Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride

This phrase, surprisingly, was used to sell Listerine mouthwash! To promote

their product, the manufacturers of Listerine employed the personal
experience of girls at the time, who desperately wanted to settle down but
seemed always to be left on the shelf. First used in the 1920s, it portrays a
situation and a possible explanation for the lack of success these girls had.
Here is the transcript of the ad:
Poor Edna was getting on for thirty and most of her girlfriends were either
already married, or about to tie the knot. How she wished that, instead of
being their bridesmaid, she could be the bride! However, any romance of hers
invariably ended quickly. There was a reason. Unbeknownst to her, she
suffered from bad breath and no one would tell her, not ever her closest
friends. The advertisement sold millions of bottles of mouthwash and also
gave the English language a new saying!

9
Bark up the wrong tree

Originating back when hunting was still a major sport, this phrase came from
when animals were used to track, catch or retrieve prey. This applies, not
least, to dogs. Dogs were used in the chasing of raccoons, which was chiefly
undertaken at night and were trained to indicate the tree in which the animal
had taken refuge by barking at it. Of course, even dogs can err and, at times,
barked up the wrong tree.

8
Be on a good footing

A pleasant relationship with other people, not least those in a superior

position, is portrayed as being on a good footing with them. There are two
thoughts as to where this saying came from. Some say the phrase goes back
to a practice of early apprenticeships. It was the custom, on the first day at
work, for apprentices to invite all their workmates for drinks. The new
apprentice footed the bill. If proved a generous host, he made friends for
keeps. The hospitality would never be forgotten. Recalling how much it had
cost, it was said the novice gained a good footing. A second derivation links
the phrase with an early and bizarre interpretation of human anatomy, the
importance given to the length of one of a persons digits. At one time, the
dimension of the middle toes determined a persons standing in the
community. Thus, the measurement of their foot decided their status in the
eyes of others. Those whom nature and genes had endowed with large feet
were lucky to be on a good footing. Draw your own conclusions on this one!

7
Beat around the bush

Someone who doesnt get to the point is said to beat around the bush. The
origin of this phrase is, undoubtedly, from hunting, and more specifically from
the hunting of boars. A ferocious animal, it often hid in the undergrowth and
beaters were employed and ordered to go straight in to chase it out. But very
much aware, and afraid, of the animals sharp tusks, they much preferred to
merely beat around the bush a practice strongly disapproved of by their
masters.

6
Best foot forward

When you are trying to make a good impression it is said that you should put
your best foot forward. There are many options as to where this phrase came
from, one being that it was believed that the left was the realm of the devil, of
evil and misfortune. After all the Latin word sinister means left, and in English
sinister has kept its ominous meaning. Hence, it was advisable to keep the left
foot behind and step forward with the best, the right, foot first.
But this phrase seems to have come from the fashion world, rather than the
occult. The saying can be traced to male vanity, particularly apparent in the
late eighteenth century, the period of the dandy. His desire to attract peoples
attention and admiration took strange and elaborate forms. At the time, people
imagined that their two legs differed in shape and that normally one was
more becoming than the other. To draw attention to it they kept the worse one
in the background, literally putting their best foot forward, and with it, of
course, their leg.

5
Bite the bullet

A person who bites the bullet, without any sign of fear, acts with great
courage in the face of adversity. The phrase recollects a dangerous army
practice in the 1850s. Soldiers were then equipped with the British Enfield
rifle. Prior to using it, they had to bite off the head of the cartridge to expose
the explosive to the spark which would ignite it. The procedure was fraught
with danger, particularly so in the heat of battle. It needed firmness and
courage, as even the slightest deviation or hesitation would endanger the
soldier.

4
Blow Hot and Cold

People who waver in their opinions and quickly change from being
enthusiastic to showing disinterest are said to blow hot and cold. The saying
can be traced to one of Aesops Fables. It was a cold winters day, and the
freezing traveler was blowing on his stiff fingers. Mystified, a satyr wanted to
know what he was doing. The man explained to him that, with his breath, he
was warming his chilled fingers. Taking pity on him, the satyr invited the man
to his home for a hot meal. This time, he watched him blowing on the food,
which intrigued him all the more. Inquiring why he did so, his guest explained
that he was blowing on the stew to cool it down. There and then the satyr told
the traveler to leave at once. He was not prepared to entertain, or even mix
with, someone who could blow hot and cold from the same mouth.

3
Break a leg

To wish an actor prior to his going on stage to break a leg is a well-known

practice. A pretty strange wish, actually it is meant magically to bring him luck
and make sure that his performance will be a success. From the superstitious
age it was thought that jealous forces, always present, are only too anxious to
spoil any venture. A good luck wish would alert and provoke them to do their
evil work, whilst a curse will make them turn their attention elsewhere. The
underlying principle is the belief that if you wish evil, then good will come. Im
sure its called reverse psychology these days.

2
Bury the hatchet

To bury the hatchet means to create peace. With hostilities at an end, the
hatchet was no longer needed, and therefore could be disposed of. Now a
merely figurative expression, the phrase is based on an actual practice of
North American Indians. When negotiating peace, they buried all their
weapons; their tomahawks, scalping knives and clubs. Apart from showing
their good faith, simultaneously it made it impossible for them to go on
fighting.

1
By hook or by crook

The achievement of a goal with determination, by fair means or foul, is

described as getting things done by hook or by crook. The origin of this
phrase is linked with an early British practice, at a time when forests were still
the exclusive property of royalty. For any unauthorized commoner, then, to
gather firewood in them was a crime, poor people being the only exception.
Though they were not permitted to cut or saw off branches, they were free to
remove withered timber from the ground or even a tree, doing so by means of
either a hook or a crook.