Whatzat mean? Word origins.

[homoe]

"Let Your Hair Down"

To relax or be at ease.


Sidebar: Parisian nobles risked condemnation from their peers if they appeared in public without an elaborate hairdo. Some of the more intricate styles required hours of work, so of course it was a relaxing ritual for these aristocrats to come home at the end of a long day and let their hair down.

[homoe]

"No Spring Chicken"

Someone who is past his prime


Sidebar: New England chicken farmers generally sold chickens in the spring, so the chickens born in the springtime yielded better earnings than the chickens that survived the winter. Sometimes, farmers tried to sell old birds for the price of a new spring chicken. Clever buyers complained that the fowl was “no spring chicken,” and the term came to represent anyone past their prime.

[homoe]

"More Than You Can Shake A Stick At"

Having more of something than you need.


Sidebar: Farmers controlled their sheep by shaking their staffs to indicate where the animals should go. When farmers had more sheep than they could control, it was said they had “more than you can shake a stick at.”

[homoe]

"Run Amok"


Go crazy Go wild.


Sidebar: This short saying comes from the Malaysian word amoq, which describes the behavior of tribesmen who, under the influence of opium, became wild, rampaging mobs that attacked anybody in their path.

[homoe]

"Show Your True Colors"


To reveal one’s true nature.


Sidebar: Warships used to fly multiple flags to confuse their enemies. However, the rules of warfare stated that a ship had to hoist its true flag before firing and hence, display its country’s true colors.

[homoe]

"Old Habits Die Hard"




People find it difficult to change their accustomed behavior. People often do not like to change things that they have been doing for a long time.

[homoe]

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder"



This sweet saying came from the Roman poet Sextus Propertius' Elegies:"Always toward absent lovers love's tide stronger flows."

In 1832, the modern variant of the phrase was coined by a 'Miss Strickland' in The Pocket Magazine of Classic and Polite Literature.