I believe its origin lies in that hat-makers used mercury in their manufacturing process (its exact use escapes me), and so mental illness became associated with the profession

Mercuric nitrate was used to carrot felt that was then used in the hats.

 

Loose cannon

I never really understood what this meant until I saw the whole phrase: Loose cannon on board.
Now it makes complete sense,

 

I never really understood what this meant until I saw the whole phrase: Loose cannon on board.
Now it makes complete sense,

On the old muzzle loader cannons on ships of the line, on the gun decks, the cannons were roped to the bulwarks or the hull to restrain the amount of recoil,
If a rope came free, it was a Dangerous Loose Cannon.
Max.

 

On the old muzzle loader cannons on ships of the line, on the gun decks, the cannons were roped to the bulwarks or the hull to restrain the amount of recoil,
If a rope came free, it was a Dangerous Loose Cannon.
Max.

And when a ship was hit by a cannonball, it really wasn't the cannonball everyone feared. More it was the resulting splinters.

 

The "three square meals a day" originated with sailors who were issued some rations 3 times daily,

The square most likely originated with "hardtack", a staple for early seafaring rations.

 

The idiom that makes no sense is "the place was a zoo"! Meaning things were out of control, crazy and wild. Well a zoo is very orderly and the animals are usually pretty laid back. Not sure where that idiom comes from.

 

In my COD it is Hare brained!
Max.

Not if she's Blonde.

kv

 

The idiom that makes no sense is "the place was a zoo"! Meaning things were out of control, crazy and wild. Well a zoo is very orderly and the animals are usually pretty laid back. Not sure where that idiom comes from.

I think that one comes more from the visitors than the animals. A zoo, particularly back when there weren't very many, tended to be crowded and noisy and confusing. Also, it can be perceived as disorderly because everywhere you look its something different -- the fact that this is the nature of the beast (another idiom) only reinforces the idiom.

 

I think that one comes more from the visitors than the animals. A zoo, particularly back when there weren't very many, tended to be crowded and noisy and confusing.

Last summer my son and I took the granddaughters to the Pittsburgh Zoo, and that's exactly the way it was: the animals were very mellow, and the visitors were rambunctious, loud and hyperactive. It was like a zoo!

 

Last summer my son and I took the granddaughters to the Pittsburgh Zoo, and that's exactly the way it was: the animals were very mellow, and the visitors were rambunctious, loud and hyperactive. It was like a zoo!

LOL

 

- "Hell bent for leather"

It'd be nice if someone would explain that one for me...

 

- "Hell bent for leather"

It'd be nice if someone would explain that one for me...

I suspect it derives along the following route.

The term "leather" was often used to refer to a saddle and so a phrase like "hit the leather" meant to get into your saddle and ride. A lot of phrases from the era of horseback travel use riding a horse as a metaphor for going somewhere, whether it be physical or not, such as, "He turned is homestead into a farm at a full gallop."

The term "bent" meant the most direct route (which seems counter-intuitive), as in phases like, "the construction was so poor that it was bent for failure."

I think the "hell" is just to add emphasis, or possibly to indicate that the actions being take are so reckless and ill-considered that Hell is the apparent destination.

Taken together, it ends up meaning to go after something single-mindedly and recklessly.

 

Maybe not heard much this side of the pond, but I recall my father and grandfather who were both in WW1. using the term 'A bottle of Plonk'. Sometimes still heard today.
It turns out the British 'Tommy' stationed in France would try and seek out a local beer vendor, of which there were very few.
But wine seemed very plentiful so they made do with a bottle of Vin-Blanc, Of course they mangled the French asking for a bottle of vin plonk.
Max.

 

Anyway, spinnaker's original question was "idioms in other languages", here's one in spanish:

"Más jalan un par de bustos, que una yunta de bueyes"​

Translation: "A pair of breasts will pull harder than a yoke of oxen" ... the phrase is normally used on friends who decline to join an all-male party so they can go spend time with their girlfriends.

 

In my very limited and largely fruitless attempt to learn Chinese, I discovered that many common words in Chinese derive from legends or myths or stories. Our teacher had the origins of the Chinese language as her research emphasis in graduate school in China, so she was a fountain of interesting tidbits. Sadly, I don't remember a single one of them.

 

- "Hell bent for leather"

It'd be nice if someone would explain that one for me...

Is that a phrase you hear often?

 

Is that a phrase you hear often?

Only when I'm watching tv...

 

Anyway, spinnaker's original question was "idioms in other languages", here's one in spanish:

"Más jalan un par de bustos, que una yunta de bueyes"​

Translation: "A pair of breasts will pull harder than a yoke of oxen" ... the phrase is normally used on friends who decline to join an all-male party so they can go spend time with their girlfriends.

We just say "hen pecked".

 

Is that a phrase you hear often?

I hear it occasionally (but then again, I live in the western U.S.). But I think I hear, "hell-bent for election," more often.

 

Glöggt er gests augað=Observant is the eye of the guest. Pretty much just means that the things you have become used to stands out for those not familiar/accustom too.

Betur sjá augu en auga=Better see eyes than an eye. Means almost the same as "two heads are better than one" but has more to do with finding a solution to a problem than tasks.

Leggja höfuðið í bleyti=Lay/soak your head in liquid. Giving yourself the time and space to think about something thoroughly before you make a decision. Doesn't really translate well.

Þurr á manninn=Dry manners. Pretty self explanatory just means someone that converses in annoyed and short manner.

Koma einhverjum fyrir kattarnef=Putting someone in front of a cats nose. Getting someone killed or made disappear. Thankfully you never hear anyone say it out loud it's more something you read in books or movie subtitles

Þar stendur hnífurinn í kúnni=There is the knife stuck in the cow. It means, there is the problem(gridlock) right there. Used when people can't negotiated on a solution.

Á misjöfnu þrífast börnin best=Kids thrive when they go through both good bad things in life (also applies to food and cleaning) This one is hard to translate straight from Icelandic to English...

Leggja árar í bát=Laying your oars in the boat. It means the same as throwing in the towel as in giving up or quitting.

Just a few that came into mind that I think, do not have their origin in English but some like the last one might have a parallel idiom.