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Phrase origins
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Post Phrase origins 
I'm known for my love but general ignorance of words and phrases.  I ran across an interesting website, Wordorigins.org, which describes the origins of common phrases.  Here are a few:

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Tongue In Cheek
The commonly told tale about this phrase is that it derives from the acting practice of thrusting one's tongue into your cheek to keep from laughing at an inappropriate moment. There is no evidence to support this story or the idea that the phrase originates in the theater.

The phrase dates to 1748 when it was fashionable to signal contempt for someone by making a bulge in your cheek with your tongue. By 1842 the phrase had acquired its modern, ironic sense.



I'm not wild about the following, and when you read it, you might suspect why.  

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Hysteria
The root hyster- comes from the Greek word for womb. So, the psycholological disturbance termed hysteria was originally believed to be a disease of women and resulted from some disturbance in the uterus. Its origin is in the late 17th century.

Similarly, a hysterectomy, first appearing in English in the mid-19th century, is the removal of the womb, or uterus.




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I always wondered where "rip snorter" came from. I'll have to see if they have it.


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Oh darn, not there!


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