the history behind

6 CATCHPHRASES

Bark up the wrong tree...

Hunting dogs often chase animals up trees, only to have the animal jump to a branch on another tree to try to

escape. When the dog would miss this happening it would then be

barking up the wrong tree.

Close, but no cigar...

Fairgrounds once gave out cigars as prizes (before stuffed animals), and though you could come close, but you had to win to get a cigar.

Hot potato...

Potatoes were baked in fires before ovens, and had to be handled with caution when removed from the embers.

Steal your thunder...

This came from playwright John Dennis in the early 1700s. One of his plays was not well received, but his cutting edge sound effects for thunder were; he soon found

that others had copied the effect and "stolen his thunder."

Think outsize of the box...

This origin of this does not have to do with an actual box. It is instead based on the "9 dots puzzle" where the 9 dots are arranged in a box shape; to solve it you must think outside of traditional logic.

Take it with a grain of salt...

Food is easier to swallow with a small amount of salt, and this evolved into

taking news with a grain of salt to make it more palatable to receive.