Common Phrases

Myron Korach with John Mordock
The Lyons Press (2002)
ISBN 1585746827
Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (6/06)

Ever wonder where the term “honeymoon” came from?  Wonder no more!  “Common Phrases” informs us that it was first recorded in Northern European countries.  When initially married, couples were obligated to drink a wine made from fermented honey and water for a full 30 days – from one full moon to another.  The drink, called methaglin, was believed to provide the newlyweds sweetness for eternity. 

The term “go to pot” has been around a long time, and I’ve used it myself. In this era one thinks it has something to do with marijuana, but, it doesn’t.  The term actually goes back when “trial by ordeal” was in effect and the accused was put into a pot of hot water and boiled.

Did you ever “put the kibosh on it”? I’m sure most of us did, however, do we really know what that means? Korach explains that in Old England many auction stores were owned by Dutch Jewish refugees that were fugitives escaping persecution. Knowing very little English, they did their trading in Yiddish. “Kibosh” is a Yiddish word for “nine pennies” which was an insignificant amount.  When the bidder wanted to stop the bidding on a trivial article, he would call out “Kibosh” and the bidding would stop, him being the winner.

There are 224 pages full of phrases that many of us use without knowing the original meaning.  Over time, as in “honeymoon” the meaning has changed, yet the term is the same. . It is evident that much research took place and it’s always interesting to find out where the terms come from. Korach’s compilation of phrases makes a great bathroom book or a gift for someone that is interested in trivia

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