New research has revealed the surprisingly sinister history behind some of most commonly used phrases.
'Gone to pot' dates back to a time when boiling a criminal to death was a legal punishment .
'Pulling someone's leg' came into use at a time when London was rife with thieves who tackled their victims by pulling them to the ground by their leg.
The saying 'meeting a deadline' refers to a line drawn by soldiers during the American Civil War to deter inmates from trying to escape - those attempting to cross it would be shot in the head.
Applying a 'rule of thumb' suggests a practical approach to problem solving, but it originally referred to a violent method of settling marital disputes.A judge, Sir Francis Buller, ruled 'a man was entitled to beat his wife with a stick provided it was no thicker than his thumb', the Glasgow Herald stated in 1886. 'Paying through the nose' was a Viking punishment of slitting the nose from tip to eyebrow of anyone who refused to pay tax.
'Gone to pot' dates back to a time when boiling a criminal to death was a legal punishment .
'Pulling someone's leg' came into use at a time when London was rife with thieves who tackled their victims by pulling them to the ground by their leg.
The saying 'meeting a deadline' refers to a line drawn by soldiers during the American Civil War to deter inmates from trying to escape - those attempting to cross it would be shot in the head.
Applying a 'rule of thumb' suggests a practical approach to problem solving, but it originally referred to a violent method of settling marital disputes.A judge, Sir Francis Buller, ruled 'a man was entitled to beat his wife with a stick provided it was no thicker than his thumb', the Glasgow Herald stated in 1886. 'Paying through the nose' was a Viking punishment of slitting the nose from tip to eyebrow of anyone who refused to pay tax.
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