This is a combination commentary and expression description. The expression is being used frequently to describe what is going on with the budget, the deficit, and the lack of courage by politicians in not even mentioning the problem with entitlement spending. Politicians noticed what happened to George W. Bush when he was accused of “trying to privatize Social Security” after he proposed allowing younger people be allowed to voluntarily put one third of their Social Security “contributions” into a private retirement account. Everyone knows something needs to be done, and everyone is “kicking the can down the road.”

“Funtrivia.com” has a series of explanations about the origin of this idiom. “Neck” was used in English as early as 1555 to describe a narrow strip of land surrounded by water because it resembled the neck of an animal. Americans applied it to a narrow stand of woods or a settlement in the woods. In the heavily forested days of early America “neck of the woods” referred to your home and neighborhood.

The term is used to express that there are always multiple ways of accomplishing something. However, the origin apparently had nothing to do with being creative about the approach to completing a task. Charles Funk in “A Hog on Ice” writes that it came from watching children hanging by the hands from a branch or bar, drawing the legs up through the arms and over the branch, and pulling themselves up into a sitting position. The term first showed up in print around 1845.

Dictionary.com has several definitions as a noun, including an open compartment, hole or recess. However, it is other use I had in mind. The term is used to describe what others think of an individual’s class or status, and it usually is used in a critical manner. (“He was pigeonholed as one of the kids who won’t behave.”) It also is used to describe something that has been set aside for the present, probably with the intention of ignoring it. (“The boss pigeonholed my idea.”) Wikipedia describes the origin was a mathematical term developed in the 1800’s. The example given is there has to be two pigeons in at least one compartment if there are 10 pigeons and 9 compartments. The idea of pigeons in compartments then evolved into catagorizing people and putting suggestions into slots to be forgotten.

I had always thought the word “brand” in these expressions referred to manufacturer’s names that everyone would recognize, such as Ford, General Electric, etc. “The Straight Dope” says that the term “Brand-new” goes back to the middle ages and “referred to pottery or metalwork that had just been pulled from the fire in which it had hardened.” That was the origin of the term “brand name.” Wine corks are “branded,” as are cattle. An argument ensued about the meaning of the word “spanking.” One responder said it refers to the old term “span-nyr,” meaning “chip-new,” or the chips made by an axe. Another responder said the expression originated from the practice of midwives spanking a newborn to provoke crying and breathing. The author provided a discussion of several other possible sources of “spanking,” including the Danish word “spanke” (to strut), the Scandinavian word “spanking,” a sailor’s name for a fresh lively breeze, but no reference to spanking a baby. However, the author complimented the responder for a creative interpretation.

The book “Language of the Civil War” by John D. Wright ($85 on Amazon.com!) published in 2001 says that the term originated with Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens. His extreme intelligence overcame his small size (90 pounds) and unhealthy appearance. The term “Smart Aleck” is used to describe someone using sarcastic, mocking humor in an argument, and Stephens was said to have earned that nickname. Several other sources, including Wikipedia,  say the term “Smart Alec” was coined to describe a con man named Alec Hoag who ran a pickpocket operation in the 1840s with the help of two policemen. He is said to have earned the nickname when he wound up in prison by trying to cheat the two policemen out of their cut. I think the fact that the expression doesn’t appear in print until 1865 adds credibility to the first explanation even though the second explanation has more references.