Why do they say that?

Why do they say that?

Many of use clichéd sayings daily, but have no idea where they came from or what they really mean. Here are some of their histories.

Balls to the wall. This is actually not from male anatomy. When flying a plane, the throttle controls are topped with ball hand grips. When you push them towards the walls of the cabin, you are going at top speed. Therefore, ‘balls to the walls’ means to go all out.

Breaking the ice. When everyone had to get their water from a well in winter, the person who broke the ice on top of the well allowed everyone else to get a drink, as no one wanted to do it themselves.

Cold turkey. When drug addicts are quitting their addiction, their skin turns pale and they have goose bumps, making them resemble a frozen, plucked turkey.

Feeding frenzy. This is in reference to the ravenous feeding habits of sharks.

Crossed Fingers. Crossing one’s fingers is a way of creating a cross with ones hands easily and shields the user from bad luck, supposedly.

Gung-ho. In Chinese, gung-ho means to work together. It now has come to mean competitive or aggressive.

Sleep tight. Before they had box springs, they supported mattresses with ropes, and if you didn’t tighten the ropes, the mattress would sag. Therefore you should tighten the mattress, or, sleep tight.