‘what can you expect from a hog but a grunt?’: meaning and early occurrences

5th Nov 2022.Reading time 9 minutes.

meaning: a person cannot be expected to behave in a manner that is not in their character—numerous variants—first recorded in 1731 as ‘If we petition a Hog, what can we expect but a grunt’

‘(as) independent as a hog on ice’: meaning and origin

3rd Nov 2022.Reading time 14 minutes.

(humorous and frequently ironic) determinedly or stubbornly independent—USA, 1841—apparently refers to the extreme helplessness of a hog (i.e., a pig) on the ice

‘holier-than-thou’: meaning and origin

2nd Nov 2022.Reading time 13 minutes.

self-righteously or sanctimoniously virtuous, or professing to be so—UK, 1834—alludes to the Book of Isaiah, 65:5: “Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou.”

‘pig in a python’: meanings and origin

28th Oct 2022.Reading time 9 minutes.

Canada, 1970—the people who were born during the ‘baby boom’ of the years immediately following WWII, considered as a demographic bulge—any short-term increase or notably large group

‘Guardianista’: meaning and origin

25th Oct 2022.Reading time 12 minutes.

a reader of, or a writer in, The Guardian, seen as being typically left-wing, liberal and politically correct—UK, 1997—The Guardian is a centre-left newspaper published in London and Manchester, England

‘food for powder’: meaning and origin

23rd Oct 2022.Reading time 11 minutes.

soldiers, especially low-ranking recruits, collectively regarded as expendable in war—UK, 1740—coined by William Shakespeare in Henry IV, Part 1 (1598)

‘cannon fodder’ | ‘chair à canon’

22nd Oct 2022.Reading time 11 minutes.

soldiers regarded simply as material to be expended in war—‘cannon fodder’ (1847), said to have been coined after German ‘Kanonenfutter’—French ‘chair à canon’ (1814), first used in reference to Napoléon Bonaparte

‘wokerati’: meaning and origin

21st Oct 2022.Reading time 8 minutes.

USA, 2019, derogatory—people (regarded as elitist and pretentious) who are alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice—a blend of the adjective ‘woke’ and of the noun ‘literati’

‘honest Injun’: meaning and origin

15th Oct 2022.Reading time 13 minutes.

used as an interjection to assert truthfulness, honour or sincerity—USA, 1851, as ‘honest Indian’—perhaps alludes to the fact that, in their past interactions with Europeans, Native Americans had to give assurance of their good faith

‘to keep the bastards honest’: meaning and origin

14th Oct 2022.Reading time 7 minutes.

to ensure that politicians, large business organisations, etc., behave fairly and openly, and are accountable for their actions—Australia, 1980—coined by Don Chipp, Leader of the Australian Democrats, with reference to the major political parties

word histories

Category: public affairs