Interesting article about common saying and what they mean … taken off dailymail.co.uk
If you were to learn the true origin of the phrase 'gone to pot', you might suspect somebody was 'pulling your leg'.
New research has revealed the surprisingly sinister history behind some of Britain's most commonly used phrases. Many of which are actually used worldwide.
'Gone to pot' dates back to a time when boiling a criminal to death was a legal punishment, while 'pulling someone's leg' came into use at a time when London was rife with thieves who tackled their victims by pulling them to the ground by their leg.
The saying 'meeting a deadline' refers to a line drawn by soldiers during the American Civil War to deter inmates from trying to escape - those attempting to cross it would be shot in the head.
Researchers at family history website Genes Reunited trawled through old local newspapers to explore the true origins of the common sayings.
Today, applying a 'rule of thumb' suggests a practical approach to problem solving, but it originally referred to a violent method of settling marital disputes.
A judge, Sir Francis Buller, ruled 'a man was entitled to beat his wife with a stick provided it was no thicker than his thumb', the Glasgow Herald stated in 1886.
Researchers combed through the Herald (1901), Evening Post (1904), Western Daily Press (1949), Glasgow Herald (1886) and North Devon Journal (1896).
Experts discovered 'paying through the nose' was a Viking punishment of slitting the nose from tip to eyebrow of anyone who refused to pay tax.
Rhoda Breakell, Head of Genes Reunited, said: 'The English language is peppered with unusual sayings.
'We wanted to look back through old newspapers, now fully-searchable online, to discover where they came from and what they really mean.
