As you may have read in the last issue of Speak Up, many seemingly strange phrasal verbs and idioms in English have a logical origin. In Speak Up they talk about where the phrasal verb "hang out" comes from (read the article in 323 about neighbors if you want to know). This week I thought I would look at some common idioms and their origins.

Red Tape

This is a very common idiom. We use the term "red tape" to denote anything that may delay or hold us up, whatever the process may be. It also refers to a lot of unnecessary bureaucracy or paperwork.

This term originated from the fact that legal and official documents were tied up or bound with red tape since the 16th century. By doing so, it was often difficult to access them. Hence, the term "red tape."

"it's Raining Cats and Dogs!"

Now, this is an interesting one.

This must sound like a very odd expression to someone just learning the language for the first time. There are a lot of things I have seen falling from the sky, but cats and dogs are not one of them.

How did this expression come about, then?

It's quite simple, really. It originated in England in the 1500's, when houses had thatched roofs. A thatch roof consisted of straw piled high, with no wood underneath. In cold, foggy England, this was sometimes the only place for an animal to get warm. Cats, and other small animals, like mice, bugs, and the occasional dog would go  on the roofs.

When it rained really hard, some of the animals would slip off the roof and wash up in the gutters on the street. Hence, the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs" ended up referring to a heavy rain.

thatched roofs        telhado de palha

foggy     nebuloso

gutters   calhas

An Arm and a Leg

"That's going to cost you an arm and a leg!"

This is a common phrase that means simply it's going to cost to the point of sacrifice. It's going to hurt. The price is high.

Where did such a phrase come into existence?

If we step back in time to George Washington's day, we would not see any cameras. For a portrait to be taken, it had to be painted, or sculpted.

This is a rather interesting fact, but if you notice old pictures, you will notice the paintings are of faces, or perhaps a person with one arm behind their back, or both arms. The truth is, in these times, portraits were not charged by the number of people who appeared in the picture, but rather, by the number of limbs that were painted.

If they wanted a cheaper painting, then it would "cost them an arm and a leg."Artists knew it took more time and effort since arms, hands and legs were more difficult to paint.