Previously I wrote about the common expressions we use daily, and I focused on the themes of animals and music. I ended the trivia about animals with a promise to treat more 'general' idioms in the same fashion.
Accordingly, I will 'start from scratch' and tell you that many years ago, this expression referred to competitive sporting events where a starting line was scratched in the dirt. You can imagine this meant a 'race' (or competition), could be held absolutely anywhere.
A slight variation - 'come (or be) up to scratch' - belonged to the boxing ring, wherein a contestant, once knocked down, was allowed a 30 second interval, and then a further 8 seconds to regain the ability to come unaided to a line marked in the centre of the ring, or...'up to scratch'.
At the essential core of all things is the 'nitty gritty' - we all know that. But do we also know that originally this referred to an unclean scalp (on an equally unclean, poor or rough person), and to the inevitable nits or lice causing a build-up of scales, and an itch that must be scratched. Easy then to follow the logic of probing deeply to get to the bottom of the problem.
Too often, a desirable plan or outcome is a matter of 'touch and go', and we understand the words to clearly indicate a decidedly risky undertaking. However, an older definition came from the days of stagecoaches and the fierce and usually unfriendly competitive nature of their journeys. In their frenzied attempts to overtake each other, dangerous tactics could mean the difference between a 'touch' (or entanglement of wheels with diabolical consequences) and a 'go' (where the 'touch' was light enough to allow continuance without harm to either stagecoach). And so we can see how our 'plan' becomes a finely balanced matter, capable of toppling over at the slightest 'wrong touch' or miscalculated step.
The phrase 'throwing someone off the scent', whilst meaning today to divert interest away from what is actually happening, simultaneously conjures up clear pictures of a sniffer dog on the trail of a fugitive, being somehow distracted from his focus. It clearly follows that a well-trained and experienced hound rarely loses this valuable 'scent' without extraordinary distraction.
In the past, this has included the well-known crossing of water, however more recent research has found that a keen hound can still smell the fugitive in the air above the water, thus requiring him to swim for a considerable distance in rapidly moving waters before re-emerging onto land again. Another cruel approach has been to sprinkle pepper across the 'path' to seriously interrupt his ability for some hours, and even permanently damage the fine inner structure and capability of that sensational nose and scenting ability.
As the dog is following one particular individual's scent, plus the countless skin cells that are dropped constantly as we move, there is little hope for the fugitive. Probably not much hope for the person just trying to divert attention, either. It seems there's really no option except to 'face the music' and 'stand and deliver' the truth.
The beautiful white strip down a horse's face is called a 'blaze', and interestingly, is actually linked to the idiom 'to blaze a trail'. Whenever a pioneer or explorer wished others to know and follow the direction he was taking, particularly through a forest or treed area, he would chip off bark from a conspicuous tree at regular intervals. The newly bared spot would look almost white - like the horse's blaze - hence 'trail-blazers' who most certainly did not want to throw their followers 'off the scent'.
And finally, when we hear that a competitor 'wins hands down', we are in no doubt that this was a clear and exceptional victory with a wide winning margin. Few know these words have their origins in horse-racing parlance. When it's a close finish to a race, the jockey will be gripping the reins and wielding his whip furiously to attempt a win 'by a nose'.
But if victory is clear and easy, he will not only relax his grip, but in a gesture of absolute domination and contempt, actually drop the reins altogether and hang his hands to his sides, thus 'winning hands down'. Oh-h-h, the humiliation for his followers!
So, next time one of these succinct sayings slip from your lips, you may smile as you remember 'from whence they came', and maybe wonder, as I often do, how many of today's expressions will 'go the distance' of these golden oldies.
© 2012 Christine Larsen All Rights Reserved Worldwide
If you enjoyed this article, maybe you would like to read about the origins of some idioms of other kinds? Just look for my ezine articles with the prefix 'Wacky Words of Wisdom....' These include a nautical theme, as well as commonly used animal and musical phrases.
And look for Prefer Wacky Words? or Wise? at my website - ceedee moodling
Oh yes, and while you're there, feel free to wander around that particular corner of my world - all brand new and developing, day by day.
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