Where did the saying about having "skeletons in the closet" originate?
483960
It is one of those sayings whose exact origins is unknown, it obviously refers to things kept secret or hidden. In the past it may actually have had something to do with someone who had died under mysterious circumstances. It was brought into literary use by Thackeray in 1845.
21646
BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE -- From "Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings" (1996): "Between a rock and a hard place. Forced to choose between two unpleasant options. The expression originated in the early twentieth century in the United States. It usually follows 'to be caught'." \n\nThe "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson (Fact on File, New York, 1997) says "the expression was probably born in Arizona during a financial panic early in this century."
652805
It's quote from the film Marathon Man.  Laurence Olivier's character says it as he is about torture Dustin Hoffman's character with a dentist drill.
1107089
I recall it originated from the time of the Egyptians where mummies would roll over.  This frightened the tomb keepers and that is why they were sealed and many false passages were created.  The term refers to the dead returning to haunt those who would continue to bring harm to loved ones or family.
233296
Various people have used this quote.  It is generally attributed to either Robert Kennedy or Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
785422
It's probably from Aesop's Fables. That's where most quotes like that come from.
891786
I can't remember where the quote is from, but I agree with it entirely.  It means "no holds barred", in a way, and I find it true in love and war.  It's sad to say that's true in love, but, experience tells me it is true, and our culture supports it entirely.  Our international bodies try to make it untrue in war, such as in the Geneva Convention, but, war is hell everything's "fair" in hell, so . . ..  God Bless you.
754384
This phrase has got many meanings... Depending on the place where you use it...\n\nGenerally it means, "hidden truths about something which is known"
141560
Nobody actually knows where that phrase comes from.  There is an urban legend about where it came from that can be found here: http://www.snopes.com/language/stories/brass.htm
219084
It's from a Three Stooges movie, "Gents Without Cents" made in 1944. Curly says \n"Niagra Falls" and Moe (who was under some sort of post-hypnotic suggestion? I don't \nremember) turns on him and launches into the speech. (I dunno. Seemed funny when I was \na kid.) See www.imdb.com for good sources of movie quotes, trivia, etc.\n\n: : This was also from an Abbott and Costello movie entitled "Lost in A Harem".\n: : Many of Bud and Lou's best-known routines were vaudeville and/or burlesque \nstandards. The "Niagara Falls" bit ("Slowly I turned, step by step, inch by inch...I \ntook my revenge.") was performed by many teams before becoming identified with Abbott \n& Costello.
272964
To "make no bones about it," means to do something in a straightforward or unapologetic manner -- to "just do it." According to Christine Ammer's book "Have A Nice Day -- No Problem," a dandy dictionary of cliches, "make no bones about it" is such an ancient phrase, dating to at least 1548, that its origins cannot be accurately traced. As is usual in such cases, however, there are theories. It may have originally arisen as a metaphor, referring to someone who did not make a fuss if bones turned up in his or her soup or stew. Or (there's never just one theory, you'll notice) it may be based on "bones" being a very old slang term for dice. Someone who "made no bones" would be a player who simply cast the dice when his turn came, omitting all the mystical (and annoying) little rituals (such as blowing on, or talking to, the dice) gamblers often develop to conjure up good luck in a game.
933924
No one knows where it really comes from.  Many people have hypotheses, but nothing definitive & irrefutable.  I have heard it myself & don't care to ever again.  It was creepy.
693108
The phrase \n"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" is widely attributed to Voltaire, but cannot be found in his writings. With good reason. The phrase was invented by a later author as an epitome of his attitude. It appeared in The Friends of Voltaire (1906), written by Evelyn Beatrice Hall under the pseudonym S[tephen] G. Tallentyre. Chapter VII is devoted to Helvetius (1715-1771), whom she depicts as a kindly, generous person, with a hint of more talent to raise him above mediocrity. He married and settled in the sticks, with a new wife who was unfashionably old (32), and they were happy. This was ended by his tragic aspiration, to earn some small glory for himself as a philosopher.
766392
The whole quote is: Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts.  It means freedom from thinking about yourself at all.  ~William Temple
915899
It's been around since the American revolution. It's the official motto of the state of New Hampshire (USA).\n\nThe phrase comes from General John Stark, New Hampshire's most famous soldier of the American Revolutionary War.\n\nLive free or die: Death is not the worst of evils.
16134
It is a Funny Quotes or you can say One-liner thought.\ni think it is by "Fossel"
654452
It's an old English proverb.\n\nIt means if you dress up nice, it will make a better person of you (Clothes make the man, is another such proverb). For eg., if you wear a designer dress/ suit, it will make you look more classy than shabby clothes.\n\nI think the origin was Thomas Hardy's Tess of d'Ubervilles? AM not sure