Idiomata decoded, exploited
An idiom is a non-literal expression, when a group of words mean something else or exaggerate a feeling. Imagine the gruesome scene if it actually rained cats and dogs. If you really could eat a horse? Next stop, emergency room.
OK, so some of these aren’t technically idioms, but I couldn’t pinpoint the word for a one-word idiom. It’s still fun to dig into their etymologies, so forgive me for lumping them together.
Mayday! Francophiles might get this one. Mayday is an internationally recognized radio term to signal distress used mostly by aircraft and boat pilots. While the “mayday” soundalike first came into English in 1923, it derives from a French contraction going back to the 1200s.
“M’aidez” (silent z) means “help me.” According to a Feb. 2, 1923 article in The Times of London, by the 1920s with heavy French and English radio and air traffic in the English Channel, m’aidez/mayday worked better than SOS, as aircraft used voice instead of the Morse code via telegraph machines traditionally used by boats. The use of Mayday spread through Europe and Asia and was adopted in the U.S. by 1927.
“86” it. I first encountered this one when I was a waitress. Kitchens use “86” to indicate an item removed from the day's menu, or like saying “no tomatoes” on a sandwich — as in 86 the tomatoes. But how this started is anybody’s guess.
St. Louis Magazine writer George Mahe researched this one last year, so I’ll 86 the reinvented wheel and share his. Some of the many explanations Mahe found for 86 include:
Soup or steak? In the soup kitchens of the Great Depression, it’s said the standard pot held 85 cups of soup, so the 86th person was out of luck. At Delmonico’s famed restaurant, No. 86 on the menu was a steak, which often ran out.
Fighter jets: Military origin theories include Korean war pilots. When an F-86 shot down an enemy plane, it was “86’d.” (I don’t buy the alternate reference to UCMJ Article 86: Absence Without Leave).
Bartending: Alcohol in the Old West was often 100-proof. When a patron got too drunk, the barkeep supposedly served less potent, 86-proof liquor, thereby 86-ing him.
Prohibition: Mahe suggests this story has more backup. An unmarked speakeasy at 86 Bedford Street in New York called Chumley's had several hidden exits. When the “fuzz” showed up, guests were known to 86 it, as in disappear.
End of the line. As another New York story goes, the elevated train ended at 86th Street, where the conductor tossed out the 86es — drunks or anyone else left aboard.
Fit to be tied. Describing someone extremely angry, “fit to be tied” appeared in the early 1800s, sadly alluding to the practice of tying up “uncontrollable” mental patients with rope, cloth or straitjackets.
Platonic. If this is your higher love, consider yourself philosophical. Athenian philosopher Plato (around 400 B.C.E.) described different kinds of love, including a more high-minded, soulful love considered more advanced than physical passion. Fifteenth century Italian scholar Marsilio Ficino called this “amor platonicus,” or platonic love.
Booby trap (nothing to do with mammary glands). A booby trap is a pitfall for the unwary or unsuspecting. Some say it derives from the booby, a seabird possibly named around the 1590s from the Spanish slang “bobo” meaning stupid. These birds landed on sea vessels, risking being shot or becoming dinner.
In English, “booby” still refers to stupidity. In 19th century England, a booby was a class dunce. A booby prize was given to the loser.
Marathon — of news. Marathon was the site of Greek victory over the Persian army in 490 B.C.E. The modern race reference may be based on the 22-mile run from Marathon to Athens by a messenger bringing victorious news, or on ancient Greek historian Herodotus’s story of a 150-mile run from Athens to Sparta seeking help before the Marathon battle.
Lucky for Press carriers, news delivery has come a long way since.
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Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network who loves idioms and etymology. Ideas welcome at Sholeh@cdapress.com.