The Meaning Behind “Red Flags” and Other Common Phrases

6) Busman’s holiday

The term dates back to the 1840s and the advent of the British omnibus, a horse-drawn public bus manned inside by a conductor who would obtain the passenger fares. In theory, in the service of his job he would see the sights through the windows, making a holiday touring in a bus or wagon quite the mundane task. A busman’s holiday refers to any time off spent doing something similar to one’s profession. How many times have you heard that phrase and never thought about where it comes from?

5) Elbow grease

We’ve all heard this term or uttered it ourselves, particularly when talking about getting chores done around the house. The term was first used in print in 1672and ever since has referred to the sweat of hard work. It has been suggested that the term was in common use by the lower classes and at first was considered somewhat crude.