My grandson likes to go to the park and play on the playground equipment there. He especially likes the swings. Recently, when walking to the park, he asked how long we could stay.
We can stay as long as you like, I replied. We can even stay until the “cows come home.”
He looked at me, perplexed. “What does that mean, Grandpa,” he asked. “When do you know when the cows are coming home?”
Laughingly, I told him it was just a figure of speech meaning “for a long time.”
The phrase “until the cows come home” has been around for centuries, dating back until at least 1593 when it was first included in a dictionary of the times. It may have originated in the Scottish Highlands where cows roamed freely during the summer months, returning leisurely to a barn as colder weather approached.
Idioms provide color and dynamism to our speech. Far from being fossilized phrases, they convey common meanings in short phrases, and aspirations in creative ones. While cows eventually come home, who can say “when pigs fly” will ever happen.
This idiomatic phrase also comes from the late 16th century and denotes something that is virtually impossible. Since pigs were mostly viewed as slovenly and scorned during the Medieval period, this phrase not only was used for something that was implausible but also to ridicule the lowest of barnyard animals.
During the following Renaissance period, however, pigs morphed into symbols of wealth. No longer lowly, they became a symbol of prosperity and wealth — later even representing gluttony and excess. So, it was possible, as we may say today, “live high on the hog” or “cut a fat hog” or “bring home the bacon” or even thrive “on a pig’s back” (Irish colloquial phrase for living very well).
Idioms are figures of speech that are not intended to be taken literally. They not only add color and expressiveness to things we say, but they also emphasize a point and make it particularly memorable. They are either renewed or replaced from one generation to the next one through usage, movies and books.
Of course, this kind of language is both derived from popular culture and kept alive by it. For instance, the phrase “I’m not going to sugarcoat it” is often used in various forms and circumstances as a request to speak frankly and directly about a difficult situation. It is difficult to determine its exact origin but is now an oft-repeated idiom about being candid.
Idioms are can also be “auto antonym” which is a word of expression that can also mean its opposite. For instance, does the idiom “it’s all downhill from here” mean things will now be easy or a disaster if on the horizon? It could mean either depending on the context.
You might be wondering, where have all of the idioms gone you’re familiar with?
Language, like almost everything else, evolves. New idioms are created as times change. For instance, “catfishing” (creating a fake online identity),”hit the reset button” (start over), “pull the plug” (stop doing something),and “ghosting” (not replying to texts or other digital communication) are modern idioms that have emerged based on digital technology.
But what about the tried and true idioms, like, well, “tried and true.” This phrase likely comes from woodworking and dates to the 14th century. It is based on planing wood until it is both smooth and even.
While technology has introduced new idioms with time and circumstances making others practically irrelevant — such as, maybe, “pleased as punch,” “I’ll be there with bells on,” and “the cat got your tongue.” Idioms persist because they are used, explained, and repeated.
In one poll about idioms that are going out of style, 78% of respondents said they had never used the Biblical phrase “don’t cast your pearls before swine” and 59% said the same thing about the idiom “a fly in the ointment.” Well, that seems totally out of the blue to me since I use both of those phrases often (as well as the idiom “out of the blue” which was first used in 1879 in The Spectator magazine as a way of describing something unexpected, as if falling from the sky).
So, what happens if the larger culture has moved on from an idiom you still relish?
Hold on tight and enjoy it while you can. Old idioms can still be used and passed on as colorful expressions that enliven both language and experiences even when they seem out of fashion to younger generations. Interestingly, the Oxford English Dictionary even tracks the usage of idioms and the Macmillan Open Dictionary, among others, monitor new idioms.
Because they often reflect positive personal and cultural values, something is lost if they are not retained. They can provide both continuity and belonging to anxious younger generations if used often and included into daily speech.
Such language can also provide ballast to ours and others’ daily lives when cultural shifts cause us to think that nothing is lasting and older generations’ experiences are fated to be seen as merely fossilized history.
Keeping idiomatic phrases alive can, therefore, not only connect generations in subtle ways but also bridge generational gaps. They provide an opportunity to explain, describe, and show how past idioms convey timeless values — ”a stitch in time saves nine” is still an important value: fixing a small problem now rather than waiting until it becomes a much bigger problem — although few of us are actually doing much stitching any more.
Likewise, imagine how impoverished our culture would be if predecessors had given up on these words, once they realized most people weren’t using candles, sewing their own clothes, or raising their own animals?
“Measure twice, cut once.” … “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” … “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps.”...“Burning the candle at both ends.”... “Keep your nose to the grindstone.”... “Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.”... “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”...“Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.”
It is the values embedded in idioms that are important to maintain, but without the idioms themselves the value can be more difficult to explain. The aspiration may even seem less relevant, and any explanation of the value could seem more preachy than if a simpler idiomatic expression were shared.
So, rather than lamenting their limited use, perhaps using favorite idioms “time and time again” (first used in an 1835 Baltimore newspaper as a way to emphasize the repeated use of a farm report) both maintains its meaning and perpetuates embedded values.
Maybe it will even help bring those core virtues back. Like the cows.