WHY WE SAY IT

Happy almost Turkey Day! I hope you are planning to eat some delicious turkey and all the trimmings. Then I hope you watch the football game on Friday and root for the Longhorns to beat those Aggie turkeys while you eat a leftover turkey sandwich and pumpkin pie. And if you watched Rachael Ray today you would have seen her use leftovers to make turkey Stromboli! But mostly count your blessings and be thankful for your turkey and your family and friends and that you live in the United States of Turkey, errr... America.

Turkey Talk
What It Means: expression for speaking plainly

Where I Heard It: I actually haven't heard this term before. I just happened to come across it in my Why We Say It book and thought it was appropriate for the day! But here's an example of how Aaron might use it: "Let's talk turkey and make a deal on the purchase of this deep freezer."

Why We Say It: Half a dozen anecdotes seek to explain this expression for speaking plainly. Most of them recount a conversation between an American Indian and one or more white settlers. Discussing the division of game bagged in a joint hunt, the native insists that his comrades talk turkey and hand over to him the biggest bird shot during the day.

These entertaining frontier stories bypass a skill that was long familiar--and important--to veteran woodsmen.

Many a fellow reared in the woods became an expert turkey caller. That is, he so skillfully imitated sounds made by the big wild birds that some who heard at a distance came within gun range. It was this bona fide turkey talk, not banter at the end of a day's hunt, that spawned our American expression for speaking in a clear and forthright manner.

P.S. If you watched Rachael Ray today you also saw two ladies from the Butterball Turkey-Talk Line who have been giving tips on cooking turkeys for more than twenty years!

P.P.S. I do not make it a habit of watching Rachael Ray, or DVRing her show(s). I just happened to start my Turkey Holiday early and was sitting on the couch at 3pm waiting for Oprah to come on at 4pm, so I had to fill the hour somehow.

WHY WE SAY IT

I apologize for Why We Say it Wednesday appearing on Saturday. I could give some excuses, but really, there is not one good enough.

Moving along.

Aaron worked in Dallas most of the past week. He was there training some people on a new software the company is using. It's pretty cool. I can see how Aaron would be a great teacher/trainer. And he knows this software inside and out. A few months ago, he even prompted the software company to create a whole new version of the software because it wasn't meeting his needs. So he told his software rep. what he wanted it to do; and Voila! the company adds the features and puts a new version out to the whole country!

Each evening after training, Aaron went out to eat with some of the guys to talk about how the training was going and lay out his game plan for the next day. They were sitting around shootin' the bull one night, talking about company procedures and politics, attitudes and the cliques that form, common denominators found in the people who are successful or not successful and how they behave and influence one another to behave.

Bandwagon
What It Means: a popular or successful movement, idea or activity that gains support from those who believe they will benefit from it or gain advantages from it

Where I Heard It: "If you think those guys are doing so well, why don't you go ahead and jump on that Bandwagon?"
- A. Bussey

Why We Say It: America's first great showman, Phineas T. Barnum, didn't wait for the public to come to him. Instead, he took his attractions to the people. Arriving in a city for an engagement, he would hire a high wagon of the sorts used by local bands of musicians for outdoor performances.
Parading through streets with odd-looking men and women aboard wagons, "Barnum's Great Scientific and Musical Theater" (a Freakshow, maybe?) was a sensation. Onlookers were encouraged to hop on the bandwagons in order to ride with the performers and add to the excitement.
Many political clubs built bandwagons of their own, then gave rolling concerts to publicize candidates. The impact of Barnum and elections on speech proved lasting. Any person who agrees to become a part of a movement, campaign, or simply joins the crowd is described as climbing on the bandwagon.

WHY WE SAY IT

Last weekend, my girlfriends and I learned that one among us knew a secret. She knew whether Baby Clay Numero Dos is a GIRL or BOY. But like the loyal and trustworthy friend she is, she kept her lips zipped.

Spill the Beans
What It Means: to release information that wasn't meant to be released; indiscretion in revealing information; confess to something

Where I Heard It: "Y'all can ask me all you want, but I won't spill the beans."
- K. Brewer

Why We Say It: Early Greek secret societies had strict membership requirements. A candidate for admission was voted upon by members, and only a few adverse ballots were required for disqualification.

In order to keep voting secret, white beans were dropped into a container by those who favored the candidate. Brown or black beans constitued negative votes. Only officials were supposed to know how many of these negative votes were cast. Occasionally, however, a clumsy voter knocked the jar or helmet over and disclosed its contents. It was embarrassing, to say the least, to spill the beans in this literal fashion.

WHY WE SAY IT WEDNESDAY

Happy Halloween! It's All Hallow's Eve, the night before All Saints Day. Traditions developed to celebrate this Eve came from older Pagan traditions and old Irish Gaelic Festivals. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops. Maybe it's the night all Hell breaks loose. Or it's just a good excuse to dress up and collect candy!

We missed the annual Hill Country Halloweeneirs' Night Out this year, traditionally hosted by the Peters. And although I lobbied hard, Aaron vetoed a dog dress-up party. So our evening will be fairly tame, spent as usual with our dogs (not in costume) whom we lovingly call, Our Best Girl and Hell on Wheels.

Hell on Wheels
What It Means: refers to a really bad situation, place or event; used to label incredible skill as well as extremely rapid movement

Where I Heard It: "Uh Oh. Here comes Hell on Wheels!"
- A. Bussey

Why We Say It: Western lore has it that as the American transcontinental railroad was started in 1860, the railroad laborers were followed westward by fellows determined to separate them from their hard earned money.

Many long stretches along the rail line didn't have a single outpost; but that didn't stop canny operators from the East. They rented flatcars and used them to haul tiny brothels, saloons, dance halls and gambling houses. Pushed to the railhead, or halted anywhere else that potential customers could be found, one might believe that all of man's sins compiled at one of these makeshift rigs literally constituted hell on wheels. Spreading slowly back to civilization, the vivid expression proved just right to label any awful place or event.

Today the meaning has expanded and has become complimentary--used to label incredible skill as well as extremely rapid movement, whether on a basketball court or by a crazy bird dog.

WHY WE SAY IT WEDNESDAY

In Max Lager's American Grill in downtown Atlanta, Georgia you might find two couples playing a game of darts. Let's call it Team Tex vs. Team Bama. Team Tex has two sturdy throwers, consistently hitting the board; however not hitting anything that counts towards a win. Team Bama has one leg-flinging thrower with good aim and one petite fast-ball thrower, nicknamed "Nolan" by the end of the game. Nolan's throws are less often hitting the board, but when they do, man, they are dead on.

Bull's Eye
What It Means: The center of a target. A direct hit.

Where I Heard It: "Double Bull's Eye! That's game!"
- C. Robertson

Why We Say It: Until it was outlawed in 1835, bull baiting was a major national sport of England. Always, some put their money on the dogs, while others preferred the bull. Just as present-day racing enthusiasts often put their money on a horse's nose, British sports were prone to put a crown on the bull's eye.

Since the coin equivalent to five shillings was roughly the size of an eye on which it was wagered, it took the same name. Targets developed for marksmen came to include a central black spot about the size of a shilling. Using the sportsman's label to designate the coin-size spot, the center of any target became it's bull's eye.

WHY YOU SAY IT

Like many bloggers, I've been inspired to start a little once-weekly special themed post of my own. Welcome to the first Why We Say It Wednesday.

Each Wednesday, I'll post the fascinating story behind an everyday word or phrase. I will try to make it a word or phrase I've recently come across in conversation, to give us that personal edge, ya know. So be on the look out for a quote by you in the Where I Heard It section.

Why Why We Say It Wednesday, you say? (nice sentence, huh?) I'm so glad you asked.

If you know me and you know my brother, you may not be surprised to read that I was inspired by Bryan. We have the same quirky (ok, sometimes dorky) sensibility for and fascination with random (ok, sometimes useless) information and things. So he's always inspiring me. For instance, this whole Why We Say It Wednesday thing was sparked because Bryan wrote in an email

". . . X might not be all it is cracked up to be. {What the crap does that phrase even mean? I never thought about it till now. Cracked up to be?}. . . "

Of course, now also pondering that question, I went to the reference section of my home library to consult the book Why You Say It: The Fascinating Stories Behind Over 600 Everyday Words and Phrases.

I found the answer and emailed him back. Voila! The idea for Why We Say It Wednesday was born.

Thanks, bro. I love you!

So here goes, the very first Why We Say It Wednesday phrase is (drum roll please!)

"All it's cracked up to be"
What It Means: something that is not all it's cracked up to be is something not as good as people say it is, something not as good as previously reported, something not as good as one expected

Where I Heard It: "After reading all the stuff online about it, I have this little tiny feeling that the Maker Faire might not be all it is cracked up to be."
- B. Silverthorne

Why We Say It: Sitting around the cracker barrel in a general store and swapping yarns, some idlers always evoked laughter. Others who told stories got only stares in response--the listeners didn't crack a smile.

Since hearty laughter constitutes a signal that a tale--or its teller--has hit the bull's eye, cracked faces came to signify "first class." Once that usage was established, it was an easy step to label anything inferior as "not what it is cracked up to be."

Check back next Wednesday and find out if Why We Say It Wednesday is all it's cracked up to be.