Words of the trade

Craftsman’s slang: 12 everyday expressions with curious origins

The repetitive actions of each craft have spawned terms, idioms, and phrases that make up their particular tech lingo. Many of these expressions have transcended their natural realm to become a part of the universal language. These once-practical expressions now live on as reminders of how deeply language is tied to human work, skill, and invention. Take a look at these 12 everyday expressions and wonder at their unassuming origins.

In early silent films, long, dull scenes often tested audiences’ patience. Editors and directors learned to "cut to the chase," meaning skip the filler and jump straight to the excitement, often a chase scene.

Over time, the phrase escaped the editing room. Today, when someone uses it in conversation, they’re simply asking you to get to the point and drop the buildup.

Before precise measuring tools were widespread, carpenters, brewers, and other craftspeople were often said to have used their thumbs for rough estimates. The width or length of a thumb served as an informal "rule."

Although modern workers rely on rulers and scales, the old phrase remains alive, meaning a general principle or handy guideline rather than a strict rule.

Guild members and early tradespeople often followed written manuals that dictated how to perform their craft. Working "by the book" meant adhering to these official rules exactly.

Today, the phrase describes anyone who sticks strictly to regulations, whether it’s a police officer enforcing the law or a student obeying classroom rules.

On old warships, heavy cannons were secured with chains. If a storm or battle broke those chains, a "loose cannon" could roll violently across the deck, crushing sailors and damaging the ship.

In modern speech, it labels an unpredictable person: someone whose uncontrolled actions can endanger a team, project, or reputation.

Tailors once worked from large pieces of fabric, cutting pieces for multiple garments. If two suits were cut from the same cloth, they shared identical material and quality.

Today, we use the expression to describe people with similar traits or values, like friends, relatives, or colleagues who clearly come from the same "fabric."

Sailors and rope-makers often spent long hours twisting fibers into rope, a process known as spinning yarn. To keep themselves entertained, they told tall stories while working.

Thus, to "spin a yarn" came to mean weaving an elaborate tale. It’s still used for anyone who tells a long, colorful story, whether it’s true or not.

A blacksmith must hammer metal quickly once it’s heated to the right glow; wait too long, and it hardens. The saying advised workers to act fast for the best results.

It evolved into a general reminder to seize opportunities as quickly as they arise, while conditions are favorable and momentum is on your side.

Naval ships sometimes flew false flags to mislead enemies, then hoisted their actual national colors before engaging in battle. Revealing one’s "true colors" meant honesty after disguise.

Now the phrase praises sincerity or exposes deceit, depending on context. It still evokes that dramatic moment when masks fall away.

Before electric bulbs, theaters used lime burned with gas to produce a brilliant white light that spotlighted leading actors on stage.

Those performers quite literally stood "in the limelight." Today, the phrase simply means being the center of attention, whether on stage or in everyday life.

Before modern anesthesia, wartime surgeons had soldiers bite a bullet to cope with agony during operations. The metal gave them something firm to clamp down on.

Today, "bite the bullet" means facing a tough task bravely, accepting pain or difficulty with stoic resolve rather than avoiding it.

Sailors and soldiers in drills stood with their toes exactly on a marked line to show discipline and precision.

The phrase came to represent strict obedience to orders or standards. When someone "toes the line," they conform carefully to expected behavior.

In sword fighting, the combatant whose hand was positioned higher typically had greater reach and control. Gaining "the upper hand" meant securing an advantage over an opponent.

Today, the duel may be metaphorical: winning an argument, negotiation, or competition, but the sense of dominance remains the same.

Skol!

Bring out the Viking in you: 12 English words derived from Old Norse

Image: hao qin

The English language has adopted words from multiple other languages into its daily lexicon, and Norse is not an exception. Many terms that we use every day come from very similar-sounding counterparts from our Scandinavian friends. The following 12 examples range from the obvious to the surprising ones. Which ones did you already know about?

Image: Kelly Sikkema

Once you see this one, it becomes almost impossible to unsee it: the word used to define the fourth day of the work week, Thursday, has a Norse origin, meaning "Thor’s day."

Image: REGINE THOLEN

In today's world, we usually associate the word "club" with more civilized instruments, like a golf club. But in its origin, the word was associated with heavy things used as beating weapons, a Viking specialty. The word club came from the Old Norse word of the same meaning, "klubba".

Image: Allef Vinicius

Unsurprisingly, another word that the Vikings gave us is the one used to describe the action of going through a place, stealing things, and causing damage: ransack. This word originates from the Old Norse term "rannsaka".

Image: Luke Jones

A common geographical landscape in England and Scandinavian countries is that shallow water bog with vegetation on its shores. The English word for mire comes from the Old Norse word "myrr".

Image: Knut Troim

The action of throwing an object into the distance is as old as mankind, but the word that the English language uses to describe it stems from the Old Norse word "kasta".

Image: Markus Winkler

The word used to describe the action of clipping something, usually with scissors, also has a Norse origin in the word "klippa".

Image: Pierre Bamin

Violent words are not the only word legacy from the Vikings: the word glitter, used to describe those shiny particles ubiquitous at parties everywhere, comes from the old Norse word "glitra".

Image: Creative Headline

Bags have been around for quite a long time now, but still, the word that the English language has settled on comes from the Old Norse word "baggin".

Image: American Heritage Chocolate

While the cakes from centuries past were probably not as decadent and spectacular as their modern equivalents, they still existed. The English word cake originated from the Old Norse word of the same meaning, "kaka".

Image: Duy Pham

A fellow is a person in the same position, involved in the same activity, or otherwise associated with another individual. This household word comes from the Old Norse word "felagi".

Image: engin akyurt

Whether it is justified or not, anger is a feeling that is easy to associate with Vikings, especially because of their cultural depictions and stereotypes. The word anger itself can be traced to the Old Norse word "angr".

Image: Thomas Curryer

The last entry on our list is the one that describes a married man considered in relation to his spouse. This word originated in a very similar-sounding Norse word: "husbondi".