Top Dog and Under Dog :-
This came from the old timber import days where a timber was laid across a pit and sawn by hand. The senior man (top dog) got to rain down saw dust on the junior man (under dog) all day long !
Got any others ?
H
The Origin of Common Phrases and Sayings
The Origin of Common Phrases and Sayings
...is this a pistol in my hand, or am I just pleased to see you ?
Re: The Origin of Common Phrases and Sayings
"Stow High In Transit"
after the development of wooden ships and shipping lines, they used the humble wooden cask to haul many of the things. ALL ships take on some water. Stuff that wasnt hurt by the little bit of water that was routinely bailed out, was on teh bottom layer. It was, stowed LOW in transit.
Stuff that might be TRASHED by any water? And really, shipping was expensive and time consuming back then... if the important cargo got WET, the whole POINT of the months long voyage was ruined?
those water perishable items were labeled "Stow High In Transit". WHich was obviously abbreviated "SH!T"... and, when everything went to h#!!, and everythng was ruined... ad money and time are wasted, and yourve made a mistake and your likely in some hot water over it.... we proclaim "SH!T"
this also explains the phrase "you guys cant do SH!T correctly!" when you are berating underlings that are screwing up without constant supervision...
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the best explanation i ever heard for "F**K you!"? (AND the british version of the american middle finger... which is of course 2 fingers up?
the british and the french were in the midst of a long and bloody conflict. a new WEAPON ha been recently develop. previously, only rich and powerful kings and noblemen could field any army, as the armor and weapons were expensive, and it took years of training to use armor and horsemanship and the swords and implements of the day.
PEASANTS wer wiped out by a amere handful of knights thus equipped...
The humble LONGBOW was developed. Cheap. easy to make (relatively) and every common peasant could make one, an learn to use it effectively. It was the first weapon to pierce a knights armor at range the knight couldnt do sh!t to you.
so... the peasants were all of a sudden a massive force in the army!
Th french, previously winning... simply declared longbows ILLEGAL. This hardly stopped it, ha ha... the french would cut off the first TWO FINGERS of any englishman they caught with a longbow. These fingers being the ones to draw (or pluck) the string of the bow with.
he bows were made of primarily YEW as is had the properties needed for such. Whn you shot a longbow, you were said to "pluck the YEW". (it resembled plucking a stringed instrument, or, plucking a feather out of a bird)
====================================================
despite having ther 2 fingers cut off if found out, the common english route the french eventually... after it was over? Many Yew-men (bowmen...) were without their 2 fingers. Those that still HAD THEIR FINGERS?
to let the french know what they THOUGHT of them? They raised up those 2 fingers on their hand... "Pluck the YEW!", which meant, you didnt get THESE fingers, @$$hole... and i used them to kill french knights!"
over time, this insult got morphed into "F**K you" we all know and love today, AND it explains why th BRITS give 2 fingers instead of the american version of middle finger only.
(how the F word came to be assiciated with sex, i dont know... but i do know the "fornication under consent of kings" is a false rumor that just sounds good.
after the development of wooden ships and shipping lines, they used the humble wooden cask to haul many of the things. ALL ships take on some water. Stuff that wasnt hurt by the little bit of water that was routinely bailed out, was on teh bottom layer. It was, stowed LOW in transit.
Stuff that might be TRASHED by any water? And really, shipping was expensive and time consuming back then... if the important cargo got WET, the whole POINT of the months long voyage was ruined?
those water perishable items were labeled "Stow High In Transit". WHich was obviously abbreviated "SH!T"... and, when everything went to h#!!, and everythng was ruined... ad money and time are wasted, and yourve made a mistake and your likely in some hot water over it.... we proclaim "SH!T"
this also explains the phrase "you guys cant do SH!T correctly!" when you are berating underlings that are screwing up without constant supervision...
================================================
the best explanation i ever heard for "F**K you!"? (AND the british version of the american middle finger... which is of course 2 fingers up?
the british and the french were in the midst of a long and bloody conflict. a new WEAPON ha been recently develop. previously, only rich and powerful kings and noblemen could field any army, as the armor and weapons were expensive, and it took years of training to use armor and horsemanship and the swords and implements of the day.
PEASANTS wer wiped out by a amere handful of knights thus equipped...
The humble LONGBOW was developed. Cheap. easy to make (relatively) and every common peasant could make one, an learn to use it effectively. It was the first weapon to pierce a knights armor at range the knight couldnt do sh!t to you.
so... the peasants were all of a sudden a massive force in the army!
Th french, previously winning... simply declared longbows ILLEGAL. This hardly stopped it, ha ha... the french would cut off the first TWO FINGERS of any englishman they caught with a longbow. These fingers being the ones to draw (or pluck) the string of the bow with.
he bows were made of primarily YEW as is had the properties needed for such. Whn you shot a longbow, you were said to "pluck the YEW". (it resembled plucking a stringed instrument, or, plucking a feather out of a bird)
====================================================
despite having ther 2 fingers cut off if found out, the common english route the french eventually... after it was over? Many Yew-men (bowmen...) were without their 2 fingers. Those that still HAD THEIR FINGERS?
to let the french know what they THOUGHT of them? They raised up those 2 fingers on their hand... "Pluck the YEW!", which meant, you didnt get THESE fingers, @$$hole... and i used them to kill french knights!"
over time, this insult got morphed into "F**K you" we all know and love today, AND it explains why th BRITS give 2 fingers instead of the american version of middle finger only.
(how the F word came to be assiciated with sex, i dont know... but i do know the "fornication under consent of kings" is a false rumor that just sounds good.
Well, I understand that, boys... but see, my CAT gets the silly idea you're making fun of HIM... then he gets, *really* mean...
Re: The Origin of Common Phrases and Sayings
yep your right on the longbow bit sedders. except that it took an awful lot of time and training to produce an english longbowman. in fact is was law for peasants practice the longbow for many years
Re: The Origin of Common Phrases and Sayings
Mate of mine has the world record for pulling a longbow. 200 lb
Took a few years for him to be able to do that.
Took a few years for him to be able to do that.
Re: The Origin of Common Phrases and Sayings
200 lb?
christs throne... i'd want a come-a-long, ha ha
christs throne... i'd want a come-a-long, ha ha
Well, I understand that, boys... but see, my CAT gets the silly idea you're making fun of HIM... then he gets, *really* mean...
Re: The Origin of Common Phrases and Sayings
How far would that fire an arrow ?
"Land Rover, the worlds best 4x4 by far"
"Argo, a great 8x8"
"Argo, a great 8x8"
Re: The Origin of Common Phrases and Sayings
I think the local saying "bigger than a bonk oss" probably needs no explanation 
Or "he's a slab boster"
Or "he's a slab boster"
"Land Rover, the worlds best 4x4 by far"
"Argo, a great 8x8"
"Argo, a great 8x8"