a personal view on the ‘animal-friendly’ phrases suggested by PETA
Fundamentally, I object to the will of any group to artificially modify language in order to impose their world view.
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the curious case of ‘rob’/‘robe’ and of French ‘voler’ (‘to fly’/‘to steal’)
‘robe’ originally denoted something that has been robbed—French ‘voler’ (‘to fly’) has come to mean ‘to steal’ via falconry
Read Moremeaning and origin of the phrase ‘round Robin Hood’s barn’
USA, 1797—alludes to legendary outlaw Robin Hood—’barn’ (metaphor for the country as supply of food) was applied to any large space
Read Morethe early uses of ‘cool Britannia’ and their meanings
UK and Canada, from 1903 onwards—punningly alludes to ‘Rule Britannia’ (1740), the title of a popular patriotic song
Read Moremeaning and origin of the phrase ‘like a dog with two tails’
USA, 1822—extremely pleased, delighted—alludes to the belief that a dog wags its tail as a sign of pleasure or happiness
Read Morenotes on the origin of ‘easy-peasy (lemon squeezy)’
Contrary to what is claimed, ‘easy-peasy’ doesn’t seem to be of British origin, nor to be connected with the British washing-up liquid Sqezy.
Read Morethe Welsh origin of the phrase ‘to let the dog see the rabbit’
1893—to allow someone to get on with their task—originated in Wales with reference to fair-mindedness in sports
Read Moremeaning and origin of the proverb ‘quot homines tot sententiæ’
from Phormio, by the Roman dramatist Terence—appeared in English in the 1539 translation of Erasmus’s adages
Read Morethe German origin of the phrase ‘to throw the baby out with the bathwater’
mid-19th century—loan translation from German ‘das Kind mit dem Bade ausschütten’ (to empty out the child with the bath), early 16th century
Read MoreThe phrase ‘(to be left) to hold the baby’ originated in stock markets.
UK, 1872—alludes to a stranger’s accidental (as opposed to a parent’s legal) responsibility for an infant
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word histories 