where does the expression "put up your dukes" come from?
492451
The expression "Put up your dukes" comes from old Cockney rhyming slang: "Put up your forks. Put up your Duke of Yorks." (forks refer to fingers and hence your hands)\n\nHowever there is a line of thought that the phrase "put up your dukes" and "duke it out" refer to the name of the God of Boxing, Polydeuces
569040
It's generally attributed to General Prescott at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775.\n\nAnother source says Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Andrew Agnew of Lochnaw say something similar in 1743.
949738
I believe it's a drug reference...think of "Pass the Duchy".,,the rasta song from the '80's.
1170816
This originated in the early 1980s. It is generally regarded as an American expression. This item from the New York newspaper the Syracuse Herald-American, Feb. 1982, which is the earliest version in print that I can find, puts that in some doubt. It's in a piece by Jerry Buck, writing out of Los Angeles, about actress Lauren Tewes
540195
Legend has it that the nickname dates back to the American Civil War. Supposedly, during a battle in Virginia, the North Carolinian troops held their ground while supporting troops retreated. After the battle, supporting troops asked the victorious North Carolinians: "Any more tar down in the Old North State, boys?" and they replied: "No, not a bit; old Jeff's bought it all up." The supporting troops continued: "Is that so? What is he going to do with it?" The North Carolinian troops' response: "He is going to put it on you'ns heels to make you stick better in the next fight."
89653
My dad use to say that sometimes when I was going out on a date.  "Going to watch the submarine races?" It would be nice to know the origin of that.  All I could think of was making out.
1072287
One possible origin for the phrase is an incident said to have taken place during the siege of the Alamo in 1836, when William Barret Travis drew a line in the sand with his sword and urged those willing to stay and defend the fort to step across it. Unfortunately, this heroic story seems to have been invented by a 19th century promoter long after the fall of the Alamo. But the myth itself probably greatly popularized the phrase, so it does count as an origin of sorts even if the incident itself was apocryphal. \n\nAnother possible origin dates back to the time of the Roman Empire. It seems that one of the Macedonian kings, a bit short of cash, decided to invade Egypt, then a Roman protectorate. His army was met at the border by a lone Roman senator named Popillius Laenas, who ordered the king to withdraw. The king began to stall for time, so Popillius Laenas drew a circle in the sand around the king and demanded that the king agree to withdraw his army before he stepped out of the circle. The king, apparently impressed by the senator's nerve (or, more likely, by the Roman Empire in general), withdrew. Incidentally, not only is this account verified by contemporary historians, but it also may be the only known instance of a line drawn in the sand actually stopping someone.
510651
it's actually "yessa massa"\nwhich is what slaves said back in the day for "yes, master."\nit's now used as a joke to say back to someone when they tell you to do something without asking please.
37768
"Further to your previous correspondence (Q&A, December 30), which attributes the saying to the American General William Prescott, at the Battle of Bunker Hill ill 1775, this phrase is actually recorded some 32 years earlier.\nAt Dettingen, Flanders, on June 27, 1743, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Andrew Agnew of Lochnaw (5th Baronet) gave to the men or his regiment, the 21st of Foot, an order from which this saying is derived. A man of spirit even for the times, he had earlier in the day replied to a brigade order that "the scoundrels will never have the impudence to attack the Scots Fusiliers", but they did.\nFormed in square, the Scots Fusiliers held a steady fire rolling along their lines and kept off the advancing French infantry.\nSir Andrew, a resourceful and experienced officer, had in training practised a novel battle drill with the men in his square, should they be attacked by cavalry.\nAt last, the opportunity to spring this trap appeared when the square was attacked by enemy cuirassiers. Instead of employing the orthodox tactic of seeing them off by standing firm and taking the charge on muskets and pikes, Sir Andrew gave orders that, as the cavalry approached the front line, the two centre companies should divide from the centre and fall back from the outer markers. This novel approach allowed the cavalry to charge through a lane with the Fusiliers facing inwards. At this point Sir Andrew gave the command:\n"Dinna fire till ye can see the whites of their e' en . . . if ye dinna kill them they'll kill you." The French, as they rode through this lane of soldiers, were subjected to a withering crossfire and destroyed.\nLater in the day King George II, who commanded the Army but was a little out of his depth, rode up and said: "So, Sir.\nAndrew, I hear the cuirassiers rode through your regiment today." \n"Ou, ay, yer Majestee," was the reply "but they didna get oot again." \nThis account is extracted from an article in the Journal of the Royal Highland Fusiliers Volume 24, No 2 (Winter 2000) and written by Sir Andrew's descendant, Major Sir Crispin Agnew of Lochnaw, Bt.\nDr J. R. Donald. Glasgow"
1138109
'tie on one'\n\n"From "The Wordsworth Book of Euphemism" by Judith S. Neaman and Carole G. Silver (Wordsworth Reference, New York, 1983, 1990) -- "Tie one on, to - To get drunk. (Eric) Partridge suggests that this expression is derived from 'hang one on' (ca. 1935), which originated in the United States and was later adopted in Canada. It is clear that a 'hangover' -- more politely, 'the morning after' -- is the miserable memento of having 'hung' or 'tied one on.' We are uncertain as to why drinking is described as tieing, hanging or belting...""\n\n'belly up to the bar'\n\n" "belly up! belly up to the bar, boys!" Drinks on the house, boys!: Canadian: 20th century. Cf. the US underworld, mostly pickpockets', catch phrase "belly up?," Have a drink!--c. 1930-50. Prompted by the English-speaking world's toast "bottoms up!""\n\nor:\n\n"belly up to: To approach something straight on, to move straight ahead; fig., to push one's belly toward or up to something. 1953: ". . . For a fellow to belly up to a bar and buy a round of drinks. . . ." "
224661
The usual form of the English expression is actually "building castles in the air".    It refers to attempting the attractive but impossible, and so often to a futile waste of energy.  Often said of the aspirations of a "daydreamer"; one may even say "he was just sitting there building castles in the air" for "he was daydreaming".\n\nMany European languages have the same expression.  In French they have the curious form, "build castles in Spain" an expression which appears at least as early as the late 17th century (see more below).  I do not know whether the French is the "original" from which others are adapted, though I do know that quite a number of expert "paremiologists" ("paremiology" is the study of proverbs) have written on these different forms. \n\nUnfortunately, I cannot supply more details on what these folks have uncovered before time runs out on your question.  But within the week I hope to have in my hands an article by Wolfgang Mieder, the world's leading paremiologist, on the German form of the expression, but also exploring the French.  The notes to his article should include some good information on your question.  (So feel free to contact me in a couple of weeks, after I've had a chance to look it all over.)\n\nAs for the French expression, from the Memoirs of Madame de Montespan[1641-1707], Volume 6, ch 28:\n\n"She [Francoise d'Aubigne] had seen several notorious friendships collapse in succession; and it is not at the age of forty-six or forty-seven that one can build castles in Spain to dwell in with young love."
917996
I think you mean bollocks.it is a slang word for the testicles.
639470
This is a references to an old phrase started, not England, but Scottland... the term was mistranslated by the English in the midst of war. The Term was used by the Scottish to bring out their weapons and black axes, the axes weren't really black but that's a different story. In any case... it is now used to mean "Get ready for the worse"
1000497
i dont know the origin, but i am kind of old and i have heard it since i was young.  it was a line in a country song several years ago, i cant remember song or artist though.\n\nit means that you admire someone very much, usually but not always, in a lovers type of way. \n\nshe thinks that he put the moon in to the sky (he hung the moon).\n\n\n\ni live in the southeast.
534929
This expression, meaning "be very careful to behave correctly",\nhas been in use from the 17th century on.  Theories include:  an\nadmonishment to children learning to write; an admonishment to\ntypesetters (who had to look at the letters reversed); an\nadmonishment to seamen not to soil their navy pea-jackets with\ntheir tarred "queues" (pigtails); "mind your pints and quarts";\n"mind your prices and quality"; "mind your pieds and queues"\n(either feet and pigtails, or two dancing figures that had to be\naccurately performed); the substitution of /p/ for "qu" /kw/ in the\nspeech of uneducated ancient Romans; or the confusion by students\nlearning both Latin and Ancient Greek of such cognates as _pente_\nand _quintus_.  And yes, we've heard the joke about the instruction\nto new sextons:  "Mind your keys and pews."
18371
It is an idiom intended to mean "be careful, pay attention to detail"  it has morphed, in recent times, to mean many other things including "be polite".\n\nThere are several theories about it's origin, but the one I believe makes the most sense is - mind your Pints and Quarts.  Meaning to keep track of what you order in a pup so you are not over charged.
745295
I believe it is from the use of rhyming to emphasise something being great! As in "the bees knees". This then became "the mutt's nuts", which translated into non-rhyming is "the dog's bollocks". WHY? I don't know.