Vol.V, No.6
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What Is So Neat About A Pin? By Pat Farrell
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID San Antonio, Texas Paid Permit #1590
One has to sympathize with those trying to learn English as a second language since we have so many idiomatic expressions in common use that cannot be easily understood by simply taking them apart word by word. We know this to be true because we have heard people say things like, “every room in the house is neat as a pin,” and we know they mean the whole house appears orderly and clean or tidy, but what has the pin to do with it? There are a few thoughts on the origin of the phrase “neat as a pin,” most of which, not surprisingly, have it originating in England. The word neat is thought to have come from the French word “net” which means “bright and shining.” It is also speculated that the phrase may have originated from an older common saying that was popular during the 1600s, “As fine as fippence, as neat as
nine pence,” where neat as ninepence could reasonably have evolved into neat as a pin. Another, more popular thought is that pins were originally hand-made and quite irregular, but with the advent of mass production in the 19th Century, pins were then consistently well made with a uniformly high quality finish that was bright and shiny. Perhaps that is why they were neat new pins. Every language has its own set of idioms, which are rarely complete sentences but do convey a complete message concisely to others who understand the language. It is from where these expressions have come into being that can be of interest, although like the neat pin there are often divergent theories to explain those too. We have heard that someone may be barking up the wrong tree and understand that they may have made a false assumption or are looking in the wrong direction for something, which supposedly comes from hunting dogs who have chased their prey up a tree and remain there long after the prey has moved on to another site. Other idioms derived from the hunt include beating around the bush or avoiding coming to the point they should be making and cutting to the chase meaning, getting to the point. Both originate from bird hunts where some participants in the hunt would beat the bushes to get the birds moving so other participants could cut to the chase and capture the birds in nets. It should also be noted that the film industry would frequently utilize chase scenes in many movies, especially when “talkies” were first made and they would stop the drama conversation by cutting to the chase. While we are cutting things how about cutting the mustard meaning being
able to succeed or accomplish something efficiently. There is little to support any proposed origin for what is considered to be a difficult thing to do but suggestions include that mustard plants grow densely, are tough and stringy and the seed is most difficult to cut with a knife. And, of course we’ve probably all heard the song that argues, “he’s too old to cut the mustard anymore!” And, on another subject, what is the bucket that is referred to in the phrase kick the bucket which we know means to die. While some have concluded that the bucket was most used to stand upon when one wanted to hang themselves, bucket in earlier times referred to the wooden frame that was used to hang animals up by their feet for slaughter where they were likely to struggle after death and hence 'kick the bucket'. Or, when it comes to buying a pig in a poke, or accepting something without first checking it out for validity, we know what the pig is but what is the poke? The term poke is thought to be derived from the French 'poque’ or pocket which is a sack or a bag and it has always been thought foolish to accept the pig in a poke, as is, without first checking for the presence of the pig. Where would you rather be - in the Land of Nod where we supposedly travel off to sleep and/or nod off or in La La Land, a place characterized by selfabsorption and a lack of touch with reality? In both cases valid origins are not really creditable or what one would usually accept. The biblical land of Nod was more of a place of anguished exile, the place to which Cain was sent by God after he slew his brother Abel and is actually associated more with that than with a peaceful land of sleep. In the late 1970s La La Land began to be used as a term to
June 2019 refer to Los Angeles because of the supposedly frivolous behavior of the Hollywood crowd. Origins of expressions are not always certain and it is not improper to accept or reject what one considers a valid or invalid origination source. However, that is not the case when it comes to the game of baseball from where, amazingly, so much of our language in the form of idioms is derived. Enter the “ballpark!” As REALTORS®, we are all familiar with ballpark figures or those that are considered to be, at least, in the ballpark. And if we have done a really good job we are likely to be batting a 1000 or have knocked it out of the park. We know to touch base with our clients often and when something goes wrong with a transaction it could certainly lead to a whole new ballgame. We hope when following up on a lead that we get to first base and, if so, that we continue to cover all the bases as we proceed. And if we keep on being a heavy hitter by completing multiple transactions we will soon be in the big leagues, making tons of money! Conversely, right off the bat, if someone is unwilling to step up to the plate and play ball they will remain in the bush leagues. Often, when things get cancelled you are able to get a rain-check and in general everything in life seems to be hit or miss, especially when someone tries to play hardball with you or throws you a curve ball, but maybe when thing seem to look too bad, out of left field comes a closer or clean-up hitter to help you and/or your team out of the mess. If this happens too often Yogi Berra would say “it’s déjà vu all over again,” but if you find that helping closer then he would note, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” But, it is over, at least for now!