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in one ear and out the other
Inattentive; soon forgotten. This vivid image dates from Roman times. “The things he says flow right through the ears,” wrote Quintillian (Institutionis Oratoriae, c. A.D. 80). The sentiment was echoed by Chaucer and joined John Heywood’s 1546 proverb collection (“Went in the tone eare, and out at the tother”). Thomas Hood punned on it
in his “Ode to the Late Lord Mayor” (1825): “He comes in at one year, to go
out by the other!”
in no uncertain terms
Emphatically, very clearly. This double negative appears to have become very popular about the middle of the twentieth century. Lawrence Durrell used it in Balthazar (1958): “I told Abdul so in no uncertain terms.” A slightly slangier synonym is LOUD AND CLEAR.
in high dudgeon
Angrily, resentfully, IN A HUFF. The origin of dudgeon has been lost and today the word is never used except with high—never alone and not even with low. In use from about 1600 on, the term was a cliché by the time explorer David Livingstone wrote “He went off in high dudgeon” (The Zambezi and Its Tributaries, 1865). The phrase may be dying out.
in full swing
Vigorously active. Various etymologists to the contrary, this term comes from a sixteenth-century use of swing for the course of a career or period of time. The only modern vestige of this meaning is in the cliché, which has survived. Indeed, it was already a cliché when George Meredith wrote (Evan Harrington, 1861), “A barrister in full swing of practice.”
have one’s wits about one, to
To be wide awake and alert. Wits in the
plural has long meant keen mental faculties. Ben Jonson so used it in The
Alchemist (1612): “They live by their wits.” About the same time, the
expression of having one’s wits about one—in effect, ready to serve one—
came into use. It appeared in James Mabbe’s 1622 translation of Guzman de
Alfarache (“I had my wits about me”) and has been used ever since. To live by
one’s wits, on the other hand, also implies managing by means of clever
expediency rather than honest work.
have one’s hands full, to
To be completely occupied or very busy, to have more than enough to do. This expression dates from the fifteenth century or earlier. It appears in Thomas Malory’s Morte d’Arthur: “Ye shalle have bothe your handes ful of me.” See also PLATE, TO HAVE A LOT/ENOUGH ON ONE’S.
give one’s eyeteeth for, to
To yearn for; to go to any lengths to obtain. The eyeteeth, the upper canines, have been so called since the sixteenth century, presumably because their nerves are quite close to the eyes and a toothache in those teeth is felt as pain in that area. Since they are extremely useful for biting and chewing, giving up one’s eyeteeth entails a consider- able sacrifice. However, this hyperbole most likely began life as to give one’s eyes, a greater sacrifice still. Anthony Trollope used it in Barchester Towers
(1857): “Bertie would give his eyes to go with you.” Substituting eyeteeth,
it is a safe guess, simply made the expression more colorful rather than
affecting the underlying meaning in any way. It appeared in W. Somerset
Maugham’s Cakes and Ale (1930): “He’d give his eyeteeth to have written a
book half as good.” See also CUT ONE’S TEETH ON; GIVE ONE’S RIGHT ARM.
give me a break
That’s preposterous, you can’t expect me to believe that. This exasperated reply to a statement, usually made half-jokingly, dates from the second half of the 1900s. For example, “She’s planning a luncheon
at the Ritz? Give me a break!” This expression is not the same as to give some- one a break, meaning to give someone an opportunity or special considera- tion, which dates from about 1900.
give it one’s best shot, to
To try one’s hardest; to expend optimum effort. Originally a military term, best shot in the sixteenth century denoted the soldiers who could most accurately shoot the enemy, according to William Safire. However, the word shot also had meant an attempt or a try from the mid-eighteenth century on, casting some doubt on this and other etymologies, which trace the term to billiards and boxing. In any event, in the twentieth century it became commonly used in politics (“The candidate was willing to give it her best shot”), as well as in other contexts. David Bal- dacci had it in Hour Game (2004): “‘If you can wake them up....’— ‘We’ll give it our best shot,’ said King.”
fits and starts, by
In bursts of activity, spasmodically. The fits portion of this expression dates from the sixteenth century, and the pairing with starts came soon afterward, in the early seventeenth century. “Thou hast these things only by fits and starts,” wrote Robert Sanderson in one of his Sermons
(1620). John Ray’s proverb collection of 1670 put it slightly differently: “By fits and girds, as an ague takes a goose.”
fit like a glove, to
To suit or conform extremely well. The analogy dates back at least to the eighteenth century. Tobias Smollett used it in Humphry Clinker (1771): “The boots . . . fitted me like a glove.” See also TO A T.
fit as a fiddle
In excellent health, in good working order. The proverbial likening of human good health to a fiddle dates from 1600 or earlier, but there is no completely convincing explanation of the analogy. It appeared in print in the early seventeenth century and was in John Ray’s proverb collec- tion of 1678. Fit in those days meant “appropriate,” as “fitting” still does, but why a fiddle should be considered especially appropriate is unknown. It was only in the nineteenth century that the meaning of physical fitness was attached to the expression, where it remains today.
