Tim Bowen explains, “The noun buff has come to mean someone who is both very interested in and knows a lot about a particular subject, usually an intellectual subject. Examples include a wine buff, a film buff, a theatre buff and a computer buff. The noun is related to the verb to buff meaning to make something shine by rubbing it with a cloth. In the past buffing was often done with a cloth made of soft leather, originally from buffalo skins (which is often believed to be the origin of buff)…”

The Phrase Finder explains this means to succeed “…through all forms of obstacles put in one’s way.” It is a very old expression that “…that has maintained its figurative meaning over many centuries.” It comes from the times when there were few roads and originated from riding a horse through the “…thicket and thin wood.”  The earliest written version found by Phrase Finder was 1662.

The literal explanation is “a blanket damped with water so as to extinguish a fire.” However, the common use is to define “…a person or thing that dampens enthusiasm or enjoyment.” The expression has been around for several centuries.

Knowyourphrase.com explains that this expression means to “…make a wrong assumption about someone or something.” A person being wrongly accused might use the phrase to tell the accuser they are wrong. The origin is said to be from the use of hunting dogs to trail prey. The dogs give chase; the prey crawls up a tree and perhaps jumps to a nearby tree. Therefore, the dog is “…barking up the wrong tree.” The expression was used in the early 19^th century when the Knickerbocker Magazine in 1836 had a statement that read, “’You’ve been barking up the wrong tree, cried the Ohioan.”

I found a TV channel that runs “retro” shows. Last night I watched episodes of Doctor Who with Jon Pertwee. How different the pacing was for story told in half-hour installments than in today’s Doctor Who format. The Doctor spoke a phrase I don’t hear much on TV: a fly in the ointment.

Wikipedia defines the phrase as “an idiomatic expression for a drawback, especially one that was not at first apparent.” They don’t cite any TV shows, but do mention the phrase was used in the movie Die Hard. The article says the likely source is this King James Bible citation.

Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour. (Ecclesiastes 10:1)

Phrase Finder notes that the precise contemporary wording was first found in print in John Norris’ A Practical Treatise Concerning Humility, 1707: ‘Tis that dead fly in the ointment of the Apothecary.

This is the first time I’ve been able to combine Doctor Who and the Bible in a single post. Hurray.

The Grammarphobia Blog explains that the origin of the expression is pretty much what you would expect.  It literally means fighting “…with the use of one’s teeth and nails as weapons; by biting and scratching.” It also explains that it means to attack or defend “…vigorously, fiercely, with one’s utmost efforts, with all one’s might.” The first recorded mention was by Sir Thomas More in 1535 while he was waiting execution. I typically don’t make editorial comments about expressions, but think fighting “tooth and nail” against an executioner or someone with an axe, spear, or gun means you are merely trying to maintain some semblance of dignity or prolonging the inevitable.