This is said to a person who remains silent when they are expected to speak.

There are two stories here. The first one is that it came from a whip called “Cat-o’-nine-tails”, used by the English Navy for flogging victims leaving them speechless. The second one came from ancient Egypt, where the tongues of liars were cut out and fed to the cats.

So be careful when speaking as others may be listening.

The Louvre Palace in France was thought to have a network of listening tubes. This made it possible for eavesdroppers to listen through the walls for gossip and information. Queen Catherine de’Medici discovered political secrets and plots thanks to this technique. Or so they say.

It means a loss of nerve or confidence.

This one comes from a military term, where warriors in the day would get their feet frozen so they could not rush into battle.

Basically means to end a quarrel or conflict and become friendly.

Several Native American tribes came together as one so they could better defend themselves against a warrior tribe. The tribes symbolically buried a stone hatchet under a cypress tree to signify their camaraderie against a common enemy.

Indicates a person that has been discovered in the act of doing something illegal.

The story goes that there was an old law stating that if a person butchered an animal that didn’t belong to him, he would only receive punishment if there was blood on his hands. If his hands were clean, he would not be punished.

You know when it’s raining very hard.

This idiom has two stories. The first comes from Norse mythology. Cats symbolized heavy rains while dogs were associated with the god of storms, Odin.

The second version comes from 16th century England, where houses had thatched roofs allowing animals to stay warm. But heavy rains made roofs slippery so cats and dogs would fall off of them.

For those pursuing a mistaken or misguided line of thought or course of action.

This phrase refers to hunting dogs who would chase their prey up a tree. The dogs would keep barking even though the prey was no longer there.

Family relationships and loyalties are more important.

The saying actually means the opposite. The full phrase was, “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb”, referring to warriors who shared the bloodshed in battles together. These ‘blood brothers’ had stronger bonds than their biological brothers.

Another origin story is that old covenants or contracts were made by cutting an animal in half, with the two halves laid on the ground a few feet apart from each other to form a path. Two parties involved would walk down the path saying “may this be done to me should I break my oath”

When someone decides to do something difficult that has been put off for a time.

There was no time for anesthesias when performing surgeries in the midst of battle. Patients were made to bite down on bullets as a means to distract themselves from the pain.

To pretend not to notice.

They say this originated with naval hero Horatio Nelson. He used his blind eye to look through a telescope helping him avoid signals from his superior, who ordered a retreat. He went ahead and attacked, ending up victorious.

A holiday spent together by a newly married couple.

Tradition states that a newly wed couple had to drink a beverage with honey for an entire month to aid in fertility and receive good luck.

One last drink with the lads before leaving a place.

During the middle ages, condemned criminals were taken through the old Oxford Street to their execution. The cart would stop and the criminals would receive one final drink before their death.

Wishing someone good luck.

They say the phrase dates back to World War I Germany. German actors would say, “Hals- und Beinbruch” which translates to “a broken neck and a broken leg.” Which still doesn’t make sense.

Well, popular folklore prevailed, encouraging people to wish others bad luck since wishing someone good luck would tempt evil spirits. So they began wishing each other to break a leg.

The claimed right to sit in the front passenger seat of a car on a journey.

The passengers of old fashioned stagecoaches sat next to the driver holding a shotgun to protect them from robbers along the way. There is no evidence to suggest that it came from the ‘Wild West,’ but media and films began to romanticize the period and the saying.

In the 19th century when horsemanship was popular, the stable boys and horse trainers had a better understanding of the condition of the horse and its chance of winning moreso than the owners did.

The phrase means that information you get needs to come from the most original source or at least the best authority.

Said when one has to reveal his real character or intentions, especially when suspected to be disreputable or dishonorable.

Warships would use multiple flags to confuse their enemies. But warfare rules dictated that the actual flag must be shown before firing, so ships would display its true colors.

To reject or be deliberately unfriendly to someone.

This saying was once considered an act of politeness. Medieval times in England had the host giving his guests a cold piece of meat from the shoulder of beef or pork. That meant it was time for everyone to leave.

This is when someone starts the day with a bad temper.

Throughout history the left side of anything was considered to be the side of evil. It was also a sign of bad luck. To help ward off evil, house owners pushed the left sides of the beds to the corner, forcing guests to get up on the right side.

A form of flattering, or otherwise ingratiate oneself with someone.

The people in ancient India would actually throw balls of clarified butter at the statues of their gods in order to seek a favor or have a prayer requested answered.

It’s a male friend or relative chosen by the bridegroom to assist him at his wedding.

The story goes that during feudal days, a rival Lord would attempt to break up a wedding ceremony, stealing the bride for political reasons. So grooms would ask their best friends to stand next to them should a battle ensue. The man was named ‘Best Man’.

This is an affectionate way of addressing or referring to someone.

Sailors back in the day would take their wives on long ocean trips. If a woman were to give birth, it should take place between the cannons on the ship’s gun deck, being that it was the most secluded place. As a result, that child would be called ‘a son of a gun’.

Said to someone to make them stop talking.

In the late 19th century, woollen socks were stuffed in the horns of gramophones or record players to lower the sound, since they had no volume controllers.

When a person tries to win praise for themselves by pre-empting someone else’s attempt to impress.

Back in the 18th Century, playwright John Dennis made a machine for his plays that could mimic the sound of thunder. His play wasn’t a success, but Dennis soon found that somebody copied his thunder machine and was using it without crediting him. Someone stole his thunder!

Someone’s weakness or vulnerable point.

In Greek mythology, Thetis dipped her son Achilles in the river Styx, hoping to give him incredible power and invulnerability. She held her son by his heel, meaning the body part never touched the water. Achilles was killed when an arrow shot by the Trojan prince Paris entered his heel.

This means to reveal a secret carelessly or by mistake.

There was a time when farmers sold pigs at the market carrying them in a bag. Unscrupulous farmers replaced pigs with cats and if someone were to let the cat out by accident, then their fraud would be uncovered.

What it means is to do everything that is possible or available.

In World War II, pilots had a 9-yard chain of ammunition so when they used all of their ammunition on a target, they would give ‘The whole 9 yards.”

A feat that is easily achieved.

The saying ‘Piece of Cake’ comes from American poet Ogden Nash. In 1930, he was quoted as saying ‘Life’s a piece of cake’.

When someone makes a great effort to achieve something.

Organists have knobs that are called ‘stops’ which they can use when playing. It allowed them to play at a much higher volume, so ‘pulling out all the stops’ meant squeezing the maximum volume out of the instrument.

Used when someone makes a humble apology and accept humiliation.

In the Middle Ages, the lord of the manor would get the finest piece of meat first, while his subjects received a pie filled with entrails and innards, also called “umbles”. So those who ate the “umble pie” were considered humiliated, since it literally symbolized their lower status.

Indicates a person or thing that appears friendly or harmless but is really hostile.

It’s a warning that you can’t trust someone just because they appear kind and friendly on the outside. You can actually find it in the Bible, in Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”