, where movie executives sometimes ask for a film to be advanced to the key scene so that they can make a quick assessment of its prospects.

Pull Out All the Stops

MEANING: to make every possible effort

IN CONTEXT: Zoe had bought a new dress, shoes, and bag for the party. She really pulled out all the stops.

Pull out all the stops stems from the musical world. Church organs used knobs to control the air flow through the pipes. These knobs were known as stops. When the stops were in, the air flow was less and the music not very loud. If there were many people in the congregation and the music was needed to be heard at the back of the church, the organist would pull out all the stops, which would increase the volume.

It’s a Funny Old World

MEANING: indicating an acceptance of or resignation to a situation

IN CONTEXT: The postman arrived just after Ned had been to the post office to collect his mail. “It’s a funny old world,” he said to himself.

It’s a funny old world was first used in the 1934 comedy film You’re Telling Me! It starred W. C. Fields and at one point he says “It’s a funny old world—a man is lucky if he gets out alive.” The popularity of Fields quickly made the expression commonplace. It has been quoted ever since, notably by the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher after her decision to quit politics in November 1990. Alluding to the fact that she had never lost an election in her life yet had been forced to stand down, she said “It’s a funny old world, isn’t it?”

Put a Sock in It

MEANING: to tell someone to be quiet

IN CONTEXT: Max just kept yelling so I told him to put a sock in it.

Put a sock in it has its origins in the early days of radio broadcasts and sound recording. The equipment in the early 1900s was not very sophisticated, and the ability to control the volumes of the various instruments was limited. When orchestras were recorded in the studios, the horn sections were overpowering and completely drowned out the wind and string sections. To combat this and reduce their playing volume, horn players would stuff an actual sock into the mouth of their instrument. If he thought this damper necessary, a conductor would tell them to put a sock in it. By the 1920s the expression was being used colloquially.

Pleased as Punch

MEANING: delighted; very happy, sometimes in a smug way

IN CONTEXT: Joan got every answer in the quiz correct and was as pleased as punch about it.

Sometimes said using “proud,” pleased as punch began with the Punch and Judy puppet shows. The main character, Mr. Punch, is depicted as a wife-beating serial killer, who derives great sadistic pleasure from his evil deeds, exclaiming “That’s the way to do it!” whenever he dispatches another victim. The show began in Italy as Pulcinella, but soon became quintessentially English. Used in literature from as early as the 17th century, Charles Dickens refers to the expression in two of his books from the 1850s, David Copperfield and Hard Times.

Egg on Your Face

MEANING: a mistake, leaving one feeling foolish; to be embarrassed

IN CONTEXT: If you’re going to confront someone, you’d better get your facts straight or you could end up with egg on your face.

Some suggest that the expression egg on your face originated in America in the 1960s when the opponents of a political candidate would throw eggs at him to make him look foolish. But the real origin of the phrase began long before that, in the Victorian era of theater in the 1800s. In slapstick comedies at the time, actors made the “fall guy” of any production look foolish by breaking eggs on his forehead in an attempt to add humor to the spectacle.

Old Chestnut

MEANING: an old joke, story, or excuse that has been heard many times before

IN CONTEXT: Brendan said the dog ate his homework. What an old chestnut.

That old chestnut comes from the world of theater; in particular, it comes from William Diamond’s 1816 play The Broken Sword, which was staged in London’s Covent Garden. In the play, Captain Xavier keeps repeating the same joke about a cork tree, albeit with minor changes, to Pablo, one of the other characters. Tired of this, Pablo interrupts and says, “It’s a chestnut. I have heard you tell the joke twenty-seven times and I’m sure it was a chestnut.” The expression became well-known years later when the American actor William Warren played the part of Pablo. He was at a dinner party when one of the guests began to tell an old joke. Warren interrupted the joke and, with much amusement, said, “It’s an old chestnut, that’s what it is.”

In the Groove

MEANING: to function perfectly with little effort

IN CONTEXT: Glenn’s performance was one of the best I’ve seen. He was really in the groove.

In the groove stems from the early vinyl records. Records are made with a number of grooves cut into the material where the music is recorded. The record is played by a stylus, or needle, which must sit neatly in the groove to ensure good sound quality. If a stylus is worn, making its tip too wide, it will not sit in the groove and the sound will become distorted. Equally, if the record is scratched, the stylus may slip out of the groove and the record won’t play. The phrase took on its idiomatic qualities with the arrival of jazz in the 1920s. The free-spirited nature of jazz bands and the way the band members skillfully played in with each other led people to describe them as in the groove.

Life of Reilly

MEANING: an easy and pleasant life, without having to work hard

IN CONTEXT: Josh had saved up a lot of money, so he took the rest of the year off and lived the life of Reilly.

Living the life of Reilly (sometimes spelled “Riley”) is an expression with musical origins. Pat Rooney was an Irish-American singer who had a popular song in the 1880s called “Is That Mr. Reilly?” It told the story of a character who claimed to be on the verge of being rich and was always describing the easy life he would lead if he came into money. However, it is generally thought that the phrase was brought to the wider public in a 1919 song written by Howard Pease called “My Name Is Kelly.” In reference to the earlier song, the lyrics of My Name Is Kelly included, “Faith and my name is Kelly, Michael Kelly, but I’m living the life of Reilly just the same.”

Sixty-Four Dollar Question

MEANING: a crucial question or issue

IN CONTEXT: Who will be the next president? That’s the sixty-four dollar question.

The sixty-four dollar question began in American with the 1940s radio quiz show Take It Or Leave It. It ran from 1940 to 1947 and involved contestants answering increasingly difficult questions. After answering a question correctly, the contestant had the choice to either take the money being offered, or leave it and have a go at the next higher valued question. The first question was worth one dollar, and the value progressively doubled up to the seventh and final question, which was worth sixty-four dollars. The expression entered popular use in 1955 when the radio show moved to a more lucrative television program and became The 64 Thousand Dollar Question.

Put the Dampers On

MEANING: to make something less enjoyable; reduce the enthusiasm for something

IN CONTEXT: The torrential rain really put a damper on the outdoor Christmas party.

Put the dampers on has its origins in music. A damper is a device used on piano strings. It is operated by a foot peddle and presses against the strings. This reduces the sound of the piano. When the conductor instructed the orchestra to put the dampers on, he wanted to tone down the volume of the performance. This phrase is often mistakenly said using “dampener,” probably because of the notion of water dampening out a fire.