Funny English Idioms - and why we say them!
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- Funny English Idioms - and why we say them!
English people use some funny idioms and expressions. We love them, especially if they are about going to the toilet!
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Julian McDonnell, that's me, runs a London vlog and youtube channel where he talks about all things to do with London which you may not have known. This includes language and the way English people speak.
Amongst many other funny idioms for going to the toilet one of the oldest ones is "To Spend a Penny". This came about because it used to cost one penny to go to the public lavatories when they first appeared on the streets in 1851!
Hopefully this video will help you to understand the origins of these funny English idioms and expressions and help you to learn English or they may even be helpful if you are an ESL teacher or TEFL.
Another funny English idiom is when we say "He was sent to Coventry". This indicates somebody who has been ostrasized and no one wants to talk to. Watch the video to find out how this came about.
Did you ever hear someone use the idiom "To hear a pin drop"? This actually originates from the tea auctions where you were only allowed to bid for a certain amount of time. They put a pin into a candle and let it burn down. When the pin fell out if there were no more bids you could hear a pin drop!
Our fourth funny idiom is a baker's dozen. Anyone will tell you that a dozen is 12 but a baker's dozen is 13! This is because in 1266 there was a law that would penalise bakers if they sold less than they said they were selling! So to make sure they weren't short of their weight they would add a thirteenth loaf just to make sure.
Then comes our final idiom - To be on the wagon.
This means that someone is not drinking alcohol and it originates from the days when criminals would be hanged. They would stop at the Resurrection Gate pub and be bought one last drink but after that drink they had to get back onto the wagon and couldn't drink any more. Then the wagon would take them to the gallows.
To make it more fun I have tried to show some of the locations which would have been affected by these expressions as well as point out some interesting historical facts which are related to them.
I go to Twinings in The Strand, The Royal Exchange, Pudding Lane and St Giles in the Fields
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The overhanging fronts on a building have nothing to do with chucking crap out of windows.
It’s called Jettying it’s mainly to do with increase floor space on a cramped footprint. There are other reasons to. Watch this to find out. ua-cam.com/video/zBVPcr7VjyQ/v-deo.html
The swaying is distracting. Better to have viewers focus on your message than bouts of motion sickness. Thank you ⛵ 🤒
@junglemanlawyer1 ridiculous comment
I highly recommend the tour. You be glad you did and enjoy your trip so much more! Promise!
I'm out. To insure promptness is a false etymology. This is poorly research babble, decreasing to amount of facts in the world.
Being an older person who hlives in the U.S., it is quite interesting that I grew up hearing almost all of those sayings, and still use them.
Yep, Me too!
Canadian but ditto. And I'd actually heard most of those definitions before.
USA here. Glad I'm not alone.
Not alone
Yes...here in WVa in the U.S. (Except the Coventry part).
The old expression 'to spend a penny' is obsolete. Now that the EU has a common currency, the new term is 'to euronate'.
Otherwise, keep up the good work!
LOL
🙄🙄🙄
😂😂😂
....and been Euronated on ever since!
witty
I’m a casual etymologist and this was just great fun! I’m also a teacher of English, and idioms are infamously difficult for non-English speakers and special-needs students ( two populations I love teaching). Thanks for these!!
I was born in S. Calif. US & I had no difficulty understanding most of their slang. It was great fun, and when I didn't, I simply asked. Everyone I met was gracious, & willing tell me. My fav was Snoggin. 😘
By the way etymology is greek word.
I taught English in Taiwan for 24 years.
One thing I taught was NOT to change words in adages and sayings......
Here is how I learned that:
46 years ago, my best friend and I took a large group of Japanese tourists to an American football game.
Our group is a tight group in the seats for our team, the SF 49ers, and the other team had the ball.
The running back carried the ball, and the Japanese heard the crowd yelling, "Kill him! Kill him!"
There was a flurry of Japanese, (language) amongst themselves....(and I heard, mixed in the conversation "hurt him bad")
I got the gist and knew it wouldn't go well, but before I could do anything.....
.... the opponents ran another running play... the Japanese not wanting to be rude or too violent, started shouting, "Hurt him bad! Hurt him bad!"
The area around us (10 or so rows up, down and the same number of seats left and right) went silent...and all heads turned our way.......for several seconds......you could SEE the "WTF!?!?!?!?" on their faces
The Japanese were so embarrassed by the attention that none of them used English in public for the next several days.
It took several attempts at explaining that the words weren't meant, and in those times, just say what you hear....
It was hilarious
With that background you didn't mention, "Ensure Promptness" vs. "Insure Promptness"? My English Teacher mother would never let that slide.
@@randomgrinn Authorities note To Insure Prompt Service is probably a back-formation (and not a rigorous one).
A pet idiom peeve right now is 'spittin(g) image' for 'spit and image,' _spit_ itself being a blurry pronunciation of 'spirit.' "It's the spirit and image of him!"
That was very interesting. I'm American and I'm very familiar with most of these Idioms. It's amazing that some of them survived as long as they did in England, made it over here and hundreds of years later, we're still saying them. Thanks for sharing this. I am subscribing.
Phrases often get 'coined' - posh twits pay for them to be printed - and thereby propagandised ...
... further propagandisation occurs with the texts, including the dictionnaries, that we get rammed down our throats in fish-school ...
...so why do united statsians speak like the inglish (spelled 'english') ...
... same school mind-control program ... same media mind-control program ... same empire funding the programs ...
I don't know how old you are but isn't it possible a lot of American GIs brought these expressions back when they returned home?
I agree with many of the comments. I have heard many of these idioms through the years and use some of them. These are probably heard in most English speaking countries.
That’s interesting as I assumed Americans wouldn’t say these idioms…Australians certainly do!
I remember an incident as a kid regarding "hear a pin drop": our teacher would try to get us to be quiet by telling us to be so quiet we could hear a pin drop and would literally hold up a pin. Of course, we all got really quiet - but not for long. The moment we heard the pin drop (and you actually did!), everybody would break out in a chorus of "I heard it!"
First joke was based on Ade Emondson's appearance in Black Adder.
"How lucky you English are to find the toilet so amusing. For us, it is a mundane and functional item. For you it is the basis of an entire culture."
@tinylilmatt do you assume America has the only president?
@tinylilmatt There is a noticeable more majority of Americans on the internet then other countries.
It's literally called toilet humour
Thanks to the honorable late, great, Sir Thomas Crapper! 💓🚽💕
@tinylilmatt Yes, I do....I think those kind of comments are a show of immaturity. It's not like every country has had perfect leadership. The history books are full of the good, bad and the in between.
Not only was it great to hear the origins of these sayings (have to adnut, there were a few I've never heard of, but still interesting), BUT you actually took the time to go to the locations making it far more interesting. Well done!
I am Australian but my mum and grandparents were immigrants in the 70s. I had quite a broad Yorkshire accent until around age 7 and pretty much had to translate just about every term I used into Aussie for my classmates to know what I was talking about. Even now, 30+ years later, I notice my kids translating certain phrases to their friends lol
I'm a 10 pound pom from 1966, also from Yorkshire, emigrated to Australia. You have to love that accent!
Would you still know how to properly use the Thee, Thou, Dost, Doth, etc...? I do have a reason for asking.
@@madamrockford Sure, if we were living in Elizabethan England.
@@TaureanTrishI wasn't writing to, but Louise Bentley; nonetheless, in Yorkshire, it just so happens that many of the residents speak using Thee & Thou. There are several delightful pockets that do. Next time mind your own business!
@@madamrockford True! You're right. I have family that write their own Yorkshire and use 'thee' a lot!
Just a lovely and comical memory of home.
Wonderful and thank you so much. So interesting . I am a perminantly homesick Brit stuck in boring Melbourne , Australia to be near family. I just adore our British idiocycracies . Sorry am disssskexxxxic . From UK Susie
I believe it was General Patton who said: " The British and the Americans are two peoples separated by a common language."
Wasn't it Churchill who said that?
@@jayonenote7527 Patton heard of it thru his readings. Bernard Shaw said it first in writings,, the way you see it above,
Thank goodness for that. It's also very apparent now that the media are using stupid American ways of speaking English, makes it sound like a foreign language. For instance using the word gotten instead of got, or from the get go instead of from the start or beginning. Americanisms do not improve English, only show how stupid the media are in adopting an inferior way of expressing oneself
jay onenote That’s what I thought
MyPoint ofView - Americans say “he was drugging his feet the whole way here.” Or “I had to drug that TV across the floor.” So odd they are!
With a bakers dozen.. the term “for good measure” also comes from the same rule. A 13th loaf to ensure a good measure
Great site! Love the Brits. Love history too! Great to see the historic buildings and their stories. From the US, keep up the good work.
...ditto...
And we love you back cousin
Brits don't really like being called brits .
That means British , comprising of 4 countries.
We're English dear boy , different class from the lowly ruffians.
(Best said in noel coward voice) 😂😂
@@peterherrington3300 So sorry Peter. We love the English too! Your English dry wit is classic. Sorry to mix the English in the same pot of stew! That being said, I do have a great deal of respect for the English people. Their countless great accomplishments have changed the entire world. The entire free English speaking world has its roots in your English soil.
Hi Joolz, thanks for the awesome video! I'm from Taiwan and I'll be visiting London for the first time next summer. These phrases and history are very helpful and interesting! (P.S. I love your documentaries. Would love to see your take on Taiwan, especially my city Kaohsiung!!)
Afraid China will take Taiwan
My friend is from Taipei and he now lives here in England (in Lancashire) Simonline 😀👍
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I,m 67 and have always found colloquialism fascinating, now I’ve found your channel I,m going to binge watch the lot, thank you for no intrusive LOUD music or flashing lights, just interesting unusual facts, presented in a normal conversational manner, I,m off to have a cup of rosy lee down the apples and pears. ( cringe🙄 ) x
I always heard that a 'baker's dozen' was 13 because children were usually sent to the bakers, and the child was given something for the trip home!
We Americans also have the phrase "on the wagon" and it means the same thing, but we have different origin. Temperance groups would do marches through communities with a bass drum and a wagon full of people who had sworn off alcohol. So, when someone was no longer drinking, they were "on the wagon." And when they resumed drinking, they "fell off the wagon."
This is correct as far as I know. The explanation above is just wishful thinking.
This is a really great video -- it's better than most "tour" videos people make about London. I hope you can make more like this, where you can mention a phrase or a fact while showing us the actual site or artifact that it comes from. That would be really great. Thanks.
Thanks Bruce. The funny thing is this didn't take much time to make. I've been spending ages making my other films but whenever I throw one out in a rush everyone always likes it! Maybe I should rush more! That said, I have quite a lot of videos in which I visit places and explain phrases which sprung from there, but yes, I reckon I'll do more since you liked it!
@@Joolzguides Me thank you too.
Have a good day, Sir !
Hello from America 😊 I may not know my tea, and my expertise only goes as far as knowing what I like.
But. . . I love Twinings tea, especially Prince of Wales.
I do enjoy your videos.☺🌻
Lol, I find the line from “My Fair Lady” when Henry Higgins, speaking on how terrible it is that English isn’t spoken correctly: “...Why, in America they haven’t spoken it for years!...” makes me grin every time.
I’ve always found different accents, phrases & ways of speaking interesting.
It is funny how some idioms are similar in other countries, for example in Mexico we say "aguas" (water -in plural) to refer "watch out with the water coming out of the window", but in modern times to it just means : "be careful"
I read somewhere that "Gardy loo!" (from "regardez l'eau") was where we got the word "loo" from to mean a toilet.
¡Agua va!
@@Gynra Actually, it's "gardez l'eau" - watch out for the water
@@UgleZett I won't argue with you, as it's a corrupted form of French used by ordinary folk. I was just passing on what I read, but I'm happy with either version.
I thought “on the wagon” referred to the temperance wagons complete with bands and signs denouncing alcohol. These were common for attracting attention to other causes that had enough support to organize band wagons: hence the expression for joining any cause that had already gained popularity.
Wouldn't that be joining the bandwagon? Completely different than on the wagon.
Expression is used in US, but usually in the negative. If someone gave up something then start doing it again, their failure is referred to as "falling (fell) off the wagon". Start a new diet then splurge on chocolate cake: off the wagon.
I thought this was the source of the saying as well.
@@rick43pen me too...we use it the same way in SA
I think it sounds like "I will have one more drink"
Isn’t the overhanging feature in Tudor houses because they taxed the size of the house depending on the area on the ground floor not for expelling waste?
Yes that could be one of the reasons, it's definitely not to throw toilet waste out the window. That's largely a myth, waste was usually put into latrines or cesspits and workers were paid (a decent wage for the time) to dig it out and collect it. Heavy fines were levied if you did try and chuck crap out your window.
It's also a good design feature, as the weight of the upper outside walls would stop the upper inside floor from sagging by using the downstairs wall as a pivot.
Actually, I think the fines occurred later when it was decidedly unhealthy practice. It was commonplace before then.
@@Mary-Ann_B_Mabaet People throwing waste out of windows must have happened but we can't be totally sure how commonplace it was, just like now we have laws against things that don't occur particularly often. What we do know is that fouling the roadway was always discouraged and house architecture was never built with that in mind.
Absolutely right, all about tax!
Ground area tax.
Amount of bricks tax! Hence bricks got larger by 50% therefore reducing tax.
Window tax! Hence bricked up windows and the expression "daylight robbery"
Thanks for the enlightenment.
I am a total Anglophile and love all the idioms and sayings. One of my favorites is "climbing the wooden hills to Bedfordshire." I got that from "Midsomer Murders. "
What a fun way to learn about the origins of some of these fun idioms! Can't wait to eventually visit London on my own. Thanks!
With a positive attitude as you have, you'll enjoy it.
It is interesting as to how many of these sayings have crossed the pond.
Most are so old, and America so young (Americans often forget that we have buildings older than their country!) that I'd expect most old sayings to have survived on both sides, and with the birth of the Internet, the new ones would migrate in both directions.
So interesting yes, but a surprise certainly not!
UKMonkey you probably have public toilets older than our country. We think 200 years is a long time
I'm definitely American but my mother could trace back to her great-grandfather. He moved from London to California in the later half of the 19th century. I heard nearly all of these expressions but had no idea where they came from, thanks.
@@menzicosce Unfortunately...older isn't always better. Particularly in the case of buildings and toilets.
Where we don't know how they came to be, either!
Thanks for reminding me of the song "Maybe it's because I'm a londoner", haven't heard that for maybe 20 years or so. I think we used to sing it at school, which is a bit strange, since I'm from Norway.
I believe that the reason that first floors in old houses are bigger than lower floors is because of an old law where you pay more tax on the area covering the ground floor land occurred, this way it would save the owner/renter money, and the slopping out was just done as an afterthought.
I’m an American and familiar with most of the idioms. This is simply fascinating! I never knew the background.
Thanks for posting! I'm a crazy Canadian 'Anglophile ' . I knew some of these things (a geeky history, trivia junkie) It was great to learn about the background. Thanks again :)
I'm an court reporter in the United States, and I love hearing about the origins or our language (yeah, I'm a geek) Thanks for taking the time to make a video.
I love telling folks her about the United States slang we still have from the UK pre-revolution -- bread, dough, and raspberries. You could probably make a funnier video than i could -- probably have.
So Joolz, the overhanging second and third stories of some older buildings is structural and not scatological. The cantilevered floor joists are stronger in the middle and can support more weight with fewer posts than flush construction. It also makes for more room on the upper floors. They do indeed protect the lower walls from rain and _other_ falling moisture but that is not their primary purpose.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jettying
Best wishes to you ...
In Chester there's a row of such houses still standing in the middle of town. Over the centuries the ground floors have been extended to install shop fronts and the upstairs 'front rooms' are now an open walkway in front of the upper level shops. You can still see some of the original floor boards and window seats.
I used to love going there with my dogs, but I can't any more as the steps up to them are more than I can cope with now.
I wouldn't doubt that it was a secondary benefit that the filth could be thrown out a little farther away from the base of the home, but it is clear that is not why they were built that way. It would have just been a happy unintended benefit of the design.
@Thom Looney
I should probably have read the comments before pointing out the very same thing.
You've also written it far more eloquently than I have.
Should I delete...?
What I was told in Germany was that houses were taxed by the footprint at ground level, and this prompted people to build cantilevered upper floors, where they then coincidentally discovered the structural benefits. Whether this is true or not, I can't say, but it is interesting.
horacefarbuckle I was told the same thing in Belgium (which didn’t exist yet at the time but was very likely under the same regime as current Germany was at the time)
Funnily enough, "Bob's your uncle" is the one saying that seems to have stayed with me my entire life coming from British heritage here in Canada. Love the questioning look on faces when I say it.
"Bob's your uncle" need explanation!
@@jeffweed3947 It's a figure of speech, meaning "And there you have it" or "Et Voila".
And can be followed by "and Fanny's your aunt"
That comes from an English Parliamentarian of the late 19th Century named Robert (forget his last name) who was known for granting favours. If he granted you a favour then it was like he was your uncle (nepotism) hence "Bob's you uncle".
@@kiwitrainguy Not convinced.
in dutch we have "de leiding in handen nemen"
which translates to "i'm going to take the lead (in my hands)"
(the "lead" being both leadership and the lead you're holding to piss through)
we also use things like "draning the potatoes", and tearing open a bag of garden soil" for #2
also, we have this word "gezeik" which is the act of pissing, but also is used when people are bothering you with bullshit
so we say: "ik ga even naar m'n eigen gezeik luisteren" (i'll go listen to my own pissing for a while)
I'm from the US and most of these phrases I grew up with. However, it was nice to know some better details behind them
Often read on a toilet wall "here I sit broken hearted paid a penny and only farted"
George Mooyman in Canada, in the 70’s, we had pay toilets, for highway road stops & they required a dime, or slide under the door.😁 Or, Of Gramma’s there, she’d hold the door, so I could sneak in (I was ten). 🥰
Pay phones were a dime, too.
I read on a toilet wall, "My mother made me a puff" and written underneath was the reply, "If I buy the wool will she make me one"
"Pardon my French", is used as an apology when a person unwittingly utters an expletive in polite company. The Americans also use it. The origins are rumoured to date back to Huguenot refugees attempting to Anglicise themselves by speaking only English but occasionally accidentally reverting back to the odd French word in a sentence.
As was usual in English history England was not on good terms with France at the time so speaking French was frowned upon.
Huguenot refugees wanted to display loyalty to their new country, England, hence the apology, "Pardon my French".
AS opposed to now when refugees to England refuse to assimilate.
@@justtowatch111 Hugenots were committed Christians. Todays refugees, fully committed to an ideology hostile to Western Christian civilization and fully committed to replacing it.
@@Appregator My point exactly.
American here and every time I hear someone say, "Pardon my French," I want to slap them upside the head.
@@updownstate Why?
I'm from the UK and was familiar with most of these, but living in the USA now I'd forgotten most of them. Great reminder!
Although I'd have thought the T.I.P. origin story of "to insure promptness" would more accurately be "to Ensure promptness"...
Two words commonly mistakenly interchanged and misused!
Debate?
I quite agree. It seems to me that one must decide which is correct: (a) the traditional gammarian's gripe of people wrongly using insure rather than ensure, or (b), the cutesy anagram for TIP. I'm siding with the grammarians.
In US English, there is no ensure. They only use insure. As tipping originated in Britain, I’m also on the side of the grammarians, which doesn’t mean that Twinings didn’t get on the bandwagon as a marketing stunt.
I'm American, and I'm quite amused by the toilet expressions, as I can't say I've ever heard them in my country. It makes perfect sense to talk about pointing "Terrance at the tiles" or "Percy at the Porcelin," and I suppose that particular wording just sounds good because it's alliterative. Of course, I love how Britts talk about the "loo."
I've just found you and I'm ecstatic by the discovery!!
I'm sure your videos will teach me a lot of English and help me improve my listening comprehension!
Oh! Thanks. You're very kind! Well, most of them are about London but I hope they can help with your English too.
In the spirit of 'on the wagon,' a little macabre history: at the crossing of Edgware Road, Bayswater Road, and Oxford Street (close to Marble Arch) stood the triangular gallows of Tyburn, which gave rise to a number of euphemisms for being hanged: '[to] preach at Tyburn Cross,' 'wear a Tyburn tippet [scarf],' 'dance the Tyburn jig,' etc. 'Tyburn Tree' stood and was used for executions from 1571 to 1759.
One I've heard was "he's going to dance the Danny Deever".
@@AbuMaia01 That would be derived from one of Kipling's 'Barrack Room Ballads," "They're 'angin' Danny Deever in the morning'." There was another term, 'to dance the Newgate polka' which also referred to a hanging.
I was hoping he would explain, "Pip pip, cheerio and all that rot".
Yes....I was expecting the expaination of "cheerio" I suppose it has nothing to do with cereal.
I was hoping for tikiboo.
As a brit myself I’ve never heard those terms being used. Maybe it’s made up?
@@SmilingAdvocate cheerio is very popular down here in the southwest
Dialysisforever it’s tikidaboo.
Fascinating. My Dad was English and our family all still talk about 'spending a penny' here in Australia. He also used to say 'spend a shilling', meaning something a little more substantial. 😉
We say, "He's fallen off the wagon," meaning he had stopped drinking and is getting drunk again. Our illusion is to the temperance movement in America. Supposedly, people who had sobered up would appear at outdoor temperance demonstration, so falling off the wagon meant hitting the bottle once more. Curiously, the expressions fit perfectly and no translation is required.
joolz, Everytime i watch your videos, i learn a lot. thanks for your dedication on them.
I really enjoy your videos . I have heard a different story with regards to being on the wagon, which is not too dissimilar to what you said but it is accompanied with ‘One for the road’ which is used for having one last drink before leaving for home. This came from the condemned prisoner being given a drink at the start of their journey to Tyburn being their last and drunk while they journeyed up Tyburn Road. The Gaoler would also be offered a drink but would refuse as ‘he was on the wagon’ .
That is a different story from the one I heard. The Salvation Army was very keen on recruiting and saving, particularly from the demon drink. They went about with brass band and accompanying singers, and a wagon. Those being collected would climb onto the wagon to be taken to some SA facility for food, housing etc. No more drink.....
I heard that “one for the road” was a drink for the condemned man. As they passed a pub the landlord was obliged to give him a drink. It was the guy driving him that couldn’t drink, therefore he was on the wagon.
I always thought it came from the temperance wagon that people were encouraged to climb on when they'd turned their back on alcohol. Also I think hot chocolate was developed as a substitute for beer.
In Irish Gaelic and Scottish Gallic we have the phrase "Deoch an Dorais" and "Deoch an Doras". That means "The door drink ". That's the equivalent of one for the road.
@@stephennelmes2537 I'd always thought it was related to the temperance wagon too.
I would pay for this type of content. Great information and delivery.
*I payed for this type of content.
One of my favorite English idioms is "Bob's your uncle." I would love to hear an explanation of that one!
Sometimes it is termed “ Bobs your Uncle, Fanny’s your Aunt”Don’t have the foggiest notion where that phrase comes from! 😊
Thought it had something to do with Robert Peel. For him, see 'peelers.'
These kinds of tid bits always fascinate me, good job Jooles!
Thanks. I reckon I'd better do more of these then.
Talking of tid bits, where does that come from?
Ti T bits not Ti D
@@Cheezsoup it's both,depending where you are from
@@stevegray1308
I always assumed it was just the leftpondians being a bit puritanical and not saying tit.
Tip is from 17th Century English, 'to pass, hand or give'. It has sweet Fanny Adams to do with Twinnings.
Did you know that there really was a Fanny Adams? She was a child that got murdered by a loony & he got hanged for the crime. Years after the incident, a Sailor on board his ship loudly complained about his dinner, he points at his bowl of stew in front of his shipmates saying, "THAT'S what happened to Sweet Fanny Adams!". He was basically saying it looked & tasted like 💩, hence Sweet F.A. has the same meaning as 'I don't give a 💩'.
Loads of fun. I always wondered about being on the wagon. I've said it many times with the exact same meaning in the US but I never knew its origins. Thanks mate. 👍🏼
I always thought it meant being on the water wagon.
@@n.mcneil4066
My entire life it meant someone that is not drinking alcohol but I never knew where the expression came from.
I enjoy these videos, always learn something new joolz .
Spent 14 months in East Anglia and 3 years in Wiltshire. Love it. Your videos are a great reminder of being there. Thank you.
Where in Wiltshire, may I ask? I’ve lived here all my life and love it..
"You mean you crap out the window?"
"Yes!"
"Well in that case we'll definitely take it."
Black adder ?
@@JohnHowlett correct
@@Calum_S Blackadder 2 to be precise.
I can't stand them dirty indoor things.
@fus149 Hammer Wait till you see my fascinating array of skin diseases though.
Many of these expressions are commonly used in the States. Interesting to hear the history of these expressions.
they're used commonly in all english speaking countries, funny that, almost like they had a common background lol
Fantastic. 👌
Very interesting information.
Keeping British history, heritage, and culture alive.👍
Thanks from 🇹🇹
A good video, fun and informative with interesting origins of these sayings.
Very interesting. I delight in learning the origins of expressions in our English (international) language. I'm a seventy -six years old Australian,
the son of a Scotsman. When dad had a few beers he was hard to understand, and very amusing. So, his mates would try to wind him up with
lager. Then I'd have to quiz him with please explains. English language, I love it, in all its' forms and accents, and origins!
I always thought a "baker's dozen" was from a baker making one extra to taste for him/herself.
It's from ensuring no space is wasted between loaves when baking three rows in an oven of common size (4-5-4). Also, people have never commonly emptied their chamber pots onto the street in all but the worst corners of any town (as you were heavily fined for doing so and there were legal ways to get rid of all sorts of waste including that kind) and the supposed reason for jettied floors is thus painfully wrong (they simply wanted to have more storage/living space). And the origin of "tip" strikes me as highly unlikely as well. The London-specific trivia may be correct, but given the quality of the general stuff... lordy.
Stupid English people just didn't know how to count past 10, and that was if they had all their fingers.
@@jasonrhodes9683 I'll have you know the Cornish regularly make it to eleven.
i always though it was incae want dropped or did not turn out right. was whet ther was an extra one just in case
@@hammerhiem75 its not fair if you are counting your missing teeth.
The overhanging fronts enabled the owner extra space.
Whilst taxes where calculated on the area of the houses ground level.
If the tax thing were true, the government would just adjust the tax laws to the primary style of building. In reality, the cost to build a house was largely the cost of the stone foundation portion. Also, from an architecture point of view, a support beam supported only by its ends tends to sag. The overhang supports the beams a few ft from the ends and reduces sag by providing a counterweight on the other side. Also, there were rules about the width of the street that limited the size of homes, but the second floor was allowed to extend further, so home owners did it to get the additional space.
This is true, Tom Scott did a video on it.
Yes I heard that too
Matt & 44 thumbs-uppers - Obviously people below getting hit w/shyte & urine had MORE to do with it that a few extra feet of space..........I imagine these owners would eventually get killed for THAT. cheers
@@dr.elizabethmartin7118 Except that it makes no sense. If you wanted to toss poop out your front window, what difference would it make to extend your window out 4 ft? If that were the primary goal (waste disposal), a much simpler solution would have been created, such as a chute or 100 other better ideas than "extend the whole front of the building".
Fascinating to learn the history behind these common sayings. 🤓
(01:33) The cantilevered floor is called "jettying", and has nothing to do with throwing chamber pots out of windows.
It was simply to improve living space - nothing more than that.
The contents of the chamber pot landing farther away may have been a fortunate accident, but it certainly has nothing to do with the architectural design itself.
When I was there I specifically asked a friend for some idioms about needing to use the toilet and learned, "Mrs. Brown is at the Window" and "The Sour Apple Quickstep". Both are golden.
Press a brick
Recycle some beer
Shake hands with my best friend
Use a gallon of water
The Great Exhibition was not at Crystal Palace. It was in Hyde Park. The structure that housed the exhibition was called ‘The Crystal Palace’ and was meant to be temporary, but it was so popular and admired that a decision was taken to preserve it and in 1854 it was moved to Sydenham Hill, and the area became known as Crystal Palace because of it. The Crystal Palace burned down in 1936. The foundations are still visible in Crystal Palace Park (I used to live a stones throw from the park back in the 80s).
The “on the wagon” part was interesting. Building on that, I guess, is why in America we say “fell off the wagon “ when someone who is trying to stay sober starts drinking again
Here in The Netherlands we know "You could hear a pin drop' as 'Je kon een speld horen vallen' practically the same! Also a 'Baker's dozen' is known here, but only with an other story. Here in The Netherlands, the bakers baked 'Beschuit' in amounts of 25 pieces. Shops who sold the beschuit sometimes ordered half of the amount. But 25 devided by 2 is of course 12,5. So the bakers sold the shop owners 13 pieces of beschuit.
I read years ago that the bakers' dozen was a french revolutionary thing. They had passed some VERY vicious laws about food prices - when there was a grain shortage - and no-one could afford to be caught giving short measure. So that would be around 1795?
Thanks Joolz! I'm American, and never knew about any of these idioms. Learn something new every day! Fascinating!
0:47 That's just my kind of humor 🤣 We german neighbours btw. have some funny stuff for that as well, as for example "Ein Snickers abseilen", which roughly translates to "lower down a chocolate bar on a rope".
Make a deposit in the federal land bank. When I was little somebody threw a Baby Ruth candy bar in the pool.
There are so many phrases that would be interesting to learn about. Bob's your uncle, sixes and sevens, and so on. Apparently I've been pronouncing Twinings wrong for years as well.
Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt
Tmuk2 -not familiar with fanny’s your aunt. However, the implication is disturbingly funny.
They both mean
There you go....thats it.. in esscence the last word final outcome..
If you cross the road without looking you get run over and killed..then its Bobs your uncle.
Dead
After extensive research (a quick Google), I have been able to ascertain that the phrase "Bob's your uncle" possibly originated as a result of the supposed nepotism of the Third Marquis of Salisbury (Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil) in appointing a favourite nephew, Arthur Balfour, to several political posts in the 1880s, "Bob" was literally his uncle and made things easy for him to accomplish. Another suggestion is that it came from a music hall song of the 1930s.
The best I can manage for "at sixes and sevens" is that it originated from a dice game as far back as the 14th century, when it had a different meaning, viz, to risk everything carelessly.
@@Gynra Six and seven also don't factor into the same numbers at all... until you reach 42.
My grandad used to say “me dogs are barking” His feet were hurting. Lol. We’d go for a butchers at something. And, he’d have an oily rag while I was on the pot. It’s like a different language I suppose for others, outside of England.
Super super great video ! I’m english , but I learnt more in the last ten minutes about some of the expressions than in all of my life ! I live in France and teach English to adult groups . All the groups will be watching and listening to you in the next few days ! Well done Joolz !
Thanks for the video Joolz. I heard that another reason for the Baker's Dozen was because the head cook or butler would send one of the workers down to the bakery to pick up the pastries or bread that had been ordered and sometimes, they would sample the wares on their way home. Upon receipt of the package, they would find one missing. So, the bakers, who wanted to maintain good relations with the customer, thought it better to send an extra rather than quibble about how many were sent. Are there any historical references that would confirm this assumption?
Love this stuff. I'm subscribing right now. Great job "Joolz" !
I learned that during famine times in Ireland, a landlord, Lord Coventry, treated his tenants so bad that people decided to give him the silent treatment, and that's where the phase being sent to Coventry came from. It's interesting hearing other versions of it.
Are you perhaps thinking of Charles Cunningham Boycott? There doesn't appear to be any record of the Earl of Coventry owning land in Ireland, or his being connected to the phrase, but I stand to be corrected.
@@utrinqueparatus4617 I thought 'boyvott' would be included here, but i guess he decided to ignore it.
@@roberts5539 Well, the adaptation of the word as a verb originated in Ireland, so it would be less relevant to the context.
@@RockyRoader didn't know that. That makes sense.
You’re thinking of boycott.
"Me bomb doors are shaking!" immediate discharge of the stool kind within seconds.
I've bombed a few toilets in my day, day before yesterday i managed to fill it above the water and clogged the powerful commercial toilet, and I was so proud that fact that I spent 5 minutes bragging about it to a random stranger on the internet
@@arthas640 Seriously, I hope you're kidding
@Dan Sheppard Or "Touching cloth" or even " My turtles head is coming out"
Hey, nice job! I often watch English history vids all day long. I'm also aware of current events "across the pond". But, I never get a sense of what England sounds and feels like. I think you also help us Americans in understanding British mentality. Thanks!
You know what mate, people take our stif upper lip nature and construes as we do not care about anything. But we actually do, but in a different way.
It's a good job that videos like this are around as the more of our culture is lost the more valuable this sort of thing will become
Spend a penny, well known.
Hearing a pin drop, is actually not just British, but used in Norwegian as well.
Baker's dozen, I heard for the first time in Canada!
Being on the wagon, also well known, and actually also used in Norway! Vannvogna = the water wagon.
Hobson's choice seems to be missing from your list, as well as why it rains cats & dogs!
"Release a chocolate hostage." Lol. Hilarious!
Never gonna eat chocolate again 🙈
@@monamohammad3494 Gee, let's not get so overly emotional about it! You don't have to be a Vulcan to ignore the idea that chocolate=dung.
😂😂😂😂😂, reminds me of a naughty song kids used to sing when we were kids
"Give birth to a Republican."
...because you can't find enough sh*t on this hemisphere for a Democrat! ;o)
I'm dead 💀
Do more of these, please, I love the differences between British and American English!
The British are a political union and not a country... England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland make up these islands ... No country called British.
The British removed the English nationality in 1981 with the British nationality act.
England is a captive nation and the last significant colony of the British empire.
@ozone1959 The country as a union is Britain and citizens are Britons.
@@annmcgranaghan2131 Britons are not British... And man and women are not citizens or persons, unless you are want to be a slave.
LOOK UP A WARRIOR CALLS CHANNEL BY CHRISTOPHER JAMES AND FIND OUT WHO YOU ARE 😁 👍
@ozone1959 Oh I know who I am and I don't need you to tell me. I am Scottish and since Scotland is one country of Britain I am therefore British. However I would not say I am a British, I would say I am a Briton. Grammar!
....or, “You use to have to spend a penny whenever you needed to leave a pound”
In for a penny, in for a pound?
In the New England states of the US they say "spend a penny" or bury a Quaker"
Not sure why but that was funny. I'd personally leave a Baker's dozen for a penny
Debi Sieger I’ve never heard that before; I believe you, but I wouldn’t be *proud to spread it around. 🤭
Really enjoyed this Joolz .. I’ve been teaching English in Italy for years and shall certainly recommend you to my older students !
Loved it. Thanks.
Here I sit broken-hearted,
Spent a penny,
And only farted.
You still hear the over 60's saying I'm going to spend a penny, i love it.
Nicole Powell I’m under 60 and still say it
@@india239 Hi i was trying to round it up, i'm 47 although i don't say it and never did because it was my grandparents that would say it it would be sad if you never hear again.
If you are interested in old, and I mean , really old ways, find the “Decameron “ by Boccaccio. You’ll love it. What an eye opener.
And there’s “Canterbury Tales,” next on the list.
Very well done!! Really enjoyed it!! Thank you 😊 👍
Just found your channel and I love it. Having lived in London I always look for informative ones and you for the bill
To insure promptness? Has the spelling of ensure changed over the years?
Ha. Also, the first known recording of a "T.I.P. box" didn't appear until the 1940s (in Time or Life magazine I think it was) where they claimed the tradition was centuries old in Europe, though no evidence for the claim was given. And we have no older records of people commenting on or using such boxes. So the thought that this started hundreds of years ago and was in widespread use and no one ever thought to write about it until the 1940s seems unlikely.
Plus, it doesn't make sense. A non-transparent wooden box? How would anyone know you "insured promptness" at all that way? Or that you didn't just drop in a penny rather than a pound (modern term equivalents, I'm not calculating inflation)? It's a terrible way to "insure" anything. Any tipping for promptness would be far more effective just slipped straight into the hand of the person you want to bribe to be prompt (a tradition that certainly does go back centuries, or even millennia).
Even the claim that the word is an acronym for "To Insure Promptness" at all is pretty much agreed by linguists to be a backronym, or an acronym formed after the fact to give a word already in use retroactive meaning. So probably the word 'tip' came first, no one knows why, and then a century or so later, in a flight of journalistic fancy to make overseas travel that much more exotic and foreign, some reporter invented a story about the origin of tipping with the acronym inserted.
Also the fact that acronyms themselves were not really common (or commonly understood by the layman) until the industrial revolution of the mid-1800s, when railroads began to spread the idea by labeling lines with acronyms--think the B&O line in Monopoly--to make then fit on less paper for printed schedules and in newspapers (because it was cheaper and it meant the paper was more likely to print them). This was further spread by the use of ticker-tape machines and telegraphs in the late 1800s, where you paid by the character and acronyms were far cheaper to send. They grew in use through the 1920s (especially in company names and advertising), but EXPLODED in popularity during and following WWII, where they became cultural commonplace due to military terminology. And that happens to be precisely when the first recorded instance that the word "tip" was really "T.I.P." was written down.
The box in the company museum was likely made in the mid-1900s to brag to tourists and further create a mystique for a long-established British company looking for a marketing edge.
@MusicMadMaurice AFTER a meal or service?
We also have tip jars in the US. We truly need to leave room for cultural and time period customs having changed.
As I have mentioned elsewhere, tipping is supposed to be extra(ordinary). Like the army handing out medals. Not ment to be an every day practice.
And as for 'ensure', it means to make certain, 'insure' means to protect against.
"Where there's muck there's brass" "In for a penny in for a pound"
OY! I almost forgot lol. Could you please make a video about TEA. Make sure to include Twinnings, PG Tips, Earl Grey, and Typhoo. Thanks again and ttfn
Prepperjon how about Yorkshire gold?
TEA. “To Ensure Awakeness”.
I'm American/Texan, and I really enjoyed your video.
What an interesting and well presented video. Excellent stuff! Please, more of these 'idiom' videos.
👍
What about “Bob’s your uncle”? I always wondered how that odd saying came about.
And why are the police called Old Bill?
@OriginalYithian ;)
Bob's your uncle derives from the man who set up the first Police force in Britain- Roberts (Bob) Peele. The saying is meant to mean that everything is great if Bob's your uncle because he was a policeman so you'd never have hassle etc.
It comes from the dubious appointment to a privileged political position of the nephew of Sir Robert Peel, the founder of the British police force. It was to infer that he would not have got the appointment but for the intervention of his uncle Robert. The saying "Bob's your uncle" would always be a accompanied by a knowing wink.
Bobs your uncle and fannies your aunt.
Pip pip, cheerio, Bob's your uncle, huzzah, what's all this then.
As an English person, I'd like to say I've never heard many of the toilet euphemisms but I'd understand what they meant even if I'd never heard them before. It also depends on which region of England you're from.
I think a couple of those were American, Drop the kids off at the pool? I didn't hear that until we went international with the internet, or drain the vein.
@@jessiecator1740 yeah, there were a few that didn't sound very English
Great explanations for those sayings, which we still use today.