The Hidden Origins of Common Phrases

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In this week’s episode we break out the military-grade thesaurus and embark down the long, winding road back to the shadowy origins from which some of our most common turns of phrase originate, illuminating their esoteric origins and what exactly they meant in the first place. On the free side of the show we pull back the curtain to explore exactly how many phrases we use in everyday life that secretly go back to the Fraternal Order of Free Masons! There’s a lot. In the extended side of the show we explore the multitude of common phrases that go back to the bible and a few others that are so ancient we don’t even know at all. Thank you and enjoy the show!

In this episode we discuss:
Getting the Third Degree
Hoodwinked
Fair and Square
Plumb
On The Level
Black Balled
Spill The Beans
Burry The Hatchet
Powow

In the extended side of the show (available at www.patreon.com/TheWholeRabbit) we go even further down the lexicological rabbit hole and discuss:
Skin of the Teeth
Apple of my Eye
Sour Grapes
Going The Extra Mile
The Whole Nine Yards
Riding Shotgun
Pulling Your Leg
Paying Through the Nose
Cat Out of The Bag
Ducks In A Row
Bird in the Hand
Beating Around the Bush
Screwing the Pooch

Red sections written / researched by Luke, purple by Heka and Blue by Mari Sama.

Check out more of Tim’s great content at www.CrypticChronicles.com

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Music By Spirit Travel Plaza:
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Sources:
The Third Degree:
https://www.westlancsfreemasons.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Explanation-Of-The-Symbolism-of-the-Third-Degree-v2.pdf

On the Level
https://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/59/messages/117.html

Blackballed
https://masonicwebsite.co.uk/freemasonry/masonic-terms-that-are-now-in-everyday-language/

Screw the Pooch
https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/screw-the-pooch/
https://grammarphobia.com/blog/2019/07/screw-the-pooch.html

Cut the Mustard
https://grammarphobia.com/blog/2006/09/can-you-cut-the-mustard.html

Ducks in a Row
https://grammarphobia.com/blog/2021/01/ducks-in-a-row.html

For the birds

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