Everyday phrases

Fighting the good fight: 10 old phrases still in use today

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It’s fairly reasonable to think that the military and maritime worlds are both pretty guarded environments, right? Don’t get us wrong, we are saying this with the utmost respect for both institutions. What we mean by "guarded" is that some things from these fields might be incomprehensible for any outsiders, "civilians" and "landlubbers" alike. However, it might come as a shock to learn about how many of the idioms that we say every single day come from military and maritime history. With that in mind, here’s our pick of the 10 idioms that come straight from the mouths of soldiers and sailors. Enjoy!

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We’ll start with one that defined the lives of countless soldiers throughout history. The first use of trenches in warfare can be traced to the 7th century, but they became truly essential after the advent of firearms. Trenches became synonymous with wars fought in the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly the American Civil War and WWI.

In that sense, the phrase "in the trenches" refers to being in a difficult or demanding situation. This idiom is usually used to describe people on the frontline of a particular environment, like those working at ground level on a job or project.

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This one goes to any organized parent who might be reading this: We salute you and your ability to maintain order in a household filled with the chaos that children bring. In that sense, this idiom describes you perfectly: Someone who "runs a tight ship" is someone who keeps a keen eye on every small detail, with the sole purpose of preserving peace and order.

As you might have guessed, this idiom comes straight from the nautical world: A "tight ship" would be one running efficiently, with every bit of rope and sail accounted for. However, it is safe to say that its origins come from a firm and uncompromising captain and not from a loving yet strict parent.

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Swords and plowshares might not seem that similar, but according to this idiom, they are two sides of the same coin. The expression "to beat swords into plowshares" is actually more of a concept or a philosophy, which involves turning military weapons into peaceful civilian tools. In that sense, a deadly and grim sword once used for warfare can now become a symbol of progress and hard labor.

This idiom comes straight from the Bible, mentioned in the second chapter of the Book of Isaiah. It was famously referenced by President Eisenhower in his farewell speech and by President Reagan in the United Nations General Assembly.

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For a phrase with such a heavy meaning, the idiom "show your true colors" seems a little too colorful (no pun intended). After all, it conveys the betrayal of someone who pretended to be a close ally, only to double-cross you when the winds change. However, a little digging into its origins proves that this idiom perfectly represents this treachery, since it comes from particularly deceitful and colorful characters: Pirates.

The "colors" described by this phrase are actually the colorful flags flown by ships during the Golden Age of Piracy. During this time, it was common practice for pirates to show false flags to trick a would-be victim into approaching, only showing the true colors on their "Jolly Roger" flags when escaping was impossible.

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Any babysitter tasked with "holding down the fort" doesn’t have it easy: Maintaining order in a household filled with children energized by sugar and late-night snacks is a challenge that only the bravest dare to take. In that sense, this idiom seems perfectly appropriate to such an important activity, as military history has shown again and again that forts tend to be strategically essential points during wartime.

Basically, anyone "holding the fort" is temporarily in charge of a household or job. Other prime examples of these unsung heroes are substitute teachers or assistant managers. In that sense, the origins of the idiom are pretty clear: One can almost imagine the struggling forces defending their fort from an enemy attack, eagerly awaiting the arrival of reinforcements.

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It sometimes takes the help and proficiency of someone more experienced to truly learn a skill. Think back on your first day at a new job: Did you have someone who took you under their wing and helped you learn whatever you needed to be more comfortable with your new responsibilities? In that sense, this next idiom can be a perfect description of those kind souls who helped us with their tutelage.

Someone who "knows the ropes" is someone who is particularly familiar with a certain situation or skill, and who has vast knowledge gained solely from experience. This idiom comes straight from sailors: As you might have guessed, the ropes described by the idioms are the many ropes used in sailing ships. Anyone familiar with the miles of ropes intertwined in this type of ship is definitively a sailor worth their salt.

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This one is slightly controversial since the origins of this idiom aren’t really from the military world. However, this phrase is so ingrained in military history that it felt weird not to include it. To "fight fire with fire" means to respond to an attack with an equal force, usually involving hostility.

Unsurprisingly, this idiom comes from firefighters, people known for their ability to fight fire. The origins of this phrase can be traced back to 19th century America, and from a firefighting practice that involved raising small fires to deprive larger and more dangerous fires of fuel.

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The meaning of the idiom "down in the Doldrums" is remarkably similar to "feeling blue" another maritime idiom: They both relate to a lethargic mood, usually associated with depression. Interestingly, while the word "doldrums" seems to describe an old-fashioned term for a ship section, it actually refers to an actual geographical region.

The Doldrums is a sailing region north of the Equator, characterized by its calm winds produced by the clash of two opposing wind belts. In that sense, sailing this area would represent a sudden halt to an exciting journey, that would understandably put any sealoving sailor in a gloomy mood.

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This idiom is remarkably versatile: for example, you can be left "high and dry" by both a friend who doesn’t show up to an appointment, and by a demanding boss that leaves you to fend off a difficult project all by yourself. In any case, this idiom comes from seafaring sailors, desperately stranded whenever their ship was literally left "high and dry".

The origins of this phrase refer to ships stuck in dry land. If the ship was above the tide line and there was not enough water to move it back, then it would remain there until the tide rose, since the ship could be seriously damaged if it was removed without water.

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We’ll end with what’s probably the most uplifting idiom on this list. Anyone who fights the good fight is doing things right: Although this phrase is commonly used by the military, it applies to everyone doing their part in making their workplace, their home, or even the entire planet a better place.

Like other entries in this article, this idiom was first used in the Bible: This verse in particular calls all believers to "fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life". It became an everyday saying during the 19th century when it was first used in patriotic speeches and songs.

BUSTING MYTHS

10 Weird Ancient Beliefs That Were Debunked By Modern Science

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Trying to understand why things happen is part of what makes us human. But in the process, we sometimes end up arriving at very strange—and very wrong—conclusions. Luckily, as science advances, many of these once-held truths have been debunked. From ancient myths to modern misconceptions, here are 10 bizarre beliefs that have been shattered by the power of scientific inquiry.

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For centuries, people believed that living organisms could arise spontaneously from non-living matter. This gave rise to some strange ideas—like mice and other pests being generated seasonally from river mud, fleas emerging from dust, and even fully formed geese sprouting from barnacles! However, Louis Pasteur’s experiments in the 19th century definitively debunked this erroneous notion, proving that life arises only from preexisting life.

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As unbelievable as it sounds, for centuries, the pinnacle of medical science involved making an already ill patient bleed nearly a gallon of blood, for his own good (sigh). The practice, known as bloodletting, was based on the belief that it helped balance the body's four "humors" and could cure a variety of ailments. Obviously, it did far more harm than good. But to be fair, if you survived that, you could probably endure anything life threw at you.

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Before the germ theory of disease, people believed that illnesses were caused by foul odors, or "miasmas," emanating from decaying matter. They weren’t entirely off course, though—foul smells can indeed signal intense microbial activity, and the poor living conditions and lack of sanitation in early modern cities were often linked to spikes in epidemics and infections. However, scientific advancements in microbiology eventually revealed that diseases are primarily caused by microorganisms, not just bad air.

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This is one of those cases where wanting something to be real badly enough can make you believe it actually is. And who wouldn’t want a formula for turning junk into solid gold? Ancient alchemists sought to transmute base metals into gold using a mysterious substance known as the "philosopher’s stone." However, after centuries of failed attempts, most of the beliefs held by the alchemists were debunked by a more scientific understanding of chemical reactions, paving the way for modern chemistry.

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Ancient civilizations often viewed solar and lunar eclipses as omens of misfortune or signs of divine punishment from their gods. From the Ancient Greeks to the Aztecs, sacrifices and rituals of appeasement were performed to ward off the worst of the gods’ wrath. However, as humanity's understanding of celestial mechanics improved—and as accurate methods for predicting eclipses were developed—these ancient superstitions gradually faded.

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When ancient people encountered fossils that didn’t resemble any living creatures of their time, they had to come up with explanations. But since the processes behind evolution hadn’t been discovered yet—and the age of the Earth was still widely debated—they believed the remains belonged to mythical beings such as fire-breathing dragons, centaurs, cyclopes, and other legendary monsters.

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Tales of mermaids—half-human, half-fish beings—have captivated sailors for centuries. For a long time, rugged explorers of the seas reported encounters with these fantastical creatures, though no evidence of their existence ever surfaced. Today, it’s believed that such sightings may have been inspired by encounters with manatees or dugongs—aquatic mammals whose gentle, flowing movements could easily spark the imagination. Now, how drunk would you have to be to mistake a manatee for a beautiful mermaid? Let’s just leave it at that.

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Comets have always been awe-inspiring phenomena, but in the past, they also often triggered panic and bizarre beliefs. During the 1910 approach of Halley’s Comet, the first spectroscopic analysis of its tail led to widespread hysteria when it revealed the presence of the toxic gas cyanogen. A misquotation of famed astronomer Camille Flammarion—claiming the gas "would impregnate the atmosphere and possibly snuff out all life on the planet"—was widely circulated in the press. Soon, people around the world were panic-buying gas masks and all sorts of quack products in a desperate attempt to save themselves.

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In the 19th century, settlers moving westward in the United States were lured by the belief that cultivating the land would increase rainfall in arid regions—a long-debunked notion known as "rain follows the plow." The idea gained traction as farmers noticed that rainfall often coincided with their cultivation efforts. However, thorough scientific research has since disproved this myth, attributing any perceived increase in precipitation to natural climate variability rather than human activity.

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The long-discredited medical theory of "maternal impression" suggested that a pregnant woman's thoughts, emotions, or experiences could influence the physical appearance or characteristics of her unborn child. This belief was widespread in various cultures throughout history and often led to practices such as avoiding certain foods or activities during pregnancy. However, with the development of modern genetic theory, this notion was firmly refuted.