Category Archives: Expressions

Cut to the Chase

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The Phrase Finder has its usual detailed explanation that the current meaning is “Get to the point—leaving out unnecessary preamble.” The first use of the term was a script direction from a Hollywood director in 1929 to move the plot literally, “Cut to the case.” It was used by Helen Deutsch in an article about screen writing ran in 1944 that advised, “When in doubt, cut to the chase.” Evolution to the current meaning is exhibited by a piece in The Berkshire Evening Eagle in 1947 that announced, “Let’s cut to the chase. There will be no tax relief this year.”

The explanation ends with the entertaining observation that most “…films aimed at a young male audience involve plot devices that allow for car/boat/spacecraft chases. There is usually a token love interest before everything in sight ends up in pieces.”    

Pussyfoot

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There isn’t any argument that use of the expression in the U.S. refers to someone sneaking around silently in a sly or underhanded manner. The Online Etymology Dictionary attributes its origin as being “…the nickname of U.S. government Indian Affairs agent W.E. Johnson (1862-1945) who was noted for his stealthy tactics” in combating the use of alcohol. Word Origins adds that Johnson’s reputation followed him to England in 1916 where the expression became used to describe a teetotaler “…who advocates prohibition.”

 

Whaddya Mean “We” Kemosabe?

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In a classic Mad Magazine cartoon (that I dimly recall), the Lone Ranger and Tonto are surrounded by a horde of hostile Indian warriors. The Lone Ranger says to Tonto “what do we do, now?,” to which Tonto replies, “what you mean ‘we,’ kemosabe?”

As a long article in Slate.com says:
“Even if you’ve never heard or seen a single episode of Fran Striker’s early 20th-century creation The Lone Ranger—begun on the radio [in 1933], continued in books and on television, and … the big screen—the term kemosabe is likely familiar to you.”

There’s more interest in “kemosabe” than you’d expect – Word Detective, Native Arts, and a favorite of mine – The Straight Dope.

There are amusing suggestions. The word “tonto” means “fool” in Spanish*. “Some people have pointed out that kemosabe sounds a lot like the Spanish phrase ‘quien no sabe'” which means idiot, so the two characters are calling each other stupid over the decades. I suppose this could have happened by accident (or by some devious design), but it seems unlikely.

Various people have tried hard to reconcile the word with Native American languages, and even to assign Tonto to a tribe (which Striker never did – but it was 1933 and “Indian” may have been sufficient for an entertainment.)

We’ll never know, since creator Fran Striker didn’t record where he got the word. My bet is that it was entirely made-up. If so, it can only mean what an episode of the TV show claimed – Tonto tells the Lone Ranger that the word “mean trusty scout.” Any later attempts (that means you, 2013 film) to redefine the word must be rejected. You only get one shot to contribute to a venerable creation’s canon.

*Note: Apparently, when Lone Ranger episodes are presented in Spanish, the trusty scout’s companion is named “Toro”, which means “bull.”

All the Bells and Whistles

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The Phrase Finder explains that the term has evolved to mean “attractive additional features or fittings,” and is often used in sales pitches for computers, cars, etc. The expression “appeared many times in the 18th and 19th century in literal references to warnings or promotional events. These contexts included citations about fire engines, the Salvation Army, circuses; anyone in fact that was trying to draw attention to themselves might do so using a bell or a whistle.” An interesting possibility about how it came to achieve the current definition is that the English cartoonist Rowland Emett designed “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” in 1968. That was about the time that the phase began being used in America for the current meaning.

 

Strange Bedfellows

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This phrase refers to unlikely companions or allies; or usual opponents banding together. Dictionary.com says it is often used in the phrase “politics makes strange bedfellows.”

Bardwords quotes the phrase from The Tempest Act 2, Scene 2:

“Alas, the storm is come again! My best way is
to creep under his gaberdine; there is no other shelter hereabout:
misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows. I will here
shroud till the dregs of the storm be past.”

They further say that “although set in different times many of the most famous quotes about life and love by William Shakespeare are still relevant today. Did you know that William Shakespeare is credited by the Oxford English Dictionary with the introduction of nearly 3,000 words into the language?”

Encyclopedia.com notes that the expression “adversity makes strange bedfellows” was an early 17th-century saying meaning that difficult circumstances will bring together very different people. So I guess Shakespeare can’t take all the credit. And the full phrase “politics makes strange bedfellows” was a mid 19th century proverbial saying. Wikiquote says the phrase “politics makes strange bedfellows” was used in print by American essayist and novelist Charles Dudley Warner. The phrase appeared in his 1870 book My Summer in a Garden.

Equating adversity with politics sure fits these days. Maybe it always has.

If I Had a Nickel…

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I enjoy the number crunching on fivethirtyeight.com, which is sometimes serious and sometimes just-for-fun. They recently tried to estimate how much money you’d have if you received a nickel every time someone in America said “if I had a nickel…” (The answer is $1.72 million, give or take, per year.) This made me wonder where the phrase came from.

UsingEnglish.com says “When someone uses this expression, they mean that the specific thing happens a lot. It is an abbreviation of the statement ‘If I had a nickel for every time that happened, I would be rich.'” I’ve seen variations that use a dime or a dollar.

Not many sites seem to tackle tracking down the origin of this phrase.

English Language & Usage says “the earliest I can find is Mark Twain in 1809.” Since he wasn’t born until 1835, this is suspect. My quick google search did not track down this alleged quote at any date. A search on Phrase Finder and Word Detective turned up nothing.

Do any of you have a source?