Question: When my friends and I go out to eat or to the movies we usually "go dutch treat," meaning we each pay our own way. Can you tell me how this expression came about?
- F. G., Seattle, Wash.
Answer: In the 17th century a bitter rivalry existed between the English and the Dutch. Competition for military and mercantile supremacy spawned an animosity between the two countries that eventually came to be reflected in the English language. Thus cowardice was referred to as "Dutch courage," a one-sided deal as a "Dutch bargain" and discordant music as a "Dutch concert."
We can date the phrase "Dutch treat" back to at least 1887, a time when the act of escorting a lady and making her pay was considered ungentlemanly. English speakers applied the word "Dutch" to this practice to indicate their disapproval.
The hostility that caused the English to coin the term "Dutch treat" died away long ago. The expression remains popular, but it has lost its negative connotations and its ethnic reference. The word "Dutch" in this phrase is now lowercase at least as often as it is capitalized.
Question: What can you tell me about the origin of the expression "that takes the cake"?
Answer: "To take the cake" means "to win the prize" or "to beat all." The practice of giving cakes as prizes in contests is believed by some to date back to classical times, but in the United States the practice originated among African slaves on Southern plantations, who took part in dance competitions that came to be known as "cakewalks."
The cakewalk continued to be popular among blacks in the late 19th century, and by the early 20th century it had evolved into a popular dance in fashionable ballrooms. Couples were judged according to their grace and elegance in walking, as well as for the intricacy of their steps and figures. The winning couple was given a cake.
"To take the cake" is not the only figurative use to have evolved from this contest. The traditional cakewalk was also the inspiration for a pre-ragtime stage dance by the same name. This dance led to the metaphorical use of the word "cakewalk" to mean "a one-sided contest" and later "an easy task; a piece of cake."
Question: What can you tell me about the word "widdershins"? It's an intriguing word which I would like to know more about.
- C. N. Benson, Vt.
Answer: "Widdershins" is a rarely used adverb that means "in a left-handed, wrong or contrary direction." It is synonymous with the word "counterclockwise." The earliest recorded use of "widdershins" in English dates to the early 16th century. The word originated in Middle High German as "widersinnen," from "wider," meaning "back against," and "sinnen" meaning "to travel, go." Sometimes the variant "withershins" is used.