Son of a gun

SAY WHAT?
A derogitory term, sometimes used as a suggestion of toughness. Rogue or scamp.

Origin
After sailors had crossed the Atlantic to the West Indies, they would take the native women on board the ship and have their way with them in between the cannons. Some of the women the sailors left behind would have boys, who were called sons between the guns.

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Alibi

Say What?
The plea or mode of defense under which a person on trial for a crime proves or attempts to prove that he was in another place when the alleged act was committed; as, to set up an alibi; to prove an alibi.

Meaning.
Latin, meaning elsewhere

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Mafia

Say What?
Mafia
From Wikipedia

The Mafia, also referred to in Italian as Cosa Nostra ("Our Thing" or "This Thing of Ours"), is a secret society formed in the mid-19th century in Sicily. An offshoot emerged on the East Coast of the United States during the late 19th century following waves of Italian immigration to that country.

The Mafia's power in the United States peaked in the mid-20th century, until a series of FBI investigations in the 1970s and 1980s reduced the Mafia's influence. Despite its decline the Mafia continues to be the most dominant criminal organization operating in the U.S. and uses this status to maintain control over much of both Chicago's and New York City's organized criminal activity. The Mafia and its reputation have become entrenched in American popular culture, portrayed in movies, TV shows, and even commercial advertising.

Actual Meaning in Itallian
Beauty, Excellence, Bravery

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Dork

Say What?
Dork

Meaning
Slang for Penis or a dirrivitiave of Dirk. Sometimes a whales penis.
To mean stupid or obnoxious person 1967.

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Keep a stiff upper lip

Say What?
Stay calm, resolute and non emotional.

Meaning
When someone gets upset, his or her lips might tremble. If you keep a stiff upper lip, you are trying not to show you are upset. This expression dates back to the 1800s, but it is still used today. Similar to "keep your chin up" and "keep your pecker up".

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Famous Names: Lushington

Dr. Thomas Lushington

A heavy drinking Englishman in the late 1600's. So known for his heavy drinking a pub was named after him "City of Lushington" 200 years after he died. The patrons of the club were conscidered "lushes" or "lush"

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Proverbs

Famous Names: Cadillac

Atoine de la Mothe Cadillac

A french explorer, who happens to have founded

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Proverbs

Famous Names: Lynch

Captain William Lynch

A Farmer during the Revolutionary war organized groups of people later called "Lynch Mobs" of local townsfolks to provide justice to local British collaborators. Sometimes resulting in a hanging or "Lynching" a non trial form of justice.

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Proverbs

Quid pro quo

Say What?
Something given in return for a item of equivalent value - like tit for tat.
Origin

A Latin term meaning 'something for something' or 'this for that'. The idea is more commonly expressed in English as 'one good turn deserves another'. This has been in the language since at least 1654, as here in H. L'Estrange's, 'The Reign of King Charles':

"One good turn deserves another."

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Proverbs

People who live in glass houses should not throw stones

Say what?
Those who are vulnerable should not attack others.

Origin
The proverb has been traced back to Geoffrey Chaucer's 'Troilus and Criseyde' (1385). George Herbert wrote in 1651: 'Whose house is of glass, must not throw stones at another.' This saying is first cited in the United States in 'William & Mary College Quarterly' (1710). Twenty-six later Benjamin Franklin wrote, 'Don't throw stones at your neighbors', if your own windows are glass.' 'To live in a glass house' is used as a figure of speech referring to vulnerability." From "Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings" (1996) by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996).

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Proverbs

Achilles' heel

From Wikipedia
Meaning
A person's weak spot

Origin

In the myths surrounding the Trojan War, Achilles died from a heel wound as the result of an arrow fired by Paris.

According to a myth arising later, his mother, Thetis, had dipped the infant Achilles in the river Styx, holding onto him by his heel, and he became invulnerable where the waters touched him -- that is, everywhere but the areas covered by her thumb and forefinger -- implying that only a heel wound could have been his downfall.

The use of "Achilles' heel" (or "Achilles heel") as an English expression for "area of weakness, vulnerable spot" dates only to 1855 (Merriam-Webster), or, in the form "heel of Achilles," 1810 (OED: Coleridge, "Ireland, that vulnerable heel of the British Achilles".)

The Achilles' heel as a singular weakness is a cliche in superhero comics.


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Hanky-panky

Meaning

Trickery - double dealing. Sexual connotations

Origin

Nonsense terms that was just made up as having an attractive alliteration or rhyme, like 'the bee's knees', 'the mutt's nuts' etc. The words themselves have no inherent meaning, and it was probably a development of the similar term - 'hocus pocus'.

Down the tubes

Say What?

Down the drain, over, unrecoverable, gone.

Origin
from http://www.phrases.org.uk/
The tubes are the pipes connected to a lavatory. This is derived from 'down the drain' and is the American equivalent of the British 'down the pan'.

Davy Jones Locker

Say What?

Bottom of the ocean. Going overboad.

Origin

Unknown... But this site seems to have an answer.

from Tobias Smollet's The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle (1751): "This same Davy Jones, according to the mythology of sailors, is the fiend that presides over all the evil spirits of the deep...."

But could be..., from Yahoo

One legend suggests that a particularly fiendish pub owner named David Jones used to incapacitate hapless drinkers in his ale locker, and send them off aboard ships. Sounds like a handy way of disposing of your enemies.

Gad Zooks

Say What?
A general exclaimant

Origin
Blimey is a shortened form of gorblimey which is a garbled way of saying "God blind me". In full, streuth is "by God's truth" and it is a survivor of a large genre of God's [something]. Thus, gadzooks (or od's wucks) is literally "God's hooks", the hooks likely being a reference to the nails used to fasten Christ to the cross.

A Drop in the bucket

Say What?

A very small proportion of the whole.

Origin

From the Bible, Isaiah 40:15:

"Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing."

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Welcome to Say What?

Welcome to Say What? and exploration into the wonderful world of saying and word origins. Who hasn't thought "what does that mean?" or "where did that saying come from?" We hope to enlighten you.