Quirky idioms have embellished everyday English language for centuries, as you will be aware if someone rubbed you up the wrong way recently by jumping the gun out of the blue.



When hangry, bants and manspreading made it into the dictionary last month, it was further recognition of the creative new ways we find to communicate.



But while manspreading probably arose from someone’s angry text to a friend after being squished into the side of her seat, and hangry when they felt tetchy because they missed breakfast, some idioms have much more colourful origins.

In falconry, for example.

Waiting with bated breath

Bate is used to describe the moment when a falcon tries to fly but is tied up with string, attached to a block on the ground or held in the falconer’s hand.

The bird can become short of breath as it flies on the spot, waiting to be released by its handler. So next time you’re waiting for someone to email you back, just remember it could be worse: at least you don’t have to run on the spot.



At the end of your tether

A tether is another word for the string tied to a falcon to stop it flying off. This phrase comes from the action of a bird, typically a young, untrained falcon, who bates from his perch – hence being at the end of your tether, meaning being a bit frustrated, to say the least.

Haggard

A haggard falcon is one that is caught from the wild as an adult. They can often look a bit underweight and worse for wear, shall we say, hence the word being a little less than complimentary.

Under the thumb

A falconer will hold the bird’s rope under the thumb to prevent it from flying away. This phrase has come to mean having someone under your control, usually in a relationship. But in the bird’s case, it’s literally held under the thumb so it can pose for a bunch of people who have just watched it fly around for an hour in exchange for a bit of dead rabbit.

In addition to using birds of prey to help us add colour to our vocabulary, we have the sea to thank for many of the English language’s quirks.

Turning a blind eye

During the battle of Copenhagen in 1801, the admiral in overall command sent a signal via a system of flags to Admiral Horatio Nelson’s forces, telling them to stop their attack.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Nelson literally turned a blind eye to an order he disagreed with. Photograph: The Royal Navy Museum/PA

Nelson lifted the telescope to his blind eye, said he didn’t see a signal, and ignored the order.

Cock-up

This stems from the habit of sailors leaving their yards untidy, and “cocked up” at different angles. Knowing this makes the phrase a little bit less funny, somehow.

Dogsbody

You might refer to yourself as a dogsbody if your job requires a lot of running around, doing tasks no one else is willing to do. But there would at least be the promise of a room temperature sandwich and wrinkly satsuma to help break up the day.

“Dogsbody” comes from a dish people ate when at sea. It consisted of passengers’ leftovers, mixed with ship’s biscuits and reheated. Nothing you’d wait with bated breath for, put it that way.

Worth your salt

If you do happen to work as a poor dogsbody, at least there’s the reward of real money at the end of the month. This phrase comes from the Roman custom of paying soldiers and sailors part of their wages in salt.

