Weird wordplay

Do you regularly use these 10 baffling idioms?

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We said it once and we’ll say it again: Idioms are definitively weird. And with how much the English language relies on these strange phrases, you’ll probably find yourself using idioms more often than you think, without taking the time to think how wishing someone to "break a leg" before a big show is not a not-so-veiled threat. In any case, let’s dive into the origins of some of the most baffling idioms out there, with the hope of trying to shed some light onto the inherent strangeness of these sayings. Enjoy!

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Let’s start with a strangely uplifting one. What do you think of whenever you try to picture something cute? Well, in small, round fastening knobs, of course! The idiom "cute as a button" does not make a lot of sense when first heard: After all, we mindlessly clip buttons on dress shirts, pants, and coats without giving a second thought to their adorability. However, a point should be made that, when you think about it, buttons tend to be shiny, small, and round, which in truth tends to check a lot of the boxes of what lots of people consider cute.

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Crows are definitively remarkable birds: Their shiny, black plumage and imposing presence can only be surpassed by their outstanding intelligence. However, we hope that any crow reading this doesn’t take offense when we say that they don’t really stand out as particularly tasty birds. In that regard, the idiom "to eat crow" does make some sense: We use this idiom to describe those times in which we have to admit our wrongs, no matter how hard they are to swallow. However, we do believe that any number of non-edible objects can be used instead of these majestic birds.

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Want to tell someone how important they are to you? Well, you might want to compare them to the fruit that keeps doctors away. But wait, it gets better: Why not compare them to a metaphorical apple stuck in your cornea? Who wouldn’t blush after hearing this?

We should clarify that there’s some reasoning behind the idiom "the apple of my eye": Historians believe that it comes from Old English, when the word "apple" was synonymous with the pupil of the eye, which most of us will agree is a rather precious body part.

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Being a boss or a manager is definitely not an easy task: It comes with the difficult responsibility of communicating with those you are in charge of that their work is sadly not up to scratch. In that sense, you might want to tell someone they don’t cut the mustard, although that might leave them utterly confused. No one is entirely sure where this idiom comes from, or when the idea of cutting this condiment became synonymous with excellence, but some believe that it comes from the expression "pass muster", which is a military phrase used when a soldier passes military inspection.

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This is one of the most fascinating idiom origins we could find. While at first glance the idiom "take it with a pinch of salt", which means to view something with skepticism, doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense, it actually comes from an ancient Latin text from Pliny the Elder. In his Naturalis Historia, Pliny describes a supposed antidote to poison that includes two dried walnuts, two figs, and, of course, a pinch of salt: According to Pliny, whoever takes this mixture would be invulnerable to poison all day. In that sense, this perfectly reflects the meaning of this idiom: Taking dubious information with a pinch of salt would metaphorically prevent these falsehoods from "poisoning" you.

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Pigs definitively have it rough when it comes to idioms: "Eating like a pig" always makes us feel bad while something improbable will happen "whenever pigs fly". In that sense, "sweating like a pig" not only sounds awfully mean-spirited, but it is also factually inaccurate: Pigs famously don’t sweat and take luscious mud bads in order to cool themselves. So, next time you are thinking about using this phrase, please consider that you’ll only spread misinformation about one of the world’s favorite farm animals.

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This one is just downright baffling: When did the world’s most beloved pets become synonymous with bad weather? In case you didn’t know, the phrase "raining cats and dogs" is used to describe a particularly heavy rain, but linguists don’t really know where this idiom comes from. Some point to the Greek word Katadoupoi (which means "waterfall"), since it sounds vaguely familiar to the English idiom.

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While we don’t really approve of dogs being associated with any negative idiom, the truth is that the origin of the phrase "dog days" is remarkably interesting. Here’s the thing, this saying is used to describe hot and stuffy summer days, which some consider to be some of the most uncomfortable days in the Northern Hemisphere. This peculiar expression comes from Ancient Greece since these hot days were signified by the rising of the Sirius star system, colloquially known as the "Dog Star".

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You would think that the last thing that a theater friend of yours wants to hear before going on stage is a violent wish for broken bones, and yet, "break a leg" is one of the most commonly said phrases in the world of theater. While we can’t provide you with a definitive origin story of this idiom, many believe that it simply comes from a thespian superstition that states that one should say exactly the opposite of what they are wishing.

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If we were to take this idiom at face value, no one would be able to have a slice of their own birthday cake. The idiom "You can't have your cake and eat it too" is used to describe a situation in which two or more favorable outcomes are impossible: In that sense, the titular cake cannot be owned and eaten at the same time. What feels particularly baffling about this idiom is that, when you think about it, having a cake won’t do you much good if you don’t eat it, so why would anyone choose the first option?

WELL-KNOWN WRITERS AND THEIR PEN NAMES

Do You Know These 10 Famous Authors Who Published Under Pseudonyms?

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What do Lewis Carroll, George Sand, Mark Twain, and Dr. Seuss have in common? They are all pseudonyms for some of the most celebrated writers in history. Whether for reasons of gender discrimination, insecurity, shyness, fear of social repercussions, or simply to have more freedom to write, many authors have chosen to sign their work under different names. Read on to discover 10 writers who, by hiding their identity, changed the course of literature.

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British sisters Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë hold a privileged place in the 19th-century literary canon thanks to great books such as Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. However, their literary careers were marked by the male names of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell.

Throughout their lives, the authors insisted on anonymity, and the only people who knew their true identities were their publishers. They made this decision because their writing style and ideas were not considered "feminine," and they didn't want to be subjected to the prejudice of the time. After Emily and Anne's deaths, Charlotte revealed the identity of the Bell siblings to the public. However, she continued to publish under the Currer Bell name until her last book, Villette, in 1853.

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Samuel Langhorne Clemens worked as a prospector, journalist, typographer, and river steamboat pilot before publishing the often-called "Great American Novel" The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn under the pseudonym Mark Twain.

Although the satirist used several pen names throughout his career, the one that went down in history was Mark Twain. The origin of this name is not entirely clear, since the author made sure to spread different stories that only contributed to feed the legend. The most widely accepted theory is that it is an expression used by river workers: mark twain, meaning "mark two", in reference to two fathoms, the minimum draft necessary for ships to navigate and maneuver safely.

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Few Victorian-era personalities had a more fascinating life than Mary Anne Evans. Born into a religious and aristocratic family, she opposed all conventions, writing numerous significant works. Under the male pseudonym George Eliot, Mary Anne fought for equal opportunities and marked an unprecedented turning point in Anglo-Saxon literature.

The chosen pen name derived from the first name of her then-partner, George Lewes. Regarding the name Eliot, the author said it was "a good mouth-filling, easily pronounced word." Although by that time women were signing their works, she wanted the freedom to write about subjects other than those typically considered feminine, such as lighthearted romances.

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Stephen King, the great American horror author, was already well known when he began writing under a pseudonym in the late 1970s. At that time, his publishers only allowed him to publish one book a year; moreover, King wanted to test whether his success was due to the quality of his work or to the fame of his name.

Therefore, in 1977 he published the novel Rage under the pen name Richard Bachman. He went on to publish four other novels: The Long Walk (1979), Roadwork (1981), The Running Man (1982), and Thinner (1984). He planned to release Misery (1985) under the same pseudonym, but a bookseller found similarities with his previous work and uncovered his identity. After his true identity was revealed, the writer issued a press release stating that Bachman had died of "cancer of the pseudonym, a rare form of schizonomia."

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Amantine Aurore Lucile Dupin, better known as George Sand, was one of the most popular writers of the 19th century and a prominent figure in European Romanticism. She was also a very controversial figure: she criticized the institution of marriage, smoked, and dressed in men's clothing.

An advocate of women's rights, Sand used a male pseudonym to generate confusion regarding her identity and thus be able to insert herself into the predominantly male literary circle. The origin of the chosen pen name is quite simple: George is a feminization of the classic name Georges, and Sand is a diminutive of "Sandeau," the surname of her lover at the time.

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Lewis Carroll, best known for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, is the pseudonym used by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a 19th-century British Anglican priest, mathematician, photographer, and writer. The reason for choosing a pen name to publish his works was that Dodgson, as an instructor at Oxford, was a very modest gentleman who wanted to preserve his privacy.

He presented several options to his publisher who ultimately chose the one that would make him famous. This name was created by Latinizing his first name and his mother's surname: Lutwidge was Latinized as "Ludovicus," and Charles as "Carolus." The resulting "Ludovicus Carolus" was translated back into English as Lewis Carroll.

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Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer and cartoonist, mostly known for his children's books written under his pen name, Dr. Seuss. Even as early as his time contributing to his college newspaper, the Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern, Theodor used his mother's surname, Seuss, as a pseudonym.

The "Dr." came a few years later and is a tribute to his father's wishes, who wanted him to earn a Ph.D. at Oxford. The first time he signed his work as Dr. Seuss was for the humor magazine Judge, where he had begun working in 1927. Over the years, Dr. Seuss published more than 60 children's books, which were translated into more than 20 languages.

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Eric Arthur Blair, better known by the pseudonym George Orwell, was a British writer, novelist, essayist, and journalist. His work, fundamental to 20th-century literature, includes masterpieces such as the allegorical novel Animal Farm and the dystopian novel 1984.

In 1933, when he was about to publish Down and Out in Paris and London, Blair decided to use a pen name to spare potential embarrassment to his parents. Among several options, he finally decided on "George" —inspired by the patron saint of England—, and "Orwell" —in homage to the Orwell River in Suffolk, one of his favorite places.

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Louisa May Alcott is best known for her juvenile novels such as Little Women and Good Wives. However, the American author, who was an abolitionist and a feminist, also wrote sensation stories, gothic thrillers, and adult novels anonymously or under pen names, such as A. M. Barnard.

It is believed that Alcott published those texts under pseudonyms to preserve her reputation as a juvenile writer. These stories were less optimistic and followed more obscure themes, such as incest, murder, secret identities, sensuality, and suicide. Some historians even claim she wrote one of the first works of detective fiction in American literature —preceded only by Edgar Allan Poe's Dupin stories.

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This list would not be complete if we didn’t include Daniel Foe. The 18th-century English novelist, journalist, and spy is probably the writer who signed under the largest number of different pseudonyms during his literary career.

The creator of Robinson Crusoe used at least 198 different aliases to write 400 works. Although the most popular is Daniel Defoe —he added the "De" to sound more aristocratic—, the author of numerous political pamphlets also signed works with pen names such as Eye Witness, Merchant, and Heliostrapolis, secretary to the Emperor of the Moon.