This is the first phrase that I was unable to find an etymology for. So, if you know of where this phrase comes from, or you have an idea, please comment below. I like the idea of it coming from handmaiden (helper). Lend means to borrow. This highlights a common problem for second language speakers. … Read More
Here is the final phrase from our series on horse mouth idioms. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth means that you should always be grateful when someone give you a gift. In this idiom, the gift is a horse. Horses were very important through human history and receiving one as a gift was … Read More
Straight from the horse’s mouth means to get information directly from the source. It is usually used in a situation where you want to prove that you have the best information. You are saying that you heard it directly from the person. Example: “Where did you hear about their divorce?” “I got it straight from … Read More
Long in the tooth is a way to describe something as old. It is usually used to talk about living things: humans or animals. Example: My dog is long in the tooth, but he had a good life. The idiom originally came from an animal as well. It originated with horses. As a horse ages, … Read More
What doesn’t kill me make me stronger is a proverb that describes toughness and resilience. It means that going through difficult times makes you a stronger person. This proverb comes from Fredrich Neitzsche’s work, Twilight of the Idols (1888). The phrase was translated from German and has a widespread use. Often, we use it after … Read More
I wanted to continue on from yesterday’s phrase, biting off more than you can chew. Your eyes are bigger than your stomach is a very similar saying. However, this phrase is mostly used in a literal way. It means that you took more food than you can eat. Your eyes told you that you could … Read More
Yesterday I saw a video that reminded me of this phrase. The video is from 2009, but it showed up on my YouTube feed. In the video, there is a sea snake eating an eel. The eel appears to be larger than the snake. Clearly the snake was biting off more than it could chew. … Read More
When we adopted our dog from the city family, she was scared of everything. Even though she was an adult, she wasn’t exposed to many wild animals. The first time she saw a mouse, the mouse attacked her! After a while she started acting more like a dog. She would attack any small wild animal … Read More
A long time ago, fresh water wasn’t that easy to get. They didn’t have the water pipes that we have now. To conserve water, families would often reuse water for bathing. Usually, the oldest goes first and they end with the youngest. By the time that they finished washing the baby the bathwater was very … Read More
Bootstraps are those pieces of fabric at the back of your boots and shoes. They help you to put on your boots. You can see them on my hiking boots in the picture for this post. Now imagine trying to lift yourself off the ground by pulling the bootstraps. Obviously, it would not work. But, … Read More
