This was given to guests by a host when they felt it was time for their guests to leave. In this case, the shoulder refers to the shoulder of mutton, pork, or beef served cold. When you ignore someone, your shoulder isn’t literally cold (but it could be if you are wearing tank top). This was thought to bring them favor and forgiveness. This idiom comes from ancient India when devout followers would throw balls of butter at statues of their gods. You might butter up your professor by complementing her and bringing her treats to raise that B+ to an A- but flattery will get you nowhere if you don’t do your assignments. When soldiers in the 18 th and 19 th century were injured enough to require surgery, doctors would have the poor fellow bite down a bullet to endure the pain (and muffle screaming). This phrase likely refers to pre-anesthesia and pre-pain-medication surgery. When someone faces a hardship or do a task they don’t want to do, they must bite the bullet to get it done with. Marquis of Waterford and group of his friends in the English town of Melton Mowbray caused mischief like breaking flower pots and windows but also literally painting things in the town red. This phrase started on one drunken night in 1837. If you stay out all night with friends having fun, you can also call it “painting the town red”. While ostensibly a reward, the creatures were tremendously expensive to feed and house, and caring for one often drove the recipient into financial ruin.” “…if an underling or rival angered a Siamese king, the royal might present the unfortunate man with the gift of a white elephant. White elephants were concerned sacred but a burden to care for. This saying comes from an ancient Thailand tradition. This is why it is called a white elephant gift. Some people dread a white elephant gift exchange because they usually end up with some random gift that is useless to them or even a small burden. Well, looking up that idiom up made me go down the rabbit hole (which is an idiom that refers to Alice in Wonderland) to look up other common sayings, their meanings, and their origins. Therefore, the imagery of throwing a book at someone is one of a judge throwing a book of laws at a criminal as a punishment.” The book referenced in this idiom refers to a book of laws or rules. This what I found on Writing Explained: “This expression originated in the first half of the 1900s. It got to wondering what specific book the original phrase was based on, so I went on a hunt. Some cop said “The judge is going to throw the book at him.” Which means that the judge is going severely punish the poor dude. The other day, I was watching Law and Order: SVU.
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