10 unusual expressions in English and where they come from
Part of the fun of learning a language is getting to know its idioms and expressions, but there are many whose meaning is far from clear and whose origins are obscure. Today we look at 10 unusual expressions in English and where they come from. 1. to kick the bucket A euphemism for ‘to die’. One theory suggests it comes from the days when prisoners were executed by hanging. An upturned bucket, or some other kind of pedestal, would be placed under their feet as they were strung up to the gallows and then kicked away to make them drop. More likely, however, it comes from an old secondary meaning of ‘bucket’, which was the beam used to hang animals up for slaughter in a farm. The dying animals would spasm as they struggled, hence ‘kicking the bucket’. A: I’d love to travel around the world one day. B: So would I. There’s loads of places I want to see before I kick the bucket. 2. Break a leg! It might surprise you, but this expression is used to wish someone good luck. It c...
