![]() ![]() 'Knackers' was also once used to mean castanets, which then saw it become a slang term for testicles. This was used by James Joyce in his 1922 classic Ulysses, in which he wrote: Eh, Harry, give him a kick in the knackers.' 'Knacker's yard' is also on the list - which dates back to the 19th century and refers to places where old and injured animals, usually horses, were killed. The use of mercury compounds in 19th century hat making and the resulting effects are well-established, with mercury poisoning still known today as 'Mad Hatter's disease'. Mercury was historically used in the making of hats and was known to have affected the nervous systems of hatters, causing them to tremble and appear insane. 'Mad as a hatter' is also on the list, and though popularised through the Mad Hatter character in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, the origin of the phrase pre-dates it. However, its first recorded citation wasn't until 1945, when it appeared in H. Other classics include 'spend a penny', meaning to need to use the lavatory, which refers to the use of coin operated locks on public toilets which were first introduced outside the Royal Exchange in London in the 1850s. This saying dates back to the 16th century, with the longer version of phrase being: 'A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse.'Įven the classic proverb 'a stitch in time saves nine' is gobbledygook to 64 per cent of those who took part in the study. ![]() 'A nod is as good as a wink', meaning that you don't need to be blatant with a signal if someone is willing to carry out a task, is no longer relevant for 66 per cent of Brits. Others were to know one's oats, to know one's oil, to know one's apples, to know one's eggs, and even to know one's sweet potatoes. It was one of a set of such phrases, all with the sense of knowing one's stuff, or being highly knowledgeable in a particular field, that circulated in the 1920s. However, it is also claimed that its birth came four decades earlier, being published for the first time in Harper's Bazaar magazine in the United States in 1922. In terms of its origin, some suggest it comes from British lexicographer and grammarian C T Onions, who worked on the Oxford English Dictionary in the 1960s. Its first known use was in 1907 and is thought to have originated by imitating the sound of a horn.Īnd you may 'know your onions' - meaning you are experienced or knowledgeable on a subject - however 68 per cent of Brits have never heard of the phrase, or use it in conversation. Meanwhile, the research also found that saying goodbye with a cheery 'pip pip' might gain you bemused stares from 70 per cent of Brits under the age of fifty. If the captain decided to fight on this was marked by hoisting the colours on the remnants of the ship's rigging, that is, by 'nailing his colours to the mast'. If all of a ship's masts were broken the captain usually had no alternative but to surrender. It was also the custom in naval warfare to direct one's cannon fire at the opponent's ship's mast, thus disabling it. The study found the majority (71 per cent) of modern Brits have never used the saying, 'nailing your colours to the mast' to mean, declaring their beliefs openly, a phrase which dates back to the 17th century, when nautical battle colours - or flags - were lowered as a mark of submission. 'Mad as a hatter' is also on the list, and though popularised through the Mad Hatter character in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, the origin of the phrase pre-dates it The phrase went on to be repeated by some of the most renowned British writers including Shakespeare and Dickens. That verse reads: 'Geve not that which is holy to dogges nether cast ye youre pearles before swyne lest they treade them vnder their fete and ye other tourne agayne and all to rent you.' It originates from the sixth verse of the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament of the bible, as translated by William Tyndale in 1526. Top of the list came the term casting 'pearls before swine' - meaning you are wasting your time by offering something that is helpful or valuable to someone who does not appreciate it - with 78 per cent of people saying they never use it in conversation. ![]() The national research, carried out among 2,000 adults found the top 50 expressions most at risk of never being uttered again. Some of the English language's most traditional old sayings and phrases are falling out of use, with many Britons now no longer using or even understanding then, according to a survey. ![]()
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