Why you say it...
"EGGSPRESSIONS"
To have EGG on your face
To lay an EGG
To put all your EGGS in one basket
To be a good EGG
To have a nest EGG
To walk on EGG shells
To be an EGGhead
And those are some of eggspressions that we use.
"GOLF"
The game of GOLF was invented in Scotland.
This new leisure activity was reserved for the male gender and was referred to as "Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden".
The acronym stuck and we still refer to it in the English language as "GOLF".
And that's why we say it!
"ERIN GO BRAGH"
The popular phrase "Erin go Bragh" (or "Erin go Braugh") means "Ireland forever".
It's the anglicised version of the Gaelic phrase (Éireann go Brách) which is known by many Irish Americans.
The English words and spelling are quite meaningless.
And that's why we say it!
"SANDWICH"
Anytime you eat a sandwich, you help perpetuate the memory of an English nobleman in the 18th century.
John Montagu, fourth Earl of Sandwich, had a passion for gambling. Since his time was usually limited, he often directed a servant to bring him roast beef between slices of bread so he could eat at the gambling table.
As a result, his royal title attached to this early form of fast food and "sandwich" soon became familiar throughout the world.
And that's why we say it!
"AMERICA"
You probably learned in school that our nation -- plus both New World continents -- honors the memory of Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci. But why?
Well, Amerigo made several voyages to the West and once spent a few days on the coast of Brazil. Writing about his adventures in 1503, he described western lands as a world that Europeans had not even imagined.
Geographers took that description of the New World very seriously and they named this new world in honor of the explorer.
By the time other explorers had learned that Amerigo had made only minor additions to the discoveries of Columbus, it was too difficult to get the maps changed.
As a result, the name of a mediocre adventurer covers most of the land surface of the western hemisphere.
And that's why we say it!
"TEDDY BEAR""
In 1902 President Theodore Roosevelt was on a hunting trip in Mississippi. As reported in the Washington Post, the presidential hunting party. trailed and lassoed a lean, black bear, then tied it to a tree. The president was summoned, but when he arrived on the scene he refused to shoot the tied and exhausted bear, considering it to be unsportsmanlike.
The Washington Post published a cartoon of the incident and the cartoon was seen by a Brooklyn, NY, shopkeeper who displayed two bears in the window of his shop and called them TEDDY BEARS after receiving permission from Roosevelt himself to use the name "teddy bear".
P.S. - the novelty shop went on to become what we know today as the Ideal Toy Company.
And that's why we say it!
"WEAR YOUR HEART ON YOUR SLEEVE""
In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To "wear your heart on your sleeve" now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.
And that's why we say it!
"HORSE AROUND"
More than any other large domestic animal, horses enjoy a vigorous frolic. Turned loose in a pasture, two or three or more of them are likely to run and jump as well as nuzzle one another. Such horseplay is spontaneous, and seems to have little if any structure.
Every sizable group of persons includes at least one who pays no attention to rules and precedents. Cracking joke on minute and cutting capers the next, such a person likes to "horse around" -- much like a stallion turned into a pasture with a couple of mares.
And that's why we say it!
"NO SPRING CHICKEN"
New England farmers found that chickens born in the Spring brought premium prices in the Summer market places. Sometimes they tried to deceive customers by offering old birds as though they belonged to the Spring crop.
Wise buyers would protest that a tough fowl was "no spring chicken". As a result, the barnyard term came to designate persons as well as birds who were past the plump and tender age.
And that's why we say it!
"O.K."
When you're carefully scrutinized and pronounced to be "OK", you'll get an insurance policy, a promotion or an extension of your credit. Anytime that happens, you can thank an often overlooked president of the United States..
Admirers of Martin Van Buren, born in Kinderhook, New York, lauded him as "Old Kinderhook" when at age fifty-eight he made a bid for a second term in the White House. Running against war hero William Henry Harrison, it was an uphill battle.
Democrats of New York City formed a booster club and launched a campaign to raise money and win votes. On March 23, 1840, the city's NEW ERA newspaper published an announcement: "The Democratic O.K. Club are hereby ordered to meet at the house of Jacob Calvin on Tuesday evening".
During a heated campaign that fizzled in the end, the president's abbreviated nickname popularized the rare New England phrase.
Since then, the American-born political slogan has spread around the world.
And that's why we say it!
"PRIMA DONNA"
A person doesn't have to be an entertainer in order to be known among colleagues as a "prima donna". Anyone may gain the title, if others conclude that he or she is overly temperamental or conceited.
This usage is Italian, pure and unadulterated.
Literally meaning "first lady" it has been employed for centuries as a title of respect for the leading female member of an opera company. Like some stars today, the prima donna was granted special privileges and perks, which, when combined with rave reviews on her talent and beauty, could make her vain and demanding.
About 200 years ago, many of our ancestors decided that it was better to have as little as possible to do with the first lady of a visiting opera company. Adopting at home the title bestowed on the opera company's first lady, unchanged in spelling, they began using it in a derogatory sense.
Once started, it soon became standard throughout the English-speaking world.
And that's why we say it!
"BLOCKBUSTER"
Any time a blockbuster movie or novel is released, lines are sure to form. Producers and publishers know that the glow won't last long, so they want to cash in while they can.
The earliest "blockbusters" originated during World War II. A "blockbuster" was a high explosive bomb that could level an entire block.
Eventually, anything that made a considerable impact, like a spectacularly successful enterprise or production, took the name of the most powerful bomb prior to the advent of nukes.
And that's why we say it!