Origin of phrases or sayings

[Davycc]

I'm a great lover of finding out where the origins of phrases come from, such as 3 sheets to the wind" when describing a drunk walking. Allegedly refers to a ship in a storm having all its sails up and being blown around (in a storm apparently you should stow your sails) or my favourite, giving the 2 fingers sign is apparently connected to the long bow archers of medieval times. These archers took years to master the bow not just in skill but in strength. So when an archer was caught he'd have his first two finger cut off rendering him useless as an bowman. Therefore when in battle the bowmen would raise their 2 fingers to the enemy to show they had never been caught and suffered such punishment.

[NottinghamWhite]

A lot of sayings in modern English started with the Royal Navy.

[Davycc]

another is "a flash in the pan" meaning that in old flintlock rifles there would be a flash in the pan but the charge for the round would not ignite therefore causing a missfire.

[Deleted User 728]

"Show the ropes" was another maritime phrase that made into the mainstream. Back in the day it literally meant show a rookie how the ropes work on the rigging.

And before anyone asks, no I'm not an expert "rigger"

[NottinghamWhite]

I've often wondered who Larry was and why was he so blooming happy ?

[Deleted User 728]

I think most of you know I'm a Francophone and love everything about France - I spent ten years with a French gf and my mum's parents were both French too, so I am qualified to play for them alongside Matt Le Tiss and Graeme Le Saux

I've got a couple of books on this very subject but they're written in French and intended to explain peculiar colloquialisms and sayings for foreigners. They're both called "Ciel mon Mari !" which literally translates as "Sky my husband !" but in reality means "Oh my god, hubbie's home early !" to which the lover's correct response is to get his trousers back on toot sweet and get the hell out of there.
The book is chock full of weird and wonderful phrases that really don't translate:

Aller au fil de l'eau = To go at the thread of water = To drift
Avoir les foies = To have the livers = To be scared
Sucrer les fraises = To sugar the strawberries = To be old and doddery
Un froid de canard = A cold of duck = Brass monkey weather

... which of course begs the question where does the phrase "cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey" come from ?? Anyone ??

[Deleted User 728]

Larry must surely be Grayson ??

[NottinghamWhite]

Larry must surely be Grayson ??

Close

As happy as Larry

more like this...
...other phrases about:
Australia
Meaning

Very happy.

Origin

Larry - certainly the best known character in the world of similes. The expression he instigated is most likely to be of Australian or New Zealand origin. The earliest printed reference currently known is from the New Zealand writer G. L. Meredith, dating from around 1875:

"We would be as happy as Larry if it were not for the rats".

Almost all the other early citations are from Australia or New Zealand; for example, this from Tom Collins (the pen name of the popular Australian writer Joseph Furphy), in Barrier Truth, 1903:

"Now that the adventure was drawing to an end, I found a peace of mind that all the old fogies on the river couldn't disturb. I was as happy as Larry."

But who was Larry? There are two commonly espoused contenders. One is the Australian boxer Larry Foley (1847 - 1917). Foley was a successful pugilist who never lost a fight. He retired at 32 and collected a purse of £1,000 for his final fight. So, we can expect that he was known to be happy with his lot in the 1870s - just when the phrase is first cited.

The alternative explanation is that it relates to the Cornish and later Australian/New Zealand slang term 'larrikin', meaning a rough type or hooligan, that is, one predisposed to larking about. 'Larrikin' would have been a term that Meredith would have known - the earliest printed reference is also from New Zealand and around the time of the first citation, in H. W. Harper's Letters from New Zealand, 1868:

"We are beset with larrikins, who lurk about in the darkness and deliver every sort of attack on the walls and roof with stones and sticks."

[Deleted User 728]

You don't get this level of discussion on any other football site, do you ??

We're so highbrow !

[SMorientes]

'beset with larrikins' is a great phrase