The Origin of some Words and Phrases Sept 2008

Oscar: The gold statuette was first awarded for film making in 1927, but it was not until 1931 that it got its name. At that time, Margaret Herrick, the librarian of the Film Academy of the US, was shown one of the trophies and observed, ‘He reminds me of my uncle Oscar’. A press reporter overheard the remark and told his readers that employees of the Academy have dubbed the famous statuette ‘Oscar’. The name stuck.

Dead as a Doornail: Since ordinary nails are not used in making doors, it is believed that the ‘nail’ is this phrase can be traced back to 1350 and refers to a small metal plate nailed to the door that visitors pounded with the knocker attached to it when announcing their arrival.

Big Shot: In the 19th century, Italian general Giuseppe Garibaldi’s forces used a 90mm cannon gun against the Austrians. The big projectile it fired was translated by his American supporters into English as the big shot, which later came to mean a big, important person.

Toe the Line: Before boxing rules were devised, prize fights were long and bloody. There was no footwork, and tactics were often dirty and mean. No attempt was made to evade blows from an opponent. Fighters placed their toes on a line officials marked in the centre of the ring and fought until one man fell, thus ending the round. The fighters were dragged back to their corners for 30 seconds and the match continued until one man couldn’t come out to toe the line.