BEHIND BARS
The bars are the straight, strong rods of iron fixed across the window of a prison cell. So somebody who is behind bars is in prison.
GET (HOLD OF) THE WRONG END OF THE STICK
The stick here is a stick with one end that has been carved or shaped, so that it can be used as a walking stick or similar tool. If you hold it by the wrong end you can't use it correctly. In the past, if you had the right or the wrong end of the stick, you had, or didn’t have, the advantage in a bargain or contest. Now, the expression is used to refer to someone who has misunderstood a situation or a story.
THE RAT RACE
Originally, in the 18th century, this referred to the practice of setting rats to race against each other, in order to lay bets on the winner. The rats wore ribbons of different colours to identify them. In the 20th century the term rat race was used by American soldiers and pilots to refer to planes flying closely together, whether in combat or racing for fun. Now, the rat race is the competitive struggle to earn good money and gain in status.
TOUCH WOOD
This originates from a children’s game called ‘Touch-wood’ or sometimes ‘Touch-iron’. This was a game in which players could be ‘caught’ while running between wooden or iron objects, but were ‘safe’ once they had reached and were touching one. Now you say touch wood (and you may try to find some wood to touch) after you have referred to something that has an uncertain outcome, in order to prevent something bad from happening.
Comments