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Home --> Language --> Phrase Craze

Phrase Craze

The — often dubious — origins of popular phrases.

Ratings Key

        Green bullet = true
        Red bullet = false
        Multiple status bullet = multiple truth values
        Yellow bullet = undetermined
        White bullet = unclassifiable veracity

Select this link for an expanded
definition of our rating system.

Red bullet Numerous sayings listed in the popular "Life in the 1500s" e-mail sprang from ordinary living conditions of that era.

Yellow bullet Hat makers became crazy from the fumes produced by mercury-soaked felt, hence the phrase 'mad as a hatter.'

Yellow bullet Death benefits paid to beneficiaries of soldiers who died in battle were often enough to pay off the mortgages on family farms, hence the deceased was said to have 'bought the farm.'

Yellow bullet The origin of our saying "Bless you!" when someone sneezes stems from an ancient desire to safeguard the sneezer's soul or to commend the dying to the mercy of God.

Yellow bullet Disputed parentage of a child born aboard a ship was resolved by listing the newborn as a "son of a gun."

Red bullet The exclamation "Holy smoke" derived from the burning of the ballots used to elect a Pope.

Yellow bullet The phrase "Kilroy Was Here" began as a ship inspector's mark in World War II.

Multi-colored bullet Someone who cheats at cards is properly styled a card shark, not a card sharp.

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