Whatzat mean? Word origins.

[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.

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"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.

[homoe]

The Acid Test





This came from the California Gold Rush in the 19th century, when prospectors and dealers used acid to distinguish gold from base metal - if the metal dissolved in a mixture of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid, it was real.

[homoe]

"Busy as a bee"..

Having many things to do or get accomplished.

Chaucer coined the term in the Squire's Tale, from his Canterbury Tales, around 1386-1400.

[homoe]

"A baker's dozen"



13..


This is widely believed to originate from medieval times, when English bakers gave an extra loaf when selling a dozen in order to avoid being penalized for selling a short weight. Bakers could be fined, pilloried or flogged for selling 'underweight' bread.

[homoe]

"Basket case"



Originally, this was used by the US military after WWI, referring to soldiers who had lost arms and legs and had to be carried by others.

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"Goody two shoes"..



Good two shoes comes from a Christian retelling of Cinderella, a nursery tale named The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes, published in 1765. The poor orphan of the title only has one shoe – but is given two shoes by a rich man as a reward for her virtue.