Definition: To be sensible

Example: Dan had his head screwed on. He wasn’t going to try cliff diving with the rest of his friends.

Origin:

Have your head screwed on has a number of variations. That poor head can be screwed on:

straight

tightly

to your shoulders

right

There are probably more, but Iddy’s getting dizzy trying them all out.

He hasn’t found a single explanation for the origin of any of the variations. They all sound extremely painful to him.

It shares the same meaning as another idiom, to have a ‘level head‘. It must simply refer to the physical steadfastness of something  screwed down tightly and straight. There is no danger of it coming loose. A head that is screwed down is not going to produce crazy ideas.

Definition: To study for a test or exam

Example: Having scored a measly twenty percent on his last math test, Robert decided it was time to hit the books.

Origin:

There is no golden explanation for the origin for ‘hit the books’. Used since the mid twentieth century, it is probably related to other similar phrases that used ‘hit’ as a way of expressing starting something… phrases like ‘hit the trail‘ or ‘hit the road‘. If you are ‘hitting the books‘, you are starting to read them. Simple as that.

Iddy’s a bit disappointed. He was hoping for a Victorian tale of a bare knuckle boxer who challenged a library to a fight.

Definition: To set a limit or refuse to proceed any further

Example: Mindy had to draw the line when her husband brought a pot-bellied pig home instead of a puppy. It was her or the pig.

Origin:

There are a number of theories as to what specific drawn line in history gave birth to this idiom. Here’s a sampling.

Tennis

When tennis was introduced to the English from France in the 1400s, there were no official dimensions for the court. It was up to the players to draw out the lines that the ball could not cross.

Farm boundaries

In seventeenth century rural England, farmers ploughed a line with their horses to define their holdings.

Boxing

During prizefights, a line was drawn in the ring that the fighters could not cross or they would be disqualified.

Parliament

A line was drawn in the chamber between the opposing parties. Politics were obviously much more exciting in the past. Fights were common, and the line was an attempt to reduce this. Fists were obviously in use, but more worryingly, so were swords.

Definition: Something that grabs your attention, especially an image or written description in a book

Example: The novel’s main character, Harry the two-headed chimp, really jumped off the page.

Origin:

Iddy couldn’t find anything to enrich the explanation of ‘jump off the page‘, not even how long it has been in use. The meaning is quite evident, that something striking on a printed page will engage your imagination and come alive.

In his illustration, Iddy’s just realised he didn’t check how high up that page was before he jumped from it. I suppose that introduces him to the ancient advice ‘Look before you leap’….

Definition: To show a keen interest

Example: “I’m all ears!” Karen said to her sister, sensing there was some juicy gossip to be heard.

Origin:

‘All ears‘ first appeared in print in the eighteenth century. Its origin is purely descriptive. As we use our ears to hear, and most of our communication is done verbally, to be ‘all ears’ means to focus all your attention on hearing what is being said.

Iddy is not enjoying his new look. He has often complained about a general lack of ears, but now he has these, things have become ridiculous!

Definition: Be quiet! Don’t say that!

Example: Hillary wanted to tell Donald what she really thought of him, but instead she bit her tongue and kept quiet.

Origin:

‘Bite your tongue‘ is a popular phrase originates at least to the time of Shakespeare. He used  a variation of it in  Henry VI.

It is supposed it refers to the fact that if you hold your tongue between your teeth, it is impossible to speak. Alternatively, perhaps it is a proposed form of punishment. Say something nasty, and you should be forced to chomp down.  After all, biting your tongue is extremely painful.

There are a couple of closely related phrases:

“Hold your tongue” which has the identical meaning. ‘Hold’ in this instance means to stop, not to literally take hold of it.

“Wash your mouth out (with soap)” for when somebody has used profanities.

Iddy has had his fair share of having his mouth washed out over the years. A mouth that big is bound to get you into trouble….

Definition: To be extremely fearful

Example: Kathy was so timid, she was afraid of her own shadow

Origin:

So. Two phrases. Same meaning. You can be afraid of your own shadow, and you can jump at your own shadow. The former seems to be older, appearing in print as far back as the 1500s.

It is fairly apparent as to what it means. I think we’ve all seen cats and dogs literally jumping when seeing their shadows, and though we may deny it, it has probably happened to us all at one time or another.

There is an actual phobia where the sufferer truly fears shadows. Not just on that one occasion in a dark alley, but on a day to day basis. It is known as Sciophobia, scio being Greek for shadow.

Iddy’s jumping here for a very good reason. Just for a second he thought his second cousin Hilda had tracked him down, the woman he jilted at the altar back home. She was very grey and very round.

Definition: A way of asking somebody what they are thinking about

Example: Jack stared down the hill holding his bucket of water. “A penny for your thoughts?” Jill asked him.

Origin:

There is some debate whether ‘a penny for your thoughts’ is an idiom at all. It might be classed as a proverb or as a cliche. Or, considering the value of a penny, maybe it’s an insult. Whatever it may be, it’s a dying phrase, used less and less as the century advances. It is more likely to be used by your parents than by you.

It is first found in print in a book by Sir Thomas More, written in 1535, but how it came about is lost in the mists of time (to use another idiom). We must consider that the offer in his day was much more financially rewarding. A silver penny was worth a fair deal more. Sources Iddy looked at pegged its value at anywhere from £1.60 ($2.25 US)  to £16.00 ($22.50 US) depending on how you calculate the penny’s buying power.

Incidentally, the word ‘penny’ might originate from the King of Mencia (modern day Midlands in the UK) in the Sixth century. His name was Penda and he issued coins called ‘pending‘. They later became known as ‘penige‘, then ‘peny‘, before finally reaching our modern term. In fact, Thomas More’s original quote is actually ‘ a peny for your thought’.

Whatever that penny may be worth, Iddy will need more. He’s thinking so hard, he’s apt to burst a blood vessel and he’ll need enough cash to cover the medical bills. Iddy’s a careless fellow. He forgot to take out travel insurance before coming to Earth.