Idiom of the day: The pot calling the kettle black.
Meaning: Don’t criticize another person for a fault that you have yourself.
Example: You are accusing me of being lazy? Ha! That’s the pot calling the kettle black!
Origin: In the seventeenth century, both pots and kettles turned black because they were used over open fires.
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“Give someone the cold shoulder” means “to be unfriendly to someone”.
Example: I think you should stop giving Jeff the cold shoulder. I know he upset you but he’s really sorry and he wants to be your friend again.
Origin: This idiom originated in the early 1800s. It is said that welcome visitors to a house were served a hot meal but someone who was not welcome was given a cold shoulder of whatever meat was being eaten. The shoulder was known to be the coldest and toughest part of the animal and a much inferior meal.
“Wolf in sheep’s clothing” is a dangerous person pretending to be harmless.
Example: Dan was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, pretending to help but all the while spying for our competitors.
Origin: The meaning of this idiom relies on the idea that a sheep is a docile sweet creature, whereas a wolf is a sly, vicious animal who likes to attack and eat vulnerable animals such as sheep or lambs (their young). This idiom has been used for thousands of years, perhaps since the 5th or 6th Century BC, when Aesop wrote his fable entitled Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing. The fable told the story of a wolf who disguised himself in a sheep skin in order to trick the shepherd and remain in the sheep pasture until darkness, when he planned to feast on the other sheep in the field. The symbolism of a wolf pretending to be a sheep also appears in the Bible in the book of Matthew. It is written “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening (hungry) wolves”.
“Straight and narrow” means “to behave in an honest and correct way”.
Example: He was released from prison two years ago and he’s been on the straight and narrow ever since.
Origin: This idiom originated from the Bible and describes the path to heaven. Matthew 7:14: “Broad is the way that is the path of destruction but narrow is the gate and straight is the way which leadeth to the house of God.”
“Bob’s your uncle” means “that’s it, it’s as simple as that”.
Example: You want to go to the stadium? Go straight on until you reach the park, take the first left and Bob’s your uncle!
Origin: The actual origin of this idiom is unknown but most people believe that it came from England in the 1880s. The Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury, appointed his nephew Arthur Balfour to the post of Chief Secretary for Ireland. Balfour was an unpopular man so most people were very surprised and thought that the only reason he was appointed was because his uncle was the Prime Minister. Lord Salisbury’s actual name was Robert and a nickname for Robert is ‘Bob’. Therefore, the phrase ‘Bob’s your uncle’ was created to mean ‘success is guaranteed’.
“Wolf in sheep’s clothing” is a dangerous person pretending to be harmless.
Example: Dan was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, pretending to help but all the while spying for our competitors.
Origin: The meaning of this idiom relies on the idea that a sheep is a docile sweet creature, whereas a wolf is a sly, vicious animal who likes to attack and eat vulnerable animals such as sheep or lambs (their young). This idiom has been used for thousands of years, perhaps since the 5th or 6th Century BC, when Aesop wrote his fable entitled Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing. The fable told the story of a wolf who disguised himself in a sheep skin in order to trick the shepherd and remain in the sheep pasture until darkness, when he planned to feast on the other sheep in the field. The symbolism of a wolf pretending to be a sheep also appears in the Bible in the book of Matthew. It is written “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening (hungry) wolves”.
“Butter someone up” means “to flatter or be nice to someone in order to get something from them”.
Example: I’ve stopped answering my phone when Jenny calls me. She always butters me up with lots of compliments and then asks for a big favour.
Origin: There are two possible origins of this idiom. Many people believe that it comes from actually spreading smooth, creamy butter on a slice of bread which can be compared to ‘spreading’ nice words on a person. Others believe that it originated in ancient India where they used to throw balls of butter at statues of gods to ask for a favour.
“Get the sack” means “to be told to leave your job”.
Example: He got the sack when they found out that he’d lied about his qualifications.
Origin: This idiom comes from the time when workers carried all their belongings and tools around in a sack. When they started a new job, they would put their sack in a safe place in the building (usually the boss’ office) and they would collect it themselves at the end of the day. However, if the boss was not happy with someone’s work, he would literally ‘give him the sack’ and the worker would need to look for a new job.
“Wild-goose chase” is an unsuccessful search for something that does not exist or is somewhere else.
Example: I went on a wild-goose chase looking for John before I realised he was in a different shopping centre!
Origin: It seems easy to imagine how this idiom originated because trying to chase a wild goose would almost always be unsuccessful. However, the actual origins are very different. In the 1500s, there was a popular type of horse race where riders had to follow a lead rider through an unpredictable course. This reminded many people of flying geese in formation following (or chasing) a leader, so the sport was called ‘a wild-goose chase’.
“Like a bat out of hell” = very fast.
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Example: He ran out of the building like a bat out of hell.
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Example: If there were a fire, I wouldn’t try to save any possessions. I’d be off like a bat out of hell!
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