Grief & healing: Casual conversation can have historical origins

My beloved Baheej was very interested in the origins of words, and the meaning of folk sayings.

He got me curious in the “ins and outs” of language. I’m especially interested in the every day informal colloquialisms and idiomatic phrases we use in casual conversation.

“Spick and span” is an example. I just recently used it and then wondered — where did it originate?

Well, “as it turns out” this colloquialism has its origin in old-time ship building.

When a crew came aboard a newly built ship they found the nails in the wooden deck were still shiny (spick), and some wood shavings (span) from construction were still scattered around.

The phrase came to mean anything brand new, or simply all fresh and cleaned, such as kitchen dishes, pots, and pans all cleaned-up after cooking a big meal.

When you think of it, our everyday conversations are riddled with such folksy sayings.

Some examples:

• Learning the ins and outs. This colloquialism means figuring out a complicated situation or process. It originated as a reference to the difficulty following a winding path or road.

• Cut to the chase. This means get to the main point on whatever is being discussed. It originates in the silent film days when many films ended with some sort of chase at the end.

Some other examples include:

• Over the hill.

• Piece of cake.

• Bite the bullet.

• Cutting corners.

• In the nick of time.

• Don’t spill the beans.

• Under the weather.

• Up in the air.

• I’m pulling your leg.

• For the birds.

• A rain check.

• Step up to the plate.

Sometimes we can trace the origins of these sayings. But the origins of some colloquialisms or idioms seem just lost in history even though people around us know exactly what they mean.

They are part of informal, day to day conversation. Some are now are archiac but others are new.

So the point is: We are certainly influenced in many ways by our partners and friends. If we are lucky to have good influences, they are fun and enriching. Sometimes even life-changing. In my case, my beloved Baheej changed the whole course of my life.

But that’s a larger story.

For now, I’m just saying that Baheej certainly influenced my interest in the mysteries of everyday language, which is still fun.

It’s rather amazing how much our casual conversations with people are sprinkled with colloquialisms. Even if you don’t use them, others do! You may not even notice, because they are so familiar!

• Susan Anderson-Khleif of Sleepy Hollow has a doctorate in family sociology from Harvard, taught at Wellesley College and is a retired Motorola executive. Contact her at sakhleif@aol.com.