The origin of seven wild-species-inspired idioms

“WE HAD A WHALE OF A TIME!”; “SHE HAS A BEE IN HER BONNET”; “CAT GOT YOUR TONGUE?” You’ve all heard these animal expressions, and you—for the most part—probably understand what they mean. But do you know where they came from? (That last one, according to one theory, originated because in the Middle Ages, liars and blasphemers were punished by having their tongues cut out and fed to the king’s cats.) Check out the origin stories of these seven wild species-inspired idioms! Don’t worry, they’re less gross.— J.D. Red herring Allegedly, this term comes from fox hunting. Smoked herring turns bright red and smells especially fishy. Apparently, dragging some across a fox’s trail would confuse the hounds (and prolong the hunt). Actually, back in 1686, fox hunters preferred to use a dead cat…

You're reading a preview of

Cottage Life (Digital) - 1 Issue, March/April 2024

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.