The forgotten origins of 9 common clichés

It's time you stopped gathering wool and got to know the ropes of these tired phrases

Time to learn the ropes.
(Image credit: iStock)

Idioms and clichés add a touch of color to our conversation. Many of them make immediate sense, like "trying to find a needle in a haystack" or "fresh as a daisy." But others, if you examine them closely, appear to be nonsense. For most of those old sayings, the key word is "old." If we look far enough back in history, we can learn how exactly one can be "pleased as punch" or "just a flash in the pan." Here are nine clichés that stem from forgotten everyday life:

1. "I like the cut of your jib, young man."

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Therese O'Neill

Therese O'Neill lives in Oregon and writes for The Atlantic, Mental Floss, Jezebel, and more. She is the author of New York Times bestseller Unmentionable: The Victorian Ladies Guide to Sex, Marriage and Manners. Meet her at writerthereseoneill.com.