idioms with names: history of english language chris jianglin terri yeh meanings and origins
TRANSCRIPT
Idioms with Names:
History of English Language
Chris JianglinTerri Yeh
Meanings and Origins
ORIGIN
Fictitious figure: Jack Robinson
1. Before You Can Say Jack Robinson
Jack Robinson
MEANING
(A) very quickly
(B) very naughtily
(C) very ridiculously
Before you could say Jack Robinson, the bird flew away.
1. Before You Can Say Jack Robinson
MEANING
The youngest son in the family
(Especially when he is much younger than his
brothers)
In modern use: + female children
Christian, Muslim, and Jewish religions
2. Benjamin of the Family
ORIGIN
Story of Jacob in the Book of Genesis
Jacob and Esau
Benjamin = “right hand son” in Hebrew
Origin of the name Benjamin
2. Benjamin of the Family
MEANING
an error in speech, memory or physical action
that is interpreted as occurring due to the
interference of some unconscious subdued
wish, conflict, or train of thought
3. Freudian Slip
ORIGIN
Named after Sigmund Freud
The Psychopathology of Life
3. Freudian Slip
He let out a Freudian slip that could reveal his true personality.
"For seven and a half years I've worked alongside President Reagan. We've had triumphs. Made some mistakes. We've had some sex... uh... setbacks."
-A Freudian slip by President George H.W. Bush
3. Freudian Slip
MEANING
Macmillan Dictionary:
Someone who can do many types of work
Jacks-of-all-trades
“Jacks of all trades, master of none”
4. Jack-of-all-trades
ORIGIN
A term of praise Commonly used during the 17 th century
Jack = “man”
1618 – Geffray Mynshul’s Essays and Characters of a
Prison
A master of integration generalist
Polymath?
4. Jack-of-all-trades
MEANING
John/ Jane Doe: anonymous or unknown defendant
Richard/ Jane Roe: anonymous or unknown plantiff
Nowadays, 1) an unnamed person in legal proceedings 2) an anonymous average citizen 3) a corpse or hospital patient whose identity is unknown
5. John Doe / Jane DoeRichard Roe / Jane Roe
ORIGIN
5. John Doe / Jane DoeRichard Roe / Jane Roe
A: landlord
C: tenant
B: notional landlord
ORIGIN
Why is Doe and Roe?
doe: venison; roe: kind of fish
TODAY
Baby Doe; Princess Doe
If my actual name is John Doe…?
5. John Doe / Jane DoeRichard Roe / Jane Roe
MEANING
A person’s signature
Informal use in American English
6. John Hancock
ORIGIN
John Hancock was President of
Congress, signing Declaration of
Independence
Why?
6. John Hancock
MEANING
to try to achieve the same social position and
wealth as one's neighbors or acquaintances
7. Keep up with the Joneses
ORIGIN
The Jones: Edith Wharton’s father; rich New
York family
New Yorkers build country villas in the Hudson
Valley
TODAY
Negative effect: conspicuous consumption
7. Keep up with the Joneses
MEANING
The real thing, the genuine article
M. Dict.: Something that is real and not
a copy
8. The Real McCoy
ORIGIN
Michael Quinion of the WWW: Kid
McCoy story
Norman Selby – an American champion boxer
(1) to distinguish himself
(2) “Which is the real McCoy?”
(3) “It’s the real McCoy.”
8. The Real McCoy
ORIGIN
First recording occurred in James S. Bond’s The Rise and Fall of the “Union club” (1881)
8. The Real McCoy
MEANING
a person who is oblivious to changes,
especially in social attitudes or thought
a person who sleeps a lot
9. Rip Van Winkle
ORIGIN
short story by the American author
Washington Irving
Setting: before and after American Revolution
Rip has been away from the village for 20
years…
9. Rip Van Winkle
MEANING
Macmillan Dictionary:
A way of referring to the US or the US
government
The expression comes from the abbr “US”
10. Uncle Sam
ORIGIN
Came into use during the War of 1812
Samuel Wilson – a meat packer
“E.A – US.”
By 1850s, Brother Jonathan ≒ Uncle Sam
Near the end of the Civil War (1861-65)
10. Uncle Sam
= “Elbert Anderson and Uncle Sam”?
ORIGIN
James Montgomery Flagg
Irish language: Stáit Aontaithe
Mheiriceá
(The United States of America)
10. Uncle Sam
“Benjamin (name).”Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 3 Dec. 2012. Web. 26 Dec. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_(name)
Bon mots. “What's in a name?–10idioms with names you got to know” WordPress.com.WordPress.com, 23 Jul. 2009. Web. 25 Dec. 2012.
“Idiom Category: Person's name, Page 1.” UsingEnglish.com. UsingEnglish.com Ltd., n.d. Web. 26 Dec. 2012.
“Jack of all trades, master of none.”Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 5 Dec. 2012. Web. 26 Dec. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_of_all_trades,_master_of_none
References
“John Hancock.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 23 Dec. 2012. Web. 26 Dec. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hancock
“The real McCoy.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 8 Dec. 2012. Web. 26 Dec. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_real_McCoy#cite_note-1
N. Kalu. “What Is the “Benjamin of the Family”?” wiseGEEK. Conjecture Corporation, n.d. Web. 26 Dec. 2012.
“Uncle Sam.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 19 Dec. 2012. Web. 27 Dec. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Sam
References
“Jack Robinson (mythical person).” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 19 Dec. 2012. Web. 27 Dec. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Robinson_(mythical_person)
“Freudian Slip.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 19 Dec. 2012. Web. 27 Dec. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freudian_slip
“John Doe.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 19 Dec. 2012. Web. 27 Dec. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Doe
“Keep up with the Joneses.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 19 Dec. 2012. Web. 27 Dec. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeping_up_with_the_Joneses
References
“Rip van Winkle.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 19 Dec. 2012. Web. 27 Dec. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rip_Van_Winkle
"Rip Van Winkle." Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged. 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003. HarperCollins Publishers 3 Jan. 2013 http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Rip+Van+Winkle
Grose, Francis. A classical dictionary of the vulgar tongue. Ed. Eric Partridge. London : Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1963. Print.
References
The EndThe End