What is the origin and meaning of the phrase "your turn in the barrel," ?

What is the origin and meaning of the phrase “your turn in the barrel,” and how is it used?

Presumably from a bawdy military joke featuring a barrel with a glory hole, whose punchline is “It’s your turn in the barrel.”

The joke has many variants and embellishments, but the kernel is:

A new sailor is being given a boat tour and shown a barrel with a glory hole, which they can use any time except Tuesdays.

When he asks why not Tuesdays, he is told: “Because it’s your turn in the barrel.”

The origin is the punch line of an ancient dirty joke about a group of men in an isolated location who used a ‘magic barrel” instead of feminine companionship. When a new arrival found the barrel to be suddenly less than satisfying and complained, he was told it was “his turn in the barrel.” The term is often used wryly to refer to any recurring and unpleasant duty.

The origin is a lewd (presumably fictional) story involving a ship’s crew, a barrel with the bunghole opened, and a rotating manning as the occupant of the barrel. The occupant of the barrel would anonymously “service the needs” of the rest of the crew. Being assigned duty in the barrel would be unpleasant.

How the phrase is used to allegorically compare any unpleasant rotating assignment to the job(s) that the sailors in the barrel would have to perform. At the risk of excessive imagery, the phrase is often followed with “Suck it up.”

The origin of this expression needs to be clarified. A person born in southern Indiana in 1922 reported that when he was a child, a game called “your turn in the barrel” involved one child standing in a barrel while the other children stood in a circle around him, attempting to hit him by throwing dirt, fruit, and the like.

The expression refers to an unpleasant experience, often involving physical or verbal assaults from other people. The expression “(one’s) time in the barrel” or “turn in the barrel” implies that other persons have to go through this experience as well, and now it is one’s turn.

What do people mean when they say something was sold, “lock, stock, and barrel,” and where does the phrase come from?

It means “completely, everything included.” It does not refer to sales, although one often hears it in that context. The origin refers to the parts of a gun: the lock is the firing mechanism (as in flintlock, matchlock); the barrel, of course, is the tube the bullet or shot is expelled through, and the stock is the part that goes against the shooter’s shoulder (in a long gun, or his held in hand in a handgun) and holds the lock and the barrel. Together, they make up the entirety of a gun, at least of the old-fashioned guns used when the phrase originated (the first citation in the OED is from 1817).

What does the saying, “My (or your) turn in the barrel.” mean, and where does it come from?

It’s a very old army joke. A recruit to a remote outpost asks one of the garrisons what they do for sex, as all the locals are hostile. The old sweat tells him, “For that, we have the barrel.” The idea repulses the recruit, but after a few weeks, he feels frustrated and goes to the old soldier. He gets led to a courtyard with a barrel standing in the middle. The soldier tells him to put his member in the bunghole. The recruit is dubious, thinking he might be being made fun of, but does as he is told. He finds he is getting the most fabulous experience, the best blowjob of his life. Spent, he finally withdraws and asks the old soldier when to use the barrel. “Any time you want except for every second Tuesday!”. Curious, he asks why not the second Tuesday. “That’s your turn in the barrel!”.

I understand this joke dates back to at least the time of Aristophanes 2400 years ago.

What is the origin of the phrase “lock，stock, and barrel”?

The lock, stock, and barrel are the functional parts of a (older) gun.

The term was first recorded in the letters of Sir Walter Scott in 1817, in the line, “Like the High-landman’s gun, she wants stock, lock, and barrel, to put her into repair.”

[…]

Artisans made components one at a time in the early days of firearms manufacturing. One craftsman made the “lock,” which would have been a “match lock,” “wheel lock,” “flintlock” etc. The next craftsman made the barrel, and the last craftsman, a woodworker, made the stock. At some point, a craftsman or a merchant started advertising “Lock Stock and Barrel,” meaning that you could get your entire gun at one location and did not have to go from craftsman to craftsman to finish it.

What is the origin of the phrase “the whole nine yards”? What does it mean, and how long has it been used?

Many idiomatic phrases have intriguing historical backstories prime fodder for interesting QUORA answers.

Unfortunately for me, this isn’t one of them.

Sadly, no one can say for certain just what the whole nine yards refers to.

There’s a 1921 headline in the Spartanburg [SC] Herald about a baseball game called THE WHOLE SIX YARDS, although people need to learn what that refers to, too. There are nine innings in a standard basketball game, so perhaps nine is a reasonable extension of the earlier saying.

Again, your guess is as good as anybody’s.

I’d always heard it had something to do with cement truck capacity.

That’s bollocks as well.

What does the phrase “scraping the bottom of the barrel” mean?

Scraping the bottom of the barrel

This comes from a time when foodstuff preservation methods could have been better. A ship at sea might have a barrel of flour to last their journey. Initially, they would have good fresh flour, but all the little bits of grit from the millstones, lumps, mouse shit, and weevils are down the bottom. But what can they do? They are still at sea. They need to eat, so they scrape the bottom of the barrel, make their bread with all the nasty stuff in it, and choke it down.

Scraping the bottom of the barrel means you are down to the lowest quality but are desperate, so you must use it.

What is the origin of the phrase “stick to [one’s] guns”?

This was originally a military phrase meaning, “Stay at your post, even under fire.” In everyday discourse, it encourages someone not to back down on something they believe in.

Other phrases with military origins:

“The whole nine yards” – Old WWI (Gatling?) guns used to have nine yards of bullets fed into them; using the “whole nine yards” means keep going till you run out of ammo. As a colloquialism, it simply means “the whole enchilada;
“Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes!”- From the Revolutionary War: get close to your target so you don’t miss when you fire;
“Talk softly, and carry a big stick” – This is one from Teddy Roosevelt, who helped broker a peace deal between Russia and Japan. It means to conduct oneself diplomatically, but always let your opponent remember you have the firepower to back your side up. It’s rarely mentioned that the quote has one more line: “You will go far”;
“Bought the farm” – This is probably from pilots of the Pacific Theater, indicating death by accident or military action. One theory is that some “flyboys” from the heartland talked about returning to their family farms, which they would one day inherit. To have “bought the farm” means they could not inherit anything since they paid with their lives.

What does that line “Batten down the hatches mean”?

Originally, that was a nautical phrase. A batten is a long strip of wood or metal to secure something in place. During the age of sail, a ship’s deck hatches would be battened down (secured shut) when heavy weather threatened. That way, the crash and rush of seawater washing over the deck could not accidentally force a hatch open and flood the ship below the decks.

So, at first, sailors would say, “batten down the hatches,” meaning to take that precaution at sea. They carried the concept ashore, and the phrase seeped into general language with a meaning like, “We better get ready for rough going.”

This expression was much more common throughout the 20th century but is still sometimes used today. For instance, I might say this to a friend if we’re out camping, and bad weather threatens: “Man, we better batten down the hatches. Look at those rain clouds rolling in!”

More often, though, it is used metaphorically. Maybe our boss is on a rampage at work, and the next team he’s coming to confront is my co-workers (eek!) and me. So I’ll look over to a friend’s desk and might say, “Better batten down the hatches. The boss is headed this way.”

This term is gradually falling out of use as we move farther away in time from the era of seafaring when hatches and battening made this a more living expression. But as I say, it is still in use and isn’t obsolete.

What does the phrase “he has you over a barrel” mean?

To have one over a barrel is closely related to cardiac pulmonary resuscitation. Without the modern methods of AED devices for defibrillation, there was once a time when it was necessary to roll an individual over the top of a barrel to push water from the lungs.

This procedure was generally utilized in cases, for example, where one was a ship hand, having experienced an event near drowning. Onboard ships, barrels were essential and, of course, readily available.

When the situation might arise, medically speaking, this would imply a pulmonary edema that must be addressed immediately.

In this case, first mates, captains, and other crew members concerned immediately cast the limp body over a barrel and rolled them back and forth to evacuate the fluid from their lungs.

With this in mind, your life is in someone else’s hands, for they have you over a barrel.

What are the origin and meaning of the phrase’ to go off (at) the deep end’?

To go off the deep end is to go into a dangerous area, usually unintentionally and usually dangerous in terms of mental health. Think of a swimming pool and how it is designed with a shallow and deep end. Which is more dangerous? Someone who has gone off the deep end has gone into waters deeper than they can handle, and to some degree, they are either lost or drowning.

Now, a couple of similar sayings mean slightly different things. Jumping into the deep end or deep waters means plunging yourself into something all at once with a connotation of it not being a smart thing to do or even a potentially dangerous thing to do.

I hope this helps.

What is the origin and meaning of the phrase “cut him loose”?

Cut someone loose ‎(third-person singular simple present cuts someone loose, present participle cutting someone loose, simple past and past participle cut someone loose)

(idiomatic) To let someone go from something, such as a position, relationship, or obligation.

E.g., The pizza chain was forced to close several locations and cut employees loose.

No idea about the origin, though!

What does “keep ’em coming” mean, and where did it come from?

This phrase is a regular colloquialism and doesn’t have an origin. It’s not an idiom because it means, “Keep them coming,” where “’em” is a common colloquial shortening of “them.” The full explanation of what this phrase implies would be that you approve of something you see/taste/feel, etc., and would like to see more of the item or its kind in the future (undefined and contextual). For example, if you read someone’s article online and write, “Keep them coming,” Or if someone brings you a beer at a party, and so on.

Where did the phrase “screwed the pooch” come from?

Pooch means a dog.

The origin of the phrase comes from an old joke “I shot the wife, and screwed the pooch.” instead of being the other way around. This ostensibly happened because the guy was drunk or temporarily insane.

It’s a polite way of saying “(I) fucked up,” but in a sense that I did one thing instead of the opposite. It reminds me of the following joke.

A battle-weary American soldier boarded a crowded train in London during the early days of post-WWII, only to discover he could not find a place to sit. Walking the train length, he noticed a small white dog curled up on one of the seats. A large, well-dressed woman sat in the seat next to the dog. The man hovered near the seat, hoping the woman would take the hint, but she pointedly ignored him.

“Excuse me, Ma’am,” the soldier finally spoke, “Is this your dog? Would you mind holding it on your lap so that I may sit down?”

The woman raised her icy gaze to the young man and said in a haughty British accent, “Oh! You Americans. You are so rude.

Fluffy is in that seat, and I see no reason she should give up her comfort for you.”

The exhausted soldier nodded, picked up the small dog, leaned over, opened the moving train window, and tossed the dog out. The woman gaped, spluttered in horrified indignation, and then started howling and wailing in despair, “My Fluffy! Oh, my Fluffy!” The man sitting across from her lowered his newspaper.

“You Americans,” he said, “You drive on the wrong side of the road … you eat with the wrong fork … and you just threw the wrong bitch out the window.”

Where did the military phrase “cover my six” come from?

It comes from the terminology that uses the numbers on a clock to refer to the lateral directions surrounding a person or, more commonly, an aircraft.

Saying, “We got incoming bogeys at 10 o’clock,” is easier than, “There are possible enemy aircraft approaching from your left side and slightly in front of you but not too far in front of you.”

As six is the bottom number, “my six” is shorthand for “directly behind me.”

NB: I am not, nor have I ever been, in the Air Force or any other military branch. The example quoted in the second paragraph is based entirely on the movie Top Gun and is likely different from what anyone says in real life.

What is the origin of the phrase “rode hard and put away wet”?

What Does “Rode Hard and Put Away Wet” Mean? (with pictures)

The expression “rode hard and put away wet” refers to a person who looks worn out or unwell. “Ridden hard and put up wet” is another variation of the same phrase. The expression originates from the southern and western United States. The term’s first use is uncertain; it was already in relatively widespread use by the mid-20th century.

The phrase itself is derived from horseback riding. When a horse is forced to run quickly, it works up a sweat. Before being put back into the stable, it should be allowed to cool down by walking the last part of its journey. Even after arrival, it may need to be allowed to walk more to cool down. The rider should remove saddles and other tack and give the horse a small amount of water. Once the horse is somewhat rested, the rider or groom rubs it down before returning it to the stable.

Horses that do not receive this treatment can suffer from several complaints. Chills and muscle stiffness can result from being left damp. Horses also frequently become bad-tempered and resentful if left untended.

By analogy, a person who is “rode hard and put away wet” seems ill-conditioned, tired out, and unhappy, much like a horse that has undergone the same treatment. The expression also has a secondary meaning, implying that the person has been neglected or mistreated. The phrase can refer to a single instance of this appearance in the case of a person who has had a tiring and difficult experience. It can also refer to someone who habitually appears weary and chaotic, such as an insomniac. Sometimes, it can even be a compliment, describing someone whose rugged appearance testifies to his or her toughness and endurance.

The phrase “rode hard and put away wet” is common in popular culture. Country and western singer and comedian Tennessee Ernie Ford used it as a catchphrase in the 1950s, and pop-punk band Diesel Boy used it as an album title in 2001. Actors June Raphael and Casey Wilson named their two-woman comedy show “Rode Hard and Put Away Wet.” Due to the popularity of other euphemisms involving riding, some people incorrectly assume that the phrase has a sexual connotation. As a result, it also appeared as the title of an adult film in 1998.

What’s the origin of the phrase “every Tom, Dick, and Harry”?

The idiom “every Tom, Dick and Harry” is a placeholder for multiple but unspecified persons. In other words, in the sense of “any random person we could think of.” In short, “everyone” or “all ordinary individuals.”

This model should appeal to every Tom, Dick, and Harry.

I can’t be expected to answer for every Tom, Dick, or Harry’s actions.

The “and” is sometimes replaced by “or” in British English.

The origin of the idiom is unknown. Dating the first use is problematic, too, depending on which source you believe in. Oxford English Dictionary was first used in 1657 by the English religious thinker John Owen. HarperCollins has it as 1734. Shakespeare used the variation “Tom, Dick and Francis” in Act 1 of Henry IV (1583-97).

What is the root or historical meaning of the phrase “rode hard and put her away wet”?

It goes like this. “rode hard and put up wet.”

To ‘put up’ a horse meant putting it in a stable, stall, or maybe a small paddock.

The phrase originally referred to a way that some horses were abused, either from utter ignorance on the part of the human or because someone just didn’t give a damn about the horse.

If you ride a horse until it’s very hot and sweaty, put it in a stable, and let it stand there while you walk away, it may die.

Decent horse riders walk the horse cool, which takes as long as it takes, letting it drink a little every few minutes instead of letting it just guzzle down water and always ensuring the water isn’t too cold. They’d also make sure the horse was dry before ever considering putting it up.

Putting a hot, worked-up horse away without cooling it off properly first can make the horse desperately sick or kill it.

Today, the phrase still has that meaning but also comes to mean being ill-used and can be used amusingly.

“He looks like he’s been rode hard and put up wet.”

One can say of oneself: “I feel like I’ve been riding hard and put up wet,” which indicates you had a tough day or that a task was very demanding and you are worn out and tired.

What is the origin of the phrase “feet to the fire”?

Holding one’s feet to the fire once was taken literally.

It turns out that the sole is particularly sensitive to heat. Church inquisitors used this fact during the Middle Ages and the Spanish Inquisition and in both the Old and the New Worlds.

In medieval Europe, trial by ordeal (also known as judicium Dei) was a trial based on the premise that God would help the innocent by performing a miracle and saving the accused. One such trial was to hold the accused’s feet to the fire or force the accused to walk across a span of red-hot iron. It was believed that God would intervene to perform a miracle on behalf of the innocent and protect the worthy souls — and soles — from infection. Of course, most either confessed to the crimes they were accused of or died during the trial.

A report of one such ordeal, the Ordeal of Queen Emma by Fire at Winchester, originated in the 13th century. According to legend, in the early 11th Century, Queen Emma of Normandy (consorts of Æthelred the Unready (1002–1016) and aCnut the Great (1017–1035)) was accused of “unchastity” with the Bishop of Winchester. To prove her innocence, she was obliged to walk over nine red-hot plowshares in Winchester Cathedral. If church chroniclers are to be believed, the Queen walked over the red-hot plowshares and neither felt the heat nor suffered any damage.

The Ordeal of Queen Emma (William Blake, c. 1793)

And here is another showing showing a heretic being tortured.

In 1215, Pope Innocent III banned priests from attending any trials by fire or ordeal. As the medieval period wore on, such trials became less frequent and eventually died out.

But the ordeal by fire returned with a vengeance during the Spanish Inquisition (1478–1834) as “foot roasting.”

This woodcut shows the torture of a witch in the Parish of Calder, Scotland. This witch hunt lasted more than a hundred and thirty years, from 1591 to 1722; more than 3,000 “witches” were put to death.

The Spanish conquistadors brought the same practices to the New World.

The Torture of Cuauhtémoc (Leandro Izaguirre,1893)

Where did the term Old Coots come from?

It was first used in the 1700s to refer to a harmless, simple person. ‘A coot’ is a bird that bobs its head as it walks and swims, similar to an elderly person. It also means a person who is foolish/eccentric/stupid. In modern times, it is used affectionately towards older men.

Where did the term Old Coots come from?

COOT: If you’ve ever seen a coot — an ungainly marsh bird that bobs its head like a hen as it swims or walks — you can see why “coot” came to denote, by the 1700s, “a harmless, simple person,” as in “an old coot.”

Middle English: probably of Dutch or Low German origin and related to Dutch koet.

Where did the phrase “daddy-o” come from?

“Daddy-O” was a slang term that became popular in the mid-1950s and ’60s. It was used primarily by beatniks/hipsters and was usually used to address an older person. It was not considered an insult at all. It was similar to the words “dude” or “man” used today.

Where did the term “wet willy” come from?

I know that certain schoolboys and those of a juvenile disposition seeking a laugh, will wet their finger and put it into the ear of an unsuspecting friend as a prank while shrieking, “Wet willy, wet willy!” the implication being that it’s not their finger……oh what fun! What the origin of this inane practice is, I don’t know, but Merriam-Webster’s Definition of WET WILLY dates it to 1993

Do you remember where the phrase “pork chops and Apple shauce” came from?

When I hear “pork chops and apple sauce,” I think of an episode of The Brady Bunch where Peter spoke with a Humphrey Bogart accent.

Since the question spells it “sauce,” I can’t imagine it is referring to anything else but this episode.

Brady Bunch (TV SHOW) meal that the kids liked, they’d repeat over and over “pork chops and applesauce. (Usually in a silly accent).

No, I don’t — I am too young for that, but my research says Pork chops and apple sauce are a traditional dish in Spain and the UK. The dish was significant in the TV series “The Brady Bunch.” It has been a popular dish in the USA since more or less the 1890s.

What is the origin of the expression “two shakes of a lamb’s tail?”

This expression first appeared in publication in 1840 but is undoubtedly much older than that in vernacular usage. Interestingly, it was originally paired with its opposite—”two shakes of a dead lamb’s tail”—which meant never. The expression is occasionally reduced to “two shakes,” meaning the same thing. “See you in two shakes” was a fairly common expression I would hear growing up. One assumes that the expression is gradually disappearing from written and spoken usage because fewer people grow up actually seeing lambs wag their tails. The one place it will probably be preserved is among nuclear scientists, since during the Manhattan Project, they adopted the term “shake” to denote ten nanoseconds. Strange how words and expressions evolve!

What is the origin of the phrase “rode hard and put away wet”?

What Does “Rode Hard and Put Away Wet” Mean? (with pictures)

By analogy, a person who is “rode hard and put away wet” seems ill-conditioned, tired out, and unhappy, much like a horse that has undergone the same treatment. The expression also has a secondary meaning, implying that the person has been neglected or mistreated. The phrase can refer to a single instance of this appearance in the case of a person who has had a tiring and difficult experience. It can also refer to someone who habitually appears weary and chaotic, such as an insomniac. In some cases, it can even be a compliment, describing someone whose rugged appearance testifies to his or her toughness and endurance.