The Grammarist says that the expression “…is an Americanism dating from the 19^th century,” and that it means “the essentials” or “the basic facts.” Both the Grammarist and the Phrase Finder observe that the origin is unknown, but it might have something to do with the brass tacks used in upholstering furniture. The preferred origin for the Phrase Finder is that haberdashers measured cloth between brass tacks set into a shop’s counter.  That source says the meaning is to “Engage with the basic facts or realities.” I’ll add that I think of the expression being used as an admonition to get down to business. “Let’s quit wasting time and get down to the brass tacks.”

The Phrase Finder (as is usually the case) has an excellent explanation of the origin of this expression, which is defined to mean “A promise of heaven, while continuing to suffer in this life.” It is an American phrase coined by a leader of The Industrial Workers of the World (Wobblies) in 1911. He wrote a song titled The Preacher and the Slave that contained the line in the chorus explaining that you won’t get anything to eat now (except for hay), but “You’ll get pie in the sky when you die.”

The phrase caught on in the later stages of the Great Depression and during the Second World War and was used to “…refer to any prospect for future happiness which was unlikely ever to be realized.”

One version (much longer than this brief explanation) of the origin of this Greek myth explains Pandora, which means “all-giving,” was the first woman on earth. There was a lengthy argument among the Gods when humans were being created and Prometheus stole fire from Zeus to complete man. Zeus was angry and requested the creation of the first woman named Pandora and intended for her to be a punishment. Pandora was given a jar (which evolved into a box) that contained numerous gifts such as beauty, charm, and music. The jar also contained many illnesses and other dreadful things. Zeus knew Pandora’s curiosity would lead her to opening the jar despite his warnings and that opening it would result in releasing ills and evils on mankind. We often hear of an apparently innocent action described as  “opening Pandora’s box,” which leads to many dire and unintended consequences.

This “playground insult” was used by the wife of a former co-worker to describe the recent move by the government to reduce health care benefits for the people who had retired from the Rocky Flats Plant in Colorado and had believed they had a promise of lifetime benefits. The expression is used to describe a person who gives or promises a gift and then takes it back. I guessed it was a description of the practice of the American government signing treaties with the Native Americans and then ignoring what they had promised, but I was completely wrong. It seems the insult originated with Lewis and Clark’s distrust of natives during their expedition. They rejected an offer of a present consisting of roots believing they would be expected to reciprocate with a gift that was “…three or four times their real worth.” Lewis and Clark recorded in their journals that their hosts, who they had insulted, were “forward and impertinent, and thievish.”

Author David Wilton explains that “Indian gift” “…arose when white settlers misinterpreted the Native American concept of bartering…Europeans misunderstood it, considered it uncouth and impolite.”

This is a bit of a departure from expressions, but I thought the origin of sincere was interesting. One story is that it resulted from unscrupulous marble dealers covering imperfections with wax. “The practice eventually became illegal, as the Roman Empire certified that all marble must be ‘sine cera’ or ‘sincerus,’ meaning without wax—genuine.” Therefore, to be sincere is to be genuine.