| Baker’s Dozen |
| meaning: |
thirteen items |
| origin: |
During medieval times, there were severe penalties for anyone who sold goods with short weight. Therefore bakers often gave an extra loaf when selling a dozen. |
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| Dressed to the nines |
| meaning: |
dressed flamboyantly |
| origin: |
During renaissance times, tailors were known to use up to nine yards of cloth to create elaborate suits for the well dressed gentry. |
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| Field Day |
| meaning: |
a special or enjoyable time |
| origin: |
In the middle ages, fairs and traveling shows were usually set up in open fields. |
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| Freelance |
| meaning: |
working wherever jobs can be found rather than for one steady employer |
| origin: |
During medieval times, a knight (or lance) without ties to an overlord was free to accept employment wherever he could find it. |
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| Scot free |
| meaning: |
to escape from pursuers or to get off without payment |
| origin: |
In early Scotland, villagers didn’t have to pay taxes, which was also know as a “scot”, therefore they got off … |
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| Hold a candle |
| meaning: |
to aid or assist. The expression “can’t hold candle” means to compare poorly to something else. |
| origin: |
In medieval times, young apprentices were expected to hold a candle for a more experienced workman so that they could see what they were doing. |
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| Middle of the road |
| meaning: |
opting to go neither one way or another |
| origin: |
During the middle ages, when food and waste were thrown from buildings into the street gutters, the center of the road was often the only safe place to walk. |
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| Spill the beans |
| meaning: |
divulge a secret |
| origin: |
When votes were taken in ancient Greece, white beans indicated positive votes and black beans were negative votes. If a black vote was accidentally seen before the vote was complete, the collector was said to have done this. |
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| Rule of thumb |
| meaning: |
according to a rough and ready rule |
| origin: |
During the 17th century, an English judge made a ruling that a man could beat his wife with a stick as long as is was no bigger than his thumb. |
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| Dog day |
| meaning: |
very hot day |
| origin: |
In Roman times, the scholars noticed that the hottest days of the year (in July & August) seem to coincide with the siting of the evening star Sirius, aka the Great Dog. |
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| Blackmail |
| meaning: |
to exhort money or something of value |
| origin: |
Sixteenth century Scottish farmers paid their rent, or mail, to English landlords in the form of silver money also known as white mail, or livestock , which was known as the opposite. |
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| Kick the bucket |
| meaning: |
to die |
| origin: |
In primitive times, slaughtered animals were hung from a wooden frame known as a bucket. Sometimes in their death spasms, the animals would actually kick the wooden frame. |
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| Bonfire |
| meaning: |
a large outdoor fire |
| origin: |
In England during the middle ages, pagans held a summer festival each year where they would build large fires to burn the bones of livestock slaughtered during the past year. |
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