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The law was later put to the test in 1819 during the infamous Peterloo Massacre, in which a cavalry unit attacked a large group of protestors after they appeared to ignore a reading of the Riot Act. In truth, the saying is most likely derived from the Freemasons, a centuries-old fraternal organization whose members undergo rigorous questioning and examinations before becoming “third degree” members, or “master masons.”Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you.Find out more about the unusual origin stories behind 10 everyday phrases.© 2020 A&E Television Networks, LLC. Among its many fabrications, the book includes a description of crocodiles that notes, “These serpents sley men, and eate them weeping, and they have no tongue.” While factually inaccurate, Mandeville’s account of weeping reptiles later found its way into the works of Shakespeare, and “crocodile tears” became an idiom as early as the 16th century. Ask away and we will do our best to answer or find someone who can.We try to vet our answers to get you the most acurate answers. According to legend, if an underling or rival angered a Siamese king, the royal might present the unfortunate man with the gift of a white elephant. Holy Toledo Posted by Ashley Jakeway on July 20, 2000 Does anyone know where the phrase "Holy Toledo" came from? Modern English speakers use the phrase “crocodile tears” to describe a display of superficial or false sorrow, but the saying actually derives from a medieval belief that crocodiles shed tears of sadness while they killed and consumed their prey. Many everyday phrases are nautical in origin— “taken aback,” “loose cannon” and “high and dry” all originated at sea—but perhaps the most surprising example is the common saying “by and large.” As far back as the 16th century, the word “large” was used to mean that a ship was sailing with the wind at its back. When Adam and Eve were cast out of heaven, they were quite despondent. There are several tales about the origin of “the third degree,” a saying commonly used for long or arduous interrogations. “Running amok” is commonly used to describe wild or erratic behavior, but the phrase actually began its life as a medical term. Whether any specific rulers actually bestowed such a passive-aggressive gift is uncertain, but the term has since come to refer to any burdensome possession—pachyderm or otherwise. is an expression that's probably slipped out of usage now except among comic book characters and government officials with a taste for mild expletives.The phrase has a curious etymology. The idea of resting on your laurels dates back to leaders and athletic stars of ancient Greece. Only later did the phrase take on a negative connotation, and since the 1800s it has been used for those who are overly satisfied with past triumphs. The phrase “paint the town red” most likely owes its origin to one legendary night of drunkenness. Holy Toledo may also refer to: This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Holy Toledo.
For lack of a clear connection, however, he concludes that holy smoke was likely "invented anew as a mock-religious
But in 18th-century England, the Riot Act was a very real document, and it was often recited aloud to angry mobs. Thus, for mariners, “by and large” referred to trawling the seas in any and all directions relative to the wind. Some historians have since dismissed Nelson’s famous quip as merely a battlefield myth, but the phrase “turn a blind eye” persists to this day. Holy Toledo was the Kingdom of Toledo, the juridical definition of a Christian medieval kingdom in what is now central Spain. In fact, Eve’s first comment to Adam after the expulsion was “Adam
Information and translations of HOLY TOLEDO in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on Inside the tabernacle for the 1911 campaign in Toledo, Ohio Some say it became a phrase used during the revivals that evangelist Billy Sunday held in Toledo Ohio in the early 1900's. In the midst of the fight, a wounded British officer named William Inglis supposedly urged his unit forward by bellowing “Stand your ground and die hard … make the enemy pay dear for each of us!” Inglis’ 57th Regiment suffered 75 percent casualties during the battle, and went on to earn the nickname “the Die Hards.” The phrase “turn a blind eye”—often used to refer to a willful refusal to acknowledge a particular reality—dates back to a legendary chapter in the career of the British naval hero Horatio Nelson. Michael Quinion's discussion of the phrase at World Wide Words points out the same sacrificial origin. Meaning of HOLY TOLEDO. Meanwhile, the much less desirable “by,” or “full and by,” meant the vessel was traveling into the wind. In its earliest incarnation in the 1700s, the expression described condemned men who struggled the longest when they were executed by hanging.
When his more conservative superior officer flagged for him to withdraw, the one-eyed Nelson supposedly brought his telescope to his bad eye and blithely proclaimed, “I really do not see the signal.” He went on to score a decisive victory. Today, sailors and landlubbers alike now use the phrase as a synonym for “all things considered” or “for the most part.” Victorious athletes at the ancient Pythian Games received wreaths made of laurel branches, and the Romans later adopted the practice and presented wreaths to generals who won important battles. Instituted in 1715, the Riot Act gave the British government the authority to label any group of more than 12 people a threat to the peace.
What does HOLY TOLEDO mean?