Common Phrases: Do You Know What They Originally Meant?

Question 1

What Does “Piece of Cake” Really Mean?

Question 1

What Does Under The Weather Mean?

Question 1

What Does Break A Leg Mean?

Question 1

What Does Bite The Bullet Mean?

Question 1

What Does Rule Of Thumb Mean?

Question 1

What Does Spill The Beans Mean?

Question 1

What Does Let The Cat Out Of The Bag Mean?

Question 1

What Does Barking Up The Wrong Tree Mean?

Question 1

What Does Cold Shoulder Mean?

Question 1

What Does Bury The Hatchet Mean?

Question 1

What Does Pulling Someone's Leg Mean?

Question 1

What Does Break The Ice Mean?

Question 1

What Does Burn The Midnight Oil Mean?

Question 1

What Does Kick The Bucket Mean?

Question 1

What Does Cost An Arm And A Leg Mean?

Question 1

What Does Turn A Blind Eye Mean?

Question 1

What Does Beat Around The Bush Mean?

Question 1

What Does Crocodile Tears Mean?

Question 1

What Does Rub Someone The Wrong Way Mean?

Question 1

What Does Being In The Limelight Mean?

Question 1

What Does Go The Whole Nine Yards Mean?

Question 1

What Does Caught Red Handed Mean?

Question 1

What Does Put Your Best Foot Forward Mean?

Question 1

What Does Saved By The Bell Mean?

Question 1

What Does Hold Your Horses Mean?

Question 1

What Does Read Between The Lines Mean?

Question 1

What Does Straight From The Horse's Mouth Mean?

Question 1

What Does Being On Cloud Nine Mean?

Question 1

What Does Play It By Ear Mean?

Question 1

What Does Apple Of My Eye Mean?

Question 1

What Does At Loggerheads Mean?

Question 1

What Does Baker's Dozen Mean?

Question 1

What Does Mad As A Hatter Mean?

Question 1

What Does Bite Off More Than You Can Chew Mean?

Question 1

What Does Give Someone Cold Feet Mean?

Question 1

What Does Under Someone's Thumb Mean?

Question 1

What Does Once In A Blue Moon Mean?

Question 1

What Does Let Your Hair Down Mean?

Question 1

What Does Pull Out All The Stops Mean?

Question 1

What Does Chew The Fat Mean?

Question 1

What Does In The Doghouse Mean?

Question 1

What Does Fly Off The Handle Mean?

Question 1

What Does Pass The Buck Mean?

Question 1

What Does Cut To The Chase Mean?

Question 1

What Does Pay Through The Nose Mean?

Question 1

What Does Riding Shotgun Mean?

Question 1

What Does Between A Rock And A Hard Place Mean?

Question 1

What Does Sleep Tight Mean?

Question 1

What Does Bring Home The Bacon Mean?

Question 1

What Does Face The Music Mean?

1

A Hard Workday

2

A Small Error

3

Something Very Easy To Do

4

A Delicious Dessert

This expression likely originated from the nineteenth century when cakes were prizes for winning simple competitions or walks.

1

Watching The Clouds

2

Feeling Sick Or Unwell

3

Wearing A Jacket

4

Standing In Rain

This maritime term refers to sailors who felt ill from the motion of the ship and went below.

1

Falling Down Stairs

2

Wishing Someone Good Luck

3

Dancing Very Badly

4

Expecting An Injury

This theatrical superstition suggests that wishing for good luck would actually cause bad luck so people say the opposite.

1

Starting A Fight

2

Eating Very Quickly

3

Enduring Pain With Bravery

4

Buying Some Ammo

Before anesthesia was common patients would bite on a bullet to help them cope with the pain every day.

1

A Way To Garden

2

A Writing Technique

3

A General Practical Rule

4

A Carpentry Method

This term likely refers to tradesmen who used the width of their thumb as a rough and practical measurement.

1

To Cook A Meal

2

To Drop Your Food

3

To Reveal A Secret

4

To Buy Some Seeds

Ancient Greeks used beans to vote in secret and spilling them would reveal the results of the election early.

1

Freeing A House Pet

2

Starting A Quiet Fight

3

Going To The Store

4

Revealing A Secret Accidentally

In the past dishonest merchants might substitute a cat for a piglet in a bag to cheat their customers.

1

Searching For Keys

2

Training A New Dog

3

Following A False Lead

4

Climbing A Tall Oak

This phrase comes from hunting dogs that would bark at the base of a tree after their prey escaped.

1

To Need A Jacket

2

To Intentionally Ignore Someone

3

To Be Very Friendly

4

To Have A Sore Joint

Hosts would serve a cold cut of meat from a mutton shoulder to unwanted guests to signal their departure.

1

Building A New House

2

Hiding A Useful Tool

3

Digging A Deep Hole

4

Making Peace Between People

Native American tribes would literally bury their weapons to symbolize a peaceful agreement between formerly warring groups or nations.

1

To Stretch Before Play

2

To Trip A Friend

3

To Help Someone Walk

4

To Tease Or Joke

This phrase may have originated from street thieves who would trip people to rob them during the Victorian era.

1

Going Ice Skating Today

2

Starting A Social Conversation

3

Chilling A Cold Drink

4

Cutting Through Frozen Water

Icebreaker ships used to clear paths through frozen water allowing trade vessels to pass and engage in commerce safely.

1

Lighting A Large Fire

2

Working Late Into Night

3

Cooking A Late Dinner

4

Wasting Expensive Fuel

Before electricity people had to use oil lamps to see while working or studying long after the sun set.

1

To Play A Game

2

To Clean The Floor

3

To Pass Away Quietly

4

To Be Very Angry

This term may refer to the bucket or frame used to hang slaughtered animals which would kick during processing.

1

To Lose A Limb

2

Something Is Very Expensive

3

To Get A Tattoo

4

To Win The Lottery

This phrase likely refers to the high cost of portraits where including limbs in the painting cost significantly more.

1

To Ignore Something Purposely

2

To Look Away Fast

3

To Close One Eye

4

To Need New Glasses

Admiral Horatio Nelson supposedly held his telescope to his blind eye to avoid seeing a signal to retreat every day.

1

Avoiding The Main Point

2

Going For A Hike

3

Cleaning Up The Garden

4

Hunting For Wild Birds

Hunters would hire beaters to flush out birds from bushes instead of going directly into the thick brush every day.

1

Being Very Scared Today

2

Showing Insincere Sorrow Now

3

Having Very Dry Eyes

4

Crying Very Loudly Indeed

Ancient myths claimed that crocodiles would weep while eating their prey to lure in more victims with false sympathy.

1

To Walk Past Someone

2

To Give A Massage

3

To Annoy Someone Slightly

4

To Clean A Surface

This phrase comes from colonial times when servants would rub wood floors against the grain which caused unsightly scratches.

1

Painting A Bright Room

2

Being Center Of Attention

3

Eating Sour Green Fruit

4

Working In A Garden

Early stage lighting used a chemical reaction involving lime to create a bright white light for the lead performers.

1

Buying Nine Small Items

2

Giving A Complete Effort

3

Running A Long Race

4

Measuring Some Fabric Length

The origin is debated but it may refer to the length of ammunition belts used in World War II every day.

1

Caught Committing A Crime

2

Feeling Very Cold Outside

3

Having Painted Your Hands

4

Wearing Bright Red Gloves

This old legal term referred to a person found with the blood of a poached animal still on hands.

1

Make A Good Impression

2

Wearing Fancy New Shoes

3

Walking Very Quickly Now

4

Starting A Fast Race

This phrase likely relates to the importance of showing off a well-shaped leg when wearing tights in earlier centuries.

1

Hearing A Morning Alarm

2

Rescued From Bad Situations

3

Ending A Long School Day

4

Winning A Boxing Match

This phrase may refer to safety coffins that had a bell for people accidentally buried alive to signal help.

1

Winning A Horse Race

2

Riding A Small Pony

3

Feeding The Farm Animals

4

Waiting And Being Patient

This expression was a literal command to drivers of horse-drawn carriages to slow down or stop the animals immediately.

1

Using A Book Marker

2

Highlighting Important Text Today

3

Reading Very Slowly Now

4

Finding A Hidden Meaning

In the past people would use invisible ink to write secret messages between the lines of a standard letter.

1

Talking To An Animal

2

Getting Info From Source

3

Having Some Bad Breath

4

Feeding A Large Horse

Horse buyers would look at a horse's teeth to determine its age and health directly rather than trusting sellers.

1

Flying In A Plane

2

Being Very Confused Today

3

Being Extremely Happy Now

4

Sleeping For Many Hours

The International Cloud Atlas once classified the cumulonimbus cloud as the highest and most impressive of the cloud types.

1

Listening To Good Music

2

Learning A New Instrument

3

Acting Without Fixed Plans

4

Having Very Great Hearing

This phrase originally referred to musicians who could play a piece of music simply by listening to it once.

1

A Vision Problem Today

2

Having Very Green Eyes

3

A Favorite Red Fruit

4

Someone Cherished Above All

Ancient people believed the pupil of the eye was a solid object shaped like an apple and was precious.

1

Cutting Down Many Trees

2

Being Deeply Asleep Now

3

Being In Strong Disagreement

4

Playing A New Game

A loggerhead was a heavy iron tool used for heating pitch which could be used as a weapon every day.

1

Twelve Fresh Bread Buns

2

Learning How To Bake

3

A Group Of Thirteen

4

Buying One Large Cake

Medieval English bakers added an extra loaf to a dozen to avoid being fined for selling underweight bread products.

1

Being Late For Tea

2

Being Very Angry Today

3

Being Completely Crazy Now

4

Wearing A Funny Hat

Hat makers often suffered from mercury poisoning which caused tremors and erratic behavior that looked like madness to others.

1

Taking On Too Much

2

Buying Expensive Food Today

3

Eating A Large Meal

4

Being Very Hungry Now

This expression comes from the practice of taking a large plug of chewing tobacco that was too big every day.

1

Going Ice Skating Today

2

Needing Some Warm Socks

3

Becoming Nervous About Events

4

Sitting In Cold Snow

The origin might relate to a military term where soldiers with frozen feet were unable to fight in battle.

1

Learning A New Skill

2

Being Very Small Today

3

Being Controlled By Others

4

Helping A Friend Out

This phrase likely refers to the power of a master or ruler who could control others with simple gestures.

1

Something That Happens Rarely

2

Painting The Moon Blue

3

A Rainy Evening Sky

4

A Full Moon Night

A blue moon is the second full moon in a single calendar month which is a relatively rare event.

1

Brushing Your Long Hair

2

Getting A Short Haircut

3

Wearing A New Hat

4

To Relax And Behave

In the past women were expected to wear their hair up in public and only let it down home.

1

Opening All The Doors

2

Using Every Possible Effort

3

Finishing A Hard Project

4

Stopping A Large Machine

This phrase comes from playing a pipe organ where pulling out the stops allows air to flow through pipes.

1

Cooking A Tasty Meal

2

Having A Friendly Chat

3

Being Very Angry Now

4

Eating Meat Very Slowly

Sailors would often chew on hard salted pork fat while they spent hours talking to pass the time sea.

1

Building A Small Shed

2

In Trouble With Someone

3

Owning A New Pet

4

Sleeping Outside Today Now

This phrase implies being sent away to the dog's kennel as a punishment for making someone very angry today.

1

Becoming Suddenly Very Angry

2

Going For A Drive

3

Flying In A Plane

4

Breaking A Useful Tool

This refers to the head of an axe flying off the handle unexpectedly when the wood had dried out.

1

Hunting For Wild Deer

2

Winning A Card Game

3

Shifting Responsibility To Others

4

Giving Someone Some Money

In poker games a knife with a buckhorn handle was used as a marker to show whose turn every day.

1

Starting A New Race

2

Getting To Important Parts

3

Running After Someone Now

4

Stopping A Movie Early

This phrase originated from early silent films where the exciting chase scene was the part the audience enjoyed most.

1

Paying An Excessive Amount

2

Buying A New Perfume

3

Smelling Something Very Good

4

Having A Bad Nosebleed

A ninth-century Danish tax involved slitting the noses of those who failed to pay their dues to the government.

1

Driving A Large Truck

2

Sitting In Front Seat

3

Carrying A Heavy Load

4

Going On A Hunt

In the Wild West the person sitting next to the stagecoach driver carried a shotgun to protect against bandits.

1

Going Mountain Climbing Now

2

Finding A Large Stone

3

Being Stuck In Caves

4

Facing Two Difficult Choices

This phrase likely refers to being trapped by a difficult situation with no easy or pleasant way to escape.

1

Wearing Tight Pajamas Now

2

Tying Your Bed Down

3

Sleeping Soundly And Well

4

Sleeping Very Quickly Today

In the past mattresses were supported by ropes that needed to be pulled tight to keep the bed comfortable.

1

Winning A Pig Race

2

Earning Money For Family

3

Going Grocery Shopping Now

4

Cooking A Large Breakfast

This phrase may come from the Dunmow Flitch competition where couples were rewarded with a side of bacon annually.

1

Accepting Consequences Of Actions

2

Singing Very Loudly Today

3

Going To A Concert

4

Playing A New Instrument

This phrase likely refers to a disgraced soldier being drummed out of his regiment to the sound of music.

1 / 50

Players who played this quiz:

+

Faster than you:

Wow! You're faster than % of players

Smarter than you:

Amazing! You're smarter than % of players

"Blood is thicker than water" actually means the exact opposite of how people use it today. Seriously. If you love a good "did you know" fact, this quiz is for you. Discover the real stories behind the phrases we love!

About us

At Paddling, we offer an engaging and interactive way to challenge your knowledge across pop culture, entertainment, history, sports, and more. Our trivia quizzes are crafted to entertain and educate, providing a fun learning experience that's accessible from anywhere. With a diverse selection of topics, you're bound to discover something that sparks your interest.