IT´S RAINING CATS AND DOGS
The expression “it´s raining cats and dogs” is used to say that it is raining very heavely.

The most convincing of all the theories that try to explain the origin of this phrase states that in Norse mythology the cat has a great influence on the weather and the dog, the same as the wolf, is a signal of wind. Thus the cat can be considered a symbol of heavy rain and the dog of strong gusts of wind.

This expression first appeared in English literature in Jonathan´s Swift´s book “A complete literature of polite and ingenious conversation” published in 1738.

E.g.: “Take the umbrella, it´s raining cats and dogs.”



BY HOOK OR BY CROOK
When we want to do something “by hook or by crook” we are determined to do it, one way or another, whatever the method we have to use .

This phrase seems to derive from an old medieval law which authorised peasants to enter the king´s forests to pick up dead wood from the ground.

They were also allowed to take dead branches from the trees but only those which could be brought down by a shepherd´s crook (long stick with curved end) and cut down with a bill hook (tool with curved blade used for cutting small branches off trees).

E.g.: “The police will catch him, by hook or by crook.”



TOY BOY
Toy boy is a humorous phrase used to describe an attractive young man who is having a relationship with a much older and usually rich woman.

This expression was coined in the 1980s by the tabloids and magazines that cover the lives of the rich and famous, to refer to the much younger male lovers kept by middle aged film stars.

E.g.: - “That´s Brenda´s new toy boy.”

- “He´s absolutely gorgeous!”

HITTING BELOW THE BELT
We hit someone “below the belt”, figuratively speaking, when we use unfair methods or actions or when we say something unkind or unfair in an argument, a fight, etc.

This idiom comes from boxing and dates back to the year 1867 when the Marquis of Queensberry introduced the first boxing rules to regulate the matches. One of them prohibited the fighters to hit their opponents under the belt.

E.g.: “He spoke about her father´s suicide. That was hitting below the belt.”



TO THROW IN THE TOWEL/ SPONGE
When you throw in the towel or the sponge you admit that you are defeated.

This expression comes from boxing matches in which it is a common practice to throw a towel or a sponge (the one they use to refresh the fighter between rounds), into the ring as a signal that a man was beaten and consequently the sponge or towel is no longer needed.

E.g.: “I tried to walk to work every day but I threw in the towel and started using my car.”

THE UGLY DUCKING
This phrase is normally applied to an unpromising child who develops, against expectations, into a beautiful or successful adult. It was taken from a children’s story by Hans Christian Andersen in which a cygnet who thinks it is a duckling is socially ostracized for being different. However, it later grows up and turns into a beautiful swan.



SOMETHING IS ROTTEN IN DENMARK
This expression is used to describe corruption or a situation that has a very dubious nature.
This is one of the many phrases that William Shakespeare has contributed to the English language. It appears in Hamlet Act I Scene IV. When the young prince is summoned by the ghost of his murdered father, the king of Denmark, one of his friends Marcellus pronounces the famous phrase: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”



BLOW YOUR OWN TRUMPET
When you “blow your own trumpet” in England or “your own horn” in the USA, you promote yourself, boast about your own abilities or talk a lot about your achievements.
This phrase seems to find its origin in Medieval times, when heralds blew their trumpets to announce the approach of monarchs and other members of the aristocracy.
E.g.: “My boss spent the whole day blowing his own trumpet.”

STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH

When you hear or get information “straight from the horse’s mouth” you receive it directly from the highest authority, from the person who really knows about it. This phrase, which dates back to the first quarter of the 19th century, has to do with horse traders, who would normally lie about the age of the animals they wanted to sell, to get a better price. Experienced buyers, however, might determine the age of the horse by examining its teeth, a source whose credibility was never questioned.



VERTICALLY CHALLENGED

Vertically challenged, used to describe a person who is not very tall, Chronologically challenged, meaning rather old and some other phrases like Electronically challenged, Athletically challenged, etc. are humorous expressions which derive from Political Correctness.

People are Politically Correct when they try to avoid offending anyone by choosing the language carefully. For example, they will say “visually challenged” instead of blind.

The overuse of PC, as it is informally called, has given origin to a number of jokes or funny phrases as the ones above.

E.g.: - He is nutritionally challenged.

- What do you mean?

- He is fat!



THE 64000 DOLLAR QUESTION

This idiom is used to refer to the last and most difficult question. One that is really important and on whose answer a great deal depends.

This expression comes from a television game show that was very popular in the United States in the 1950s. It was always used before asking the final and most difficult to answer question, for which 64000 dollars were offered.

E.g.: “The 64000 dollar question is whether the president will return to the country”.

MONEY FOR OLD ROPE
This expression, typical of British English, refers to money that is earned in a very easy way generally by doing a job that is not difficult or one which demands little or no effort at all.

This saying seems to originate in the Middle Ages when public hangings were very common. After the execution had taken place, hangmen would often make some extra money by cutting up the rope used in the hanging into small pieces and selling them to the spectators who believed it would bring them good luck.

E.g.: “All I had to do was watch the children for three hours. In return they gave me £ 50. It was money for old rope.”

HOBSON´S CHOICE
This phrase describes a situation in which there seems to be a choice but actually there is not any. In other words, we must accept what we are offered or nothing at all.

This expression derives from the name of a famous carrier- Thomas Hobson- who earned part of his living hiring out horses to students from Cambridge University in the 17th century.

To ensure that each animal was evenly used and to avoid his favourite horses being ridden too much, Thomas Hobson encouraged his customers to choose from the animals nearest the stable door where, as a matter of fact, there was always only one.

E.g.: “It´s Hobson´s choice, either we pay for the coffee or there´s no coffee at all.”



TOE THE LINE
When we toe the line we submit to discipline or regulations. We do what someone in authority expects us to do.

This expression derives from the lines originally painted on the floor of The House of Commons to separate the members of the government and those from the opposition.

When MPs were allowed to take weapons into the Parliament, the lines were painted two swords apart for them not to be able to touch each other in case there was an argument.

A second theory states that this phrase comes from the lines drawn on the floor to mark the start of a race.



THE REAL McCOY
Different explanations have been made of the origin of this phrase which is used to say that a person or an article is absolutely genuine, not a fake or a copy.

The first and most popular one states that in the 1920s a boxer who fought under the name of Kid McCoy was challenged to fight by a drunk who apparently said “That´s the real McCoy” after being knocked out with a single punch.

A second theory suggests that this expression comes from Scotland where it was not clear who was the head of the McKay clan. A third source, however, states that this phrase derives from the name of a Canadian mechanical engineer, trained in Scotland – Elijah McCoy, who patented a great number of inventions which were copied all over the world although most buyers insisted on getting the genuine one. The real McCoy.

E.g.: “They have copied The Beatles´style but they aren´t the real McCoy.”



WASH ONE´S DIRTY LINEN IN PUBLIC
When we “wash our dirty linen in public” we expose our private affairs or quarrels, normally disgraceful or embarrassing things, to the public gaze.

Anthony Trollope seems to have been the first to use the English equivalent of this French proverb in The Last Chronicle of Barset (1867). He reversed the French expression “Il faut laver son linge sale en famille” which means “we should wash our dirty linen in private”.

E.g.: “I don´t understand those families who go on T.V and wash all their dirty linen in public”.

IN THE OFFING

We say that something is in the offing when it is likely to happen soon.
In the 17th century “offing” meant “off-shore” in nautical slang, so any ship approaching a port close enough to be seen from the coast, was considered in the offing. This expression is used nowadays to refer to something imminent, likely to occur although we don’t know exactly when.
E.g. “His wedding is in the offing.”


IN SEVENTH HEAVEN

When you are in “seventh heaven” you are in a state of ineffable bliss, extremely happy.
Followers of Islam believe in seven different heavens where dead souls go according to their behaviour in life. The seventh heaven is the ultimate one, full of pure and indescribable light and happiness. The seventh heaven lies above the other six, it is the heaven of heavens.
E.g.: “He’s been in seventh heaven since he got married.”


SPILL THE BEANS

When you “spill the beans” you give away a secret deliberately or unintentionally.
One of the most reliable sources suggests that this phrase goes back to Greek times when members of secret societies elected new members by dropping a bean in a jar. A white bean signified admission and a black one, objection.
The prospective member would never know how many affirmative and negative ballots he had got unless the jar was accidentally knocked over and the beans (the secret) spilled.


BACK TO SQUARE ONE

When you go back to square one, you start something from the beginning because you failed the first time.
This informal phrase seems to find its origin in the 1930s when the BBC began to broadcast football commentaries during the game. In order to facilitate their job and help listeners to follow the progress of the game, commentators had divided the pitch into eight notional squares. Square one was the goalkeeper’s area where the game re-started when the ball was passed back to him.
However, there’s a second theory that states that this expression might come from the vocabulary used when playing “snakes and ladders”, a traditional board game.

LEAD BY THE NOSE

This is an obvious allusion to beasts of burden which from early times were controlled and led by a cord attached to a ring hanging from the nose. This same technique was previously used by the ancient Romans to lead wild animals like lions or bears around the arena. Therefore, when you lead someone by the nose, you dominate or influence them so much that you can control everything they do.



CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO DIE

This expression, probably the most binding oath of childhood, generally accompanied by hand gestures forming the cross on one’s breast, is a solemn declaration that the truth has been spoken.
It seems to have originated as a religious oath, based on the Catholic sign of the cross at the beginning of the 20th century.
E.g.: “I saw them together, cross my heart and hope to die.”