Idioms with Names:

History of English Language

Chris JianglinTerri Yeh

Meanings and Origins

ORIGIN

Fictitious figure: Jack Robinson

1. Before You Can Say Jack Robinson

Jack Robinson

MEANING

(A) very quickly

(B) very naughtily

(C) very ridiculously

Before you could say Jack Robinson, the bird flew away.

1. Before You Can Say Jack Robinson

MEANING

The youngest son in the family

(Especially when he is much younger than his

brothers)

In modern use: + female children

Christian, Muslim, and Jewish religions

2. Benjamin of the Family

ORIGIN

Story of Jacob in the Book of Genesis

Jacob and Esau

Benjamin = “right hand son” in Hebrew

Origin of the name Benjamin

2. Benjamin of the Family

MEANING

an error in speech, memory or physical action

that is interpreted as occurring due to the

interference of some unconscious subdued

wish, conflict, or train of thought

3. Freudian Slip

ORIGIN

Named after Sigmund Freud

The Psychopathology of Life

3. Freudian Slip

He let out a Freudian slip that could reveal his true personality.

"For seven and a half years I've worked alongside President Reagan. We've had triumphs. Made some mistakes. We've had some sex... uh... setbacks."

-A Freudian slip by President George H.W. Bush

3. Freudian Slip

MEANING

Macmillan Dictionary:

Someone who can do many types of work

Jacks-of-all-trades

“Jacks of all trades, master of none”

4. Jack-of-all-trades

ORIGIN

A term of praise Commonly used during the 17 th century

Jack = “man”

1618 – Geffray Mynshul’s Essays and Characters of a

Prison

A master of integration generalist

Polymath?

4. Jack-of-all-trades

MEANING

John/ Jane Doe: anonymous or unknown defendant

Richard/ Jane Roe: anonymous or unknown plantiff

Nowadays, 1) an unnamed person in legal proceedings 2) an anonymous average citizen 3) a corpse or hospital patient whose identity is unknown

5. John Doe / Jane DoeRichard Roe / Jane Roe

ORIGIN

5. John Doe / Jane DoeRichard Roe / Jane Roe

A: landlord

C: tenant

B: notional landlord

ORIGIN

Why is Doe and Roe?

doe: venison; roe: kind of fish

TODAY

Baby Doe; Princess Doe

If my actual name is John Doe…?

5. John Doe / Jane DoeRichard Roe / Jane Roe

MEANING

A person’s signature

Informal use in American English

6. John Hancock

ORIGIN

John Hancock was President of

Congress, signing Declaration of

Independence

Why?

6. John Hancock

MEANING

to try to achieve the same social position and

wealth as one's neighbors or acquaintances

7. Keep up with the Joneses

ORIGIN

The Jones: Edith Wharton’s father; rich New

York family

New Yorkers build country villas in the Hudson

Valley

TODAY

Negative effect: conspicuous consumption

7. Keep up with the Joneses

MEANING

The real thing, the genuine article

M. Dict.: Something that is real and not

a copy

8. The Real McCoy

ORIGIN

Michael Quinion of the WWW: Kid

McCoy story

Norman Selby – an American champion boxer

(1) to distinguish himself

(2) “Which is the real McCoy?”

(3) “It’s the real McCoy.”

8. The Real McCoy

ORIGIN

First recording occurred in James S. Bond’s The Rise and Fall of the “Union club” (1881)

8. The Real McCoy

MEANING

 a person who is oblivious to changes,

especially in social attitudes or thought

a person who sleeps a lot

9. Rip Van Winkle

ORIGIN

  short story by the American author

Washington Irving

Setting: before and after American Revolution

Rip has been away from the village for 20

years…

9. Rip Van Winkle

MEANING

Macmillan Dictionary:

A way of referring to the US or the US

government

The expression comes from the abbr “US”

10. Uncle Sam

ORIGIN

Came into use during the War of 1812

Samuel Wilson – a meat packer

“E.A – US.”

By 1850s, Brother Jonathan ≒ Uncle Sam

Near the end of the Civil War (1861-65)

10. Uncle Sam

= “Elbert Anderson and Uncle Sam”?

ORIGIN

James Montgomery Flagg

Irish language: Stáit Aontaithe

Mheiriceá

(The United States of America)

10. Uncle Sam

“Benjamin (name).”Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 3 Dec. 2012. Web. 26 Dec. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_(name)

Bon mots. “What's in a name?–10idioms with names you got to know” WordPress.com.WordPress.com, 23 Jul. 2009. Web. 25 Dec. 2012.

“Idiom Category: Person's name, Page 1.” UsingEnglish.com. UsingEnglish.com Ltd., n.d. Web. 26 Dec. 2012.

“Jack of all trades, master of none.”Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 5 Dec. 2012. Web. 26 Dec. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_of_all_trades,_master_of_none

References

“John Hancock.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 23 Dec. 2012. Web. 26 Dec. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hancock

“The real McCoy.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 8 Dec. 2012. Web. 26 Dec. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_real_McCoy#cite_note-1

N. Kalu. “What Is the “Benjamin of the Family”?” wiseGEEK. Conjecture Corporation, n.d. Web. 26 Dec. 2012.

“Uncle Sam.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 19 Dec. 2012. Web. 27 Dec. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Sam

References

“Jack Robinson (mythical person).” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 19 Dec. 2012. Web. 27 Dec. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Robinson_(mythical_person)

“Freudian Slip.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 19 Dec. 2012. Web. 27 Dec. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freudian_slip

“John Doe.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 19 Dec. 2012. Web. 27 Dec. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Doe

“Keep up with the Joneses.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 19 Dec. 2012. Web. 27 Dec. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeping_up_with_the_Joneses

References

“Rip van Winkle.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 19 Dec. 2012. Web. 27 Dec. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rip_Van_Winkle

"Rip Van Winkle." Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged. 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003. HarperCollins Publishers 3 Jan. 2013 http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Rip+Van+Winkle

Grose, Francis. A classical dictionary of the vulgar tongue. Ed. Eric Partridge. London : Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1963. Print.

References

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