Monthly Archives: February 2012

Egg on your face

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Today’s phrase is: Egg on your face.

Explanation:  If you have egg on your face, this means you have made a big mistake, or you look foolish or embarassed.

Example:  Sarah was so embarrassed after realizing she’d calculated the quarter’s profits all wrong – she had egg on her face.

Origin:  There are a variety of theories on this one:

  • An incompetent actor might be pelted with eggs due to a poor performance
  • Poor manners and sloppy eating would leave you with egg on your face instead of in your mouth!
  • Farm dogs would stop protecting hens and start eating their eggs, and egg on their face would be a sign of their behaviour

Hair shirt

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Today’s phrase is hair shirt. I’ve read about these a few times, but never been clear on exactly what they were.

Explanation: A hair shirt (also known as a cilice) is a garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair.  They are uncomfortable, and would be worn by a penintent person, as a sign of repentance and atonement.

Example: As part of his sacrifice for Lent, John decided to stop wearing his regular undershirts, and chose to wear a hair shirt.

Origin: This term comes from Psalm 35:13, “Ego autem, cum mihi molesti essent, induebar cilicio”, which translates to hair shirt or sack cloth, depending on which translation of the Bible you use.

From soup to nuts

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Today’s phrase is from soup to nuts. 

Explanation: The idiom from soup to nuts means from beginning to end.

Example:  Justin knew he was in trouble when Jackie told him to sit down. She was going to run through a complete list of all his faults – from soup to nuts.

Origin:  This expression is derived from the description of a full course dinner, which starts with an appetizer of soup, and ends with a dessert of nuts.  Alternate versions of are “From eggs to applies” and “From pottage to cheese”.

Cheek by jowl

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Today’s expression is cheek by jowl.

Explanation: If you say something or someone is cheek by jowl, you mean that they are very close together,  practically side by side.

Example: Caitlin hated taking the subway at rush hour, she was always stuffed in cheek by jowl with tons of other people.

Origin: This phrase, the first recorded use of which is in 1577, is based on the idea that a cheek and jowl (which can refer to your jaw or chin) are close together,

Coming down the pike

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Today’s phrase is the English expression coming down the pike.

Explanation:  The phrase coming down the pike means something that appears or comes forward.

Example: Jeff took careful note of everyone’s ideas, but refused to make a decision on what kind of cake to order. He said “I have to wait and see if any other ideas come down the pike before I can decide what to pick”.

Origin: Pike is short for turnpike here, which is a toll booth or a toll highway.  So – in this case, coming down the pike can mean the same as “down the road” – basically, things that might occur in the future.

There seems to be much confusion as to whether you can use “coming down the pike” and “coming down the pipe”. I’ve heard both used interchangeably.