Word Play, Part 2

Where do phrases really come from?

 

Wendy Webb

Last month, I started researching the origins of common phrases and came upon so many interesting answers, I thought the topic could bear to be revisited this month. So, for all of you word nerds out there, here are the surprising origins to a few more phrases you say every day, from the website http://www.phrases.org.uk/.

 

A chip on your shoulder
Everyone knows what it means to say, “He’s got a chip on his shoulder.” It means “he” is angry, carrying a grudge, either real or perceived. Pouting, perhaps, or simply a difficult, angry person to deal with. But, what does that have to do with having a “chip” on your shoulder?

The “chip” part of it is just as you’d imagine. It refers to a chip of wood. Back in the early, rough-and-tumble 19th century, men would place a chip of wood on their shoulders, daring others to knock it off, if they were looking for a fight. Remember that old battery commercial with Robert Conrad daring people to knock a battery off his shoulder? Same principle.

That still begs the question: Why? Why would a chip on a person’s shoulder be seen as a dare, or an invitation to battle? It originates in the British Royal Dockyards in the 18th century. Dockworkers were allowed to take home surplus timber for firewood or building — a great perk for the workers of the day. But later, a new rule was imposed — only timber small enough to be carried by one arm could be taken home. This greatly depleted the amount of timber workers could take, and thus greatly depleted their benefits, angering them. The issue ultimately caused them to strike, doing so by walking out of the dockyard in mass, all of them carrying “chips,” or timber, on their shoulders.

Happy as a clam
Why are clams particularly happy? Some suggest it’s because, when open, clams appear to be “smiling.” But that’s not the origin of this phrase. The complete line is rarely said and not widely known, but the actual expression is: Happy as a clam at high water. Meaning, high tide, when clams don’t have to fret about predators.

Worth one’s salt
We say someone is worth their salt when they’re effective, efficient, deserving of their pay, or otherwise merit-worthy. But why salt? The origin of the phrase comes from the value of salt itself. Sodium chloride is essential for life, and until the advent of a little thing we like to call a refrigerator, it was also essential for preserving food. In other words, it was highly valuable.

That’s interesting on its own, but it’s not the whole story. The word salary comes from the Latin, salarium. And sal is the Latin word for salt. A salarium, to Roman officers, was the amount of money they could use to buy salt, which was essential for preserving food for the battlefield.