wordorigins

From Fair to Middling to Face the Music.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Saturday was not a good day for Florida St. football.  Again.  The Seminoles were worked over by in state rival Miami 27-10.  And, Miami is no juggernaut.  So, on Sunday the AD and the boosters decided to move in another direction coaching wise.  They told Willie Taggart it was time to “face the music” which never sounds like your Spotify favorite song is about to hit your ear buds.  Hmm.  Where did the phrase “face the music” come from?

A commonly repeated assertion is that ‘face the music’ originated from the tradition of disgraced officers being ‘drummed out’ of their regiment. A second popular theory is that it was UK actors who ‘faced the music’, that is, faced the orchestra pit, when they went on stage.

Willie Taggart had a 9-12 record, and the Seminoles were 0-5 against in-state rivals Miami and Florida and ACC rival Clemson.  At Florida St. his teams performance went from not good to unacceptable.  Maybe he would have been given one more season if they looked like they were making progress this season.  But they digressed from “fair to middling” to “time to make a change.”  Hmm.  Where did the phrase “fair to middling” come from?

As to the derivation of ‘fair to middling’ we need to know what ‘middling’ referred to. The word was and is a term used by farmers to describe the quality of farm produce, especially sheep, of ordinary quality. There were several loosely defined grades of produce: ‘good’, ‘fair, ‘middling’, ‘ordinary’ and ‘poor’.

‘Middling’ is an old Scottish word and has been in use since at least the 15th century with the same meaning as now, that is, ‘of medium or moderate size, strength, and quality.’

Poor Mr. Taggart.  He’s worse than fair to middling and he had to face the music.  Well, at least he’s got about $20 million in buyout money to ease the punch to the psyche.

Where to from here for the coach?  Maybe ole Nick Saban, aka the coach rehab specialist, will ring Willie’s cell.  How about a job as an analyst?  The pay isn’t all that, but it isn’t the checkbook that’s hurting.

Oh Baby, Utopia is No Where Near.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

We are wondering if we have been too hard on the month of February lately.  After all February makes us appreciate almost all of the other months more.  And, at least its only 28 days long(short).  So, there is that going for it.  Every day cannot be utopia.  Utopia?  Now there is an often spoken word that makes us wonder as well.  What does utopia mean, and what is the origin of its meaning?

Meaning: it’s a great place that doesn’t exist

History:  In 1516 Sir Thomas More wrote the first ‘Utopia‘. He coined the word ‘utopia‘ from the Greek ou-topos meaning ‘no place’ or ‘nowhere’. But this was a pun – the almost identical Greek word eu-topos means a good place. So at the very heart of the word is a vital question: can a perfect world ever be realized?

Can a perfect world ever be realized?  Probably not would be our guess, but we can hope.  But if indeed we fall short it’s no reason to throw the baby out with the bath water is it?

Meaning: Hang on to valuable things when getting rid of unnecessary things

History: During Medieval times most people bathed only once a year. Even when they did bathe, the entire family used the same tub full of water. The man of the house bathed first, followed by other males, then females, and finally the babies. You can imagine how thick and cloudy the water became by that time, so the infants’ mothers had to take care not to throw them out with the bath water when they emptied the tub.

Or so the story goes.

Perhaps we should strive for utopia after all.  Because in a perfect world, or even an imperfect one, we should probably bath more than once a year.  We’ve come a long way.  but, we’ve got a long ways to go.

 

Two to Avoid. Blackballed and Blacklisted.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Have you ever felt faint?  Did it cause you to pass out?  Or, in other words have you ever blacked out?  Scary.  Causes are many.  Physical maladies are usually the culprit.  But emotional stress can provide the impetus as well.  For example what if you were trying to gain entry into a club of your choice and right before your eyes you were denied by the very people who supposedly supported your attempt?  If so, you were blackballed before you blacked out.  What is “blackballing” and where did it come from?

Meaning:  a rejection via secret ballot, where a white ball constitutes a vote in support and a black ball signifies opposition.   A large supply of black and white balls is provided for voters.  Each voter casts a single ball into the ballot box under cover of a cloth and/or the box itself, so that observers can see who votes but not how they are voting.  When the voting is complete, the box is opened and the balls are displayed.  All present can immediately see the result without any means of knowing which members objected.

Origin:  Since the seventeenth century, these rules have commonly applied to elections to membership of many gentlemen’s clubs, country clubs, and fraternities.  This system is typically used where a club’s rules provide that one or two objections, rather than an at-least-50% share of votes, are sufficient to defeat a proposition.

It would be bad enough to be blackballed denying entry into a specific organization you covet. At least here are other clubs that you could join.  However, it would be far worse if you were rejected by an entire industry or profession.  In that case you would be “blacklisted.”

Meaning: to put someone’s name on a list of people who are considered not acceptable, which keeps the person from getting jobs, going certain places, or doing particular things.

Origin:  possibly as early as the 1610’s indicative of disgrace, censure, punishment (attested to in a black book) . It was specifically used as an employers’ list of workers considered troublesome (usually for union activity) and is from 1884 or sooner.

People have been getting rejected or ostracised for centuries.  One supposes that if you had to choose it would be better to be blackballed than blacklisted.  But, it would be best to avoid both obviously.  Neither are for the faint of heart.

 

 

 

As They May Say Across the Pond, “Bloody Sheep!”

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

We ugly Americans are gluttonous.  More is better.   We collect.  Some even hoard.  More insurance.  More regulations.   “More, more, more” sang Andrea True in 1976.  But when you “have more than you can shake a stick at” you likely have too much.  What pray tell does that mean and where did that phrase come from?

Meaning: Having more of something than you need
History: Farmers controlled their sheep by shaking their staffs to indicate where the animals should go. When farmers had more sheep than they could control, it was said they had “more than you can shake a stick at.”

But, just because one owns more than they can handle or might need it doesn’t give you the right to steal from them.  Maybe you could beg.  Maybe you could borrow.  But you shalt not steal.  If you do grab a sheep or two, be sure to wash away the evidence right away.  After all you don’t want to be “caught with blood on your hands.”

Meaning: To be caught doing something wrong
History: This saying originated because of a law. If someone butchered an animal that didn’t belong to him, he had to be caught with the animal’s blood on his hands to be convicted. Being caught with freshly cut meat did not make the person guilty.

Seems like it was tough even way back then to convict someone of a crime.  That must be why it seems like we have more criminals than we can shake a stick at.