Creepy lingo

You’ve said these (not so) innocent phrases your whole life: Learn more!

Image: Mathias Pinat

We toss out phrases like "bite the bullet" or "caught red-handed" without giving them a second thought. But some of our favorite everyday expressions began on battlefields, in prisons, and even on plague-ridden streets. Behind those cheerful turns of phrase are stories that range from weird to downright disturbing. Don’t worry, we’ll keep it light, but you might never hear these sayings the same way again.

Image: Nicholas Green

Before it described devoted fans or stubborn folks, "diehard" referred to soldiers who fought until their last breath. The term first appeared in the late 1700s to describe troops who refused to surrender. Today, it has lost its blood-and-battlefield meaning and simply signifies loyalty or persistence. So if you’re a diehard sports fan, you can safely keep your devotion on the couch instead of the battlefield.

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A rumor once claimed that "rule of thumb" came from an old law allowing men to beat their wives with sticks no wider than a thumb. That’s not true. The phrase actually originates from carpenters and brewers, who used their thumbs to make rough measurements before rulers were common. Over time, it picked up that false association, but its real roots are much less sinister and far more practical.

Image: Lucrezia Carnelos

These days, if someone is "pulling your leg," they’re joking around. But the phrase likely originated in 19th-century London, where thieves would trip their victims by tugging on their legs before robbing them. It wasn’t exactly harmless fun back then. Over time, the expression lost its sinister connotation and became something much friendlier: a playful way to tease without causing real harm.

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This phrase has one of the darkest origins on this list. In the early 1800s, enslaved people in the United States were sometimes sold "down the river" to plantations in the Deep South, where conditions were far harsher. It came to mean betrayal or being deceived, though given its painful history, it’s often considered best avoided today. There are plenty of ways to describe someone letting you down without echoing that dark past.

Image: Peter Beukema

In the old days, sailors being inspected had to line up perfectly, with their toes touching a marked plank on the deck. Failure to "toe the line" could result in punishment or extra duties. The phrase later took on a figurative meaning: staying within rules or meeting expectations. Today, it’s more about following office policy than avoiding a sailor’s scolding.

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For centuries, "hysteria" was wrongly attributed to the female body, particularly the uterus (from the Greek word hystera). Doctors once used this diagnosis for nearly any symptom in women, from sadness to laughter. By the 19th century, people began to understand that emotions were not tied to specific organs. Today, "hysterical" usually means someone is laughing uncontrollably or reacting with intense emotion, not suffering from an outdated medical myth.

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In the early 1900s, saloons would literally throw out freeloaders who came for the free lunch but didn’t buy a drink, rushing them to the door—a practice known as the "bum’s rush." Later, the phrase evolved into "bum rush," meaning to forcefully push in or overwhelm. These days, we might say a crowd "bum-rushed" the stage at a concert, but thankfully, no one is being tossed into the street.

Image: Vernon Raineil Cenzon

Centuries ago, when city streets were filthy and drainage was poor, heavy rain would sweep debris into the gutters—sometimes even animal carcasses. It’s believed that this grim sight inspired the phrase "raining cats and dogs." The image stuck, though thankfully the meaning softened over time. Today, it simply means it’s pouring outside, not that the sky is literally falling.

Image: Edoardo Cipollini

Being "caught red-handed" originally referred to criminals literally found with blood on their hands after committing a violent act. The phrase first appeared in Scottish law in the 15th century. Over time, it took on a lighter meaning (thank God!), used for any kind of wrongdoing, big or small.

Image: National Cancer Institute

Before anesthesia, soldiers in pain were given something hard to bite on during surgery. Guess what? A bullet. It was a way to endure unbearable pain in silence. These days, "biting the bullet" just means bracing yourself for something unpleasant, like paying your taxes or opening a stack of bills. The modern version is much easier on the teeth.

We just know that we know nothing

12 facts that people often get wrong

No one can claim to know everything, but most people go through life confident about certain things. However, some of these widely held beliefs are not actually correct, despite their popularity. Let’s have a look at some "facts" you might have gotten wrong!

The idea that insects—particularly mosquitoes—are not animals is widespread, but it’s also incorrect. In fact, insects are the most diverse group within the Animal kingdom, with more than a million species described and representing more than half of the animal population of the planet.

The mistake comes from not considering that "fruit" is not only a culinary term but also a botanical one. Botanically, a fruit is the part of a plant that develops from a flower and contains seeds. This makes tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, and many other foods that we call vegetables actually fruits in the scientific sense.

Countries have a political delimitation, while continents are divided according to geographical criteria. The Russian Federation is the largest country on Earth, bordering fourteen other countries and extending across eleven time zones. It spans across a good part of Eastern Europe, but also across the Ural mountains—one of the recognized borders between Europe and Asia—and stretches deep into northern Asia.

While cold weather isn’t harmless, it is not the direct cause of illnesses like the flu, which are caused by viruses. In colder months, people tend to spend more time indoors and often avoid ventilating rooms, creating conditions that make it easier for viruses to spread and cause illness.

Bats might not prefer to be out during bright daylight, but this does not mean that they are blind. In fact, many species have excellent eyesight, though it is adapted to low-light or nighttime conditions. On top of that, bats also use echolocation, which allows them to navigate and hunt with remarkable precision in complete darkness.

The belief that you must wait a full day before reporting someone missing is a myth popularized by movies and TV shows. In reality, the law does not require a waiting period. In fact, law enforcement agencies stress that the first 24 hours are often the most critical, so a missing person should be reported immediately.

Some man-made structures are visible from space without magnification, but despite popular belief, the Great Wall of China is not one of them. While it is quite long, being over 13,000 miles long, it is relatively narrow, and its earthy colors blend in with the surrounding landscape, making it nearly impossible to spot with the naked eye from orbit.

This one is tricky: Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth (29,032 feet)… if you measure the distance from sea level to peak. For the actual tallest mountain, the answer might vary depending on how you measure. Measured from base to summit, Mauna Kea in Hawaii is the tallest at 33,474 feet—though much of it is underwater. Mount McKinley (Denali) in Alaska rises about 18,000 feet from its base to the peak, making it the tallest mountain entirely above sea level. And Ecuador’s Mount Chimborazo, while shorter in height, is the farthest point on Earth from the planet’s center due to the equatorial bulge.

The Earth is tilted on an axis, which causes the amount of sunlight each hemisphere receives to change as it orbits the Sun. Because of this tilt, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun and experiences summer, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted away and experiences winter—and vice versa. This is why the Southern Hemisphere celebrates Christmas during summer.

Standard medical advice is to gently guide a sleepwalker back to bed rather than waking them, but not because waking them is inherently dangerous. People tend to sleepwalk during deep sleep, so waking them up might startle them or cause confusion and disorientation.

Hair color and thickness are determined by genetics, not by shaving. Hair naturally gets thin at the ends, so when you shave it, the hair shaft appears to be thicker and darker because of the blunt cut. But it's just an optical illusion; the natural size of the shaft remains unchanged.

Coffee is a natural diuretic, meaning it can increase trips to the bathroom. However, the water in brewed coffee still contributes to your hydration and offsets its mild diuretic effect. If you consume coffee in moderation—3 to 5 cups a day, depending on your tolerance—you should be alright. However, drinking extra water on the side is never a bad idea.