Have you ever stopped to think about how weird English is? If you "spill the beans," you aren't messy you're a snitch. If it’s "raining cats and dogs," you don't need a pet carrier you need an umbrella.

Here is the deep-dive explanation for the 23 idioms on our list!

Time & Speed: How Fast is a "Jiffy"?

• Donkey’s years: A pun on "donkey’s ears." Because a donkey’s ears are long, people started using the phrase to mean a "long" time.

• In a jiffy: Originally 18th-century thieves' slang for "lightning." Scientifically, a "jiffy" is now used by physicists to mean the time it takes light to travel one centimeter ($3.335 \times 10^{-11}$ seconds)!

• Shake a leg: A naval term. Sailors sleeping in hammocks were told to "show a leg" to prove they were awake and ready to work.

• Once in a blue moon: Refers to the rare astronomical event where two full moons happen in one month. It only happens once every 2–3 years.

Money & Persuasion: Why an "Arm and a Leg"?

• Cost an arm and a leg: Some say this comes from 18th-century portrait painting. If you wanted a full-body portrait (including your arms and legs), it cost much more than just a head-and-shoulders "bust."

• Sell ice to Eskimos: Used to describe a salesperson so talented they can sell something to people who already have an infinite supply of it.

• Bob’s your uncle: In 1887, British PM Robert ("Bob") Cecil gave his nephew a big job. People joked that if "Bob's your uncle," everything in life is easy and guaranteed.

Secrets & Talk: Don't "Spill the Beans"!

• Spill the beans: In Ancient Greece, people voted using white and black beans. If someone knocked over the jar (spilling the beans), the secret results of the election were revealed too early.

• Let the cat out of the bag: In old markets, scammers would put a cheap cat in a bag and tell buyers it was an expensive "sucking pig." If the cat escaped, the secret scam was out!

• Chewing the fat: Sailors would chew on tough, salty pork fat to pass the time while gossiping on long voyages.

• Bit of a reach: This comes from the physical act of stretching. If an idea is "a reach," you are stretching the truth further than it can naturally go.

Emotions: Being "Over the Moon"

• Over the moon: Comes from the 16th-century nursery rhyme Hey Diddle Diddle, where "the cow jumped over the moon." It describes a level of excitement that makes you feel like you could defy gravity.

• Top of the world: A literal metaphor for standing on a mountain peak—the highest possible point of success.

• Happy as Larry: Refers to Larry Foley, a legendary 1890s Australian boxer who retired undefeated and wealthy. Who wouldn't be happy?

• Full of beans: Originally used for horses. If a horse was fed lots of beans (protein), it became very energetic and "spirited."

Random & Weird: "Dog's Dinner" & "Thick Mince"

• Dog's dinner: Can mean two things: A complete mess (like a bowl of scraps) OR being "dressed up like a dog's dinner," meaning you are wearing clothes that are way too fancy for the occasion.

• Thick as mince: "Thick" is British slang for stupid. Mince (ground meat) is very dense and "solid"—just like someone’s head!

• Raining cats and dogs: In the 1700s, heavy city rain would wash dead stray animals down the streets. People joked it had literally "rained" them.

• Take it with a pinch of salt: An ancient Roman "antidote" for poison required you to eat it with a grain of salt to make it work. Today, it means don't believe everything you hear!

Discussion Questions for the Post:

1. Which idiom origin surprised you the most? (I never knew about the beans in Ancient Greece!)

2. Translate it! How do you say "It's a piece of cake" in your native language?

3. The "Challenge": Try to write a sentence using three of these idioms at once!