FYI logo

Where did that saying come from?

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush? Huh?

By @K_L_RiveraPublished 2 years ago 5 min read
2
Where did that saying come from?
Photo by Paola Aguilar on Unsplash

Growing up in Brooklyn, NY in the 1980s and 90s, I was exposed to a lot of old school sayings or terms that I didn't know the meaning of, like calling a tank top, a 'wife beater'. Until very recently some folks in my family still referred to it as such. Looking back now, I can't imagine a 9-year old girl today, referring to her father's tank top as a wife beater! Ay dios mio!

That got me thinking about other such terms, sayings, and one song in particular, and where they all came from.

So ... let's take a look at the history of some of these.

Wife Beater

How the heck did we apply such a violent term to a piece of clothing?

By James Yarema on Unsplash

Would it surprise you to know that it was born from a news story in 1947 about a man that ... well ... beat his wife and was photographed in a stained dirty tank top with the words "the wife beater" beneath? The news story, and the photo, went viral in the traditional way before social media—word of mouth and front page exploitation of violence.

Can you guess what happened next?

Hollywood picked up on the the dirty tank top wife beater, and suddenly the infamous tank became the costume applied to poor people, bad boys, immigrants and unsavory characters in films. The style of shirt was first horrifically typecast by representing Polish and Italian immigrants, taking on names like “guinea tee” or “dago tee". But in later films, mostly in the 60s and 70s, it became the symbol of the bad boy, and then, in the early 1990s it was glamorized by Dolce & Gabbana and Calvin Klein.

Early Hollywood Bad Boys
By Ahmadreza Najafi on Unsplash

It wasn't until the late 90s that it was picked up by rappers and the slang word—WIFE BEATER—was made official. Most disturbing, the word became as common as the word 'sock' to describe the piece of clothing. Not many people actually thought of its origin or what they were actually saying. That generation will tell you that they stripped the word of its power, made it benign, and forbid it from ever being used as a racist tool or stereotype again.

Either way, I'm glad the term is dying.

50 Cent in his Tank Top

Next we'll move on to one of my favorite childhood games. A game that kids today would never get caught playing ... like never.

Ring around the Rosie, a pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes we all fall down!

By Daniel Jensen on Unsplash

I used to love this game. I used to sing it loud and proud. I used to laugh and fall hard on my butt with gusto ... and never did anyone explain to me that I was singing about the GREAT PLAGUE of 1665.

Let me break it down for you.

ROSIE is a reference to the rash a person would get once the bubonic plague hit. The POSIES were flowers used to mask the stench of death, and then, of course, ashes to ashes, we all fall down, represented the 15% of British people dead of the plague.

What a fun game we used play on a Brooklyn street! Throw in the obsession with freaky kid finger painting of the 80s and we got something fit for a horror movie.

By Bernard Hermant on Unsplash

Next, let's move on to a simpler term and one that I never understood.

Someone says, "How are you?"

Someone replies, "I'm UNDER the WEATHER."

How did you get under the weather?

Turns out, back in the old days, sailors who got sick were sent below deck to get out of the rain, cold and bad weather. The original term was 'under the weather bow'. It continues to amaze me that a term so specific to maritime life could make its way into the everyday, but there it is folks!

By Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash

This next one can be funny, but isn't.

When this saying is said, the message is very clear. We immediately know what it means. Sometimes we shrug when we deliver it, and most of the time, it's bad advice.

Let's use the term in a short story:

On the eve of Bill's wedding, he confesses to his best man that he's had a change of heart. Bill doesn't want to go through with it. Bill doesn't know what to do. The vendors have been paid! There are no refunds! The honeymoon is in Bora Bora, a place he's dreamed of going. The bride flew in her family from Australia! Everyone is expecting a wedding!

So what is the best man's advice? He shrugs and says...

I guess you have to BITE THE BULLET BILL

The term, 'bite the bullet' started out as a way to instruct someone to be brave, be fearless, but somehow morphed into a suggestion that you must face what's coming and just go with it—cut your losses—take the bullet and keep going. However, that is not what was originally meant by the term.

The phrase originated from soldiers in the 1850s that were given British Enfield rifles. In order to use those rifles in battle, they had to bite off the head of the cartridge. As you can imagine, some of them died in the heat of battle when they did it wrong, or the explosive ignited before they got their mouth off the dang thing. Therefore, any soldier who managed to BITE THE BULLET and survive, was considered courageous. So, the term was meant to instruct bravery, not give up.

Therefore, my advice to Bill is to Bite the Bullet, call off the wedding, and go to Bora Bora alone.

By British Library on Unsplash

Last, but not least, one of my mother's favorite terms. She was a child of the 50s and 60s.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

Say what mom?

My mother was saying not to take unnecessary risks. She was telling me to value what I had (the bird in my hand) rather than chance reaching for something out of my reach (the two birds over there in the bush) and end up with nothing.

Good advice? I'm still not sure.

This proverb dates back to the 15th century! Wow! What a trip from 15th century to my mom's lips in our little apartment in 1985 Brooklyn. What a lifespan!

Sadly, the saying is dying as we speak. It's one that brings me nostalgia, good memories from growing up in the 80s, and makes me a little sad too. But hey—there’s no use crying over spilt milk (and yes it's spilt not spilled).

By Anita Jankovic on Unsplash

Pop Culture
2

About the Creator

@K_L_Rivera

Author of things. Writer of Fiction. Writer of life as I know it. Mother of boys. Finalist on some fine awards, loser to even finer ones. Still writing though.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.