The Strange Stories Behind the Words We Say Without Thinking
We use them every day without a second thought — little turns of phrase that make our language colorful. But many of our most familiar idioms didn’t start out as lighthearted sayings. Some were born in fear, superstition, crime, or hardship.
In this post, we’re going to explore five everyday idioms with surprising and sometimes grim backstories — and link you to full deep dives so you can really explore their histories.
🐈 Let the Cat Out of the Bag
We use “let the cat out of the bag” to mean spilling a secret — intentionally or not. But its origin is rooted in medieval market scams. Dishonest vendors would sell a “pig in a poke” (a bag) but swap the pig for a cat. If the buyer checked before paying, they’d literally “let the cat out of the bag” and expose the fraud.
🫘 Spill the Beans
In Ancient Greece, voting was sometimes done using beans — white for “yes,” black for “no.” Votes were meant to be secret. If someone knocked over the jar, everyone could see the results. They had quite literally spilled the beans, revealing the outcome early.
➡️ Discover how bean-voting shaped our language →
⛓ Villain
Today a villain is the bad guy in a story. But in medieval Europe, a “villein” was simply a low-ranking farm laborer tied to a noble’s land. They weren’t evil — just poor. Over time, elite prejudice turned “villein” into an insult, and eventually into a word for a person of bad character.
➡️ See how class bias shaped this word →
⚰ Saved by the Bell
It’s not from boxing — and it’s definitely not from the ’90s sitcom. In Victorian times, the fear of being buried alive led to coffins equipped with bells and strings tied to the “deceased” person’s hand. If someone was buried by mistake and woke up, they could ring for help — truly being saved by the bell.
➡️ Uncover this eerie Victorian precaution →
🩸 Bite the Bullet
Long before it meant facing a hard situation with courage, this phrase came from the battlefield. Soldiers undergoing surgery without anesthesia would sometimes be given a bullet to bite down on — to keep from biting their tongues during the pain.
➡️ Read the full battlefield story →
🧠 Why These Origins Matter
Idioms aren’t just cute expressions — they’re little time capsules. They show us:
- What people feared.
- How societies worked.
- The moments in history that left marks on our everyday speech.
By tracing these origins, we see the emotions, struggles, and human experiences that still shape the way we speak centuries later.
🚀 Keep Exploring
If you found these stories fascinating, you’ll love the full articles linked above. Dive deeper into each phrase, explore the true roots behind other idioms, and keep your curiosity buzzing.
