Do You Know The Origin Of These Common English Catchphrases?

We use phrases every day in our speech without necessarily thinking about them. But, there might be interesting histories behind some of the most Compton catchphrases and idioms that we use that we don’t even realize.

There is one person – Tom Blank of Weird History – willing to delve into the world and real-life origins of such phrases like “basket case,” “moron,” and “peanut gallery.”

Some of the other ones that we get a look at are “run amok,” “rule of thumb,” and “Paddy Wagon,” as well as many others.

As explained in the video, “Language is constantly changing, and many of the common terms and phrases we use in everyday conversation have much deeper meanings than we realize. Numerous statements still in use have evoked controversy and reassessment, while others continue to find new applications.”

Quite interesting, don’t you think?

The one that really threw me for a loop was “moron.” Obviously today we use it to describe someone that does dumb things, but who knew that it was once a medical term to describe someone with learning disabilities?

It’s quite mean, and it makes me think that maybe I should drop it from my vocabulary.

Watch the video below:

What do you think? Let us know!