“Making Heads or Tails of Idioms” Newsletter. Volume 1. Issue 7. Part 1 of 3.

Original Release: 3/2/2011

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What was said? She’s as happy as a clam

Did someone really say that?  At brunch, Rachel or Kari said it and looked immediately at me to see if I knew what it meant.

What does it mean?  Happy and content

Origin: 

1. a. Simple: It has been suggested that open clams give the appearance of smiling.

1. b. More Complex: Anyone who has ever hunted for clams knows they must be dug when the tide is low. They’re almost impossible to find in high tide, and it would be dangerous to venture too far out into deep water. Thus a clam is said to be quite happy at high tide, since it’s in no danger, at least from humans, of being made into a meal. The fuller version of the phrase, now rarely heard was “As happy as a clam at high water.” The phrase originated in the north-eastern states of the USA in the early 19th century. The earliest citation found is from a frontier memoir The Harpe’s Head – A Legend of Kentucky, 1833: “It never occurred to him to be discontented… He was as happy as a clam.” The expression was well-enough known in the USA by the late 1840s for it to have been included in John Russell Bartlett’s Dictionary Of Americanisms – A Glossary Words Aid Phrases Usually Regarded As Peculiar To The United States, 1848: “As happy as a clam at high water,” is a very common expression in those parts of the coast of New England where clams are found.

Sources: 

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/as-happy-as-a-clam.html

http://www.wisegeek.com/where-did-the-saying-happy-as-a-clam-come-from.htm

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2680329/phrase_origins_happy_as_a_clam.html?cat=4

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“Making Heads or Tails of Idioms” Newsletter. Volume 1. Issue 7. Part 3 of 3.

Original Release: 3/2/2011

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What was said? Don’t jump the shark!

Did someone really say that?  Someone said it to Jenn C. and she didn’t know what it meant… and naturally neither did I.

What does it mean? Don’t change a good thing

Origin: To reach the point in a TV series that denotes it is irretrievably past its best by introducing some ridiculous or otherwise unbelievable plot device or characterization in order to boost ratings. The phrase derives from a scene in the three-part ‘Hollywood’ episode of the American TV series Happy Days, broadcast in September 1977. The scene has ‘The Fonz’ (Henry Winkler), water skiing – unaccountably still wearing his trademark leather jacket – and jumping over a shark.

The episode, which came at a time when the long-running series was already considered past its best, was seen as the a virtual admission by the program’s makers that the series had run its course and that they were deficient of ideas. The phrase has been adopted in the USA – although it is rarely heard elsewhere – and has become a stock item in TV critic’s reviews whenever a show loses its way.

Popular and long-running series are particularly susceptible to accusations of running out of ideas and ‘jumping the shark’. Show’s writers appear to be well aware of this and have made numerous knowing references to it, including parody scene of Homer Simpson water-skiing over a shark.

Sources: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark

http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2010/09/happy-days-writer-says-we-didnt-jump-the-shark.html

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/jump-the-shark.html

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“Making Heads or Tails of Idioms” Newsletter. Volume 1. Issue 7. Part 2 of 3.

Original Release: 3/2/2011

*** Special AQUATIC Theme ***

What was said? The world is your oyster

Did someone really say that? Lindsey D. said it to her husband when she said wanted him to choose the restaurant to dine at.

What does it mean? All the options are available to you… the world is yours for the taking, whatever you make of it

Origin: Getting the pearl requires the oyster to be opened. But despite the hardness of the oyster shell, they can be opened with ease. Oyster shells are held closed by a single muscle called the adductor. Oysters are shucked (opened) using a thin knife to cut the adductor muscle. Once the adductor is cut, the shell falls open. Thus…if the world is your oyster then it is a place where you can get something of great value with ease.

The proverb first appears in Shakespeare’s play ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ (1600).’Falstaff: I will not lend thee a penny. Pistol: Why, then, the world’s mine oyster, Which I with sword will open.’ Act II, Scene II.” From “Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings” (1996) by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996).

Sources:  http://www.eduqna.com/Trivia/177-Trivia-7.html

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