the full monty
- the full potential of anything, or recently, full frontal nudity (since the film of the same name) - the two much earlier origins are: 1. Field Marshall Montgomery's insistence on a full English breakfast every morning, and 2. a full sunday-best suit and tie outfit from the tailors Montague Burton.
bus
- passenger vehicle - an abbreviation from the original 18-19th century horse-drawn 'omnibus' which in Latin means 'for all' (which is also the derivation of the term 'omnibus' when used to describe a whole week's TV soap episodes put together in one torturous weekend compilation). Unrelated but interestingly, French slang for the horse-drawn omnibus was 'four banal' which translated then to 'parish oven' - what a wonderful expression.
caddie or caddy
- person who carries clubs and assists a golfer - caddie is a Scottish word (Scotland's golf origins date back to the 1500s) and is derived from the French word 'cadet', which described a young gentleman who joined the army without a commission, originally meaning in French a younger brother. Early Scottish use of the word cadet, later caddie, was for an errand boy. The golf usage of the caddie term began in the early 1600s.
Brewer, 1870, provides a useful analysis which is summarised and expanded here: In English playing cards, the King of Clubs originally represented the Arms of the Pope; King of Spades was the King of France; King of Diamonds was the King of Spain, and the King of Hearts was the King of England. In French playing cards (which certainly pre-dated English interpretations) the kings were: Spades - David (the biblical king); Clubs - Alexander (the Great); Diamonds - Caesar (Julius, Roman Emperor); and Hearts - Charles (sic - meaning Charles the Great, ie., Charlemagne, King of the Franks, 747-814, which Brewer clarifies elsewhere) - together representing the Jewish, Greek, Roman and Frankish empires.
cat-call
- derisory or impatient call or cry or whistle, particularly directed by audience members or onlookers at a performer or speaker - 1870 Brewer explains that 'cat-call' originated from whistles or 'hideous noise' made by an audience at a theatre to express displeasure or impatience. 'Like the call or waul of a cat'
caught red-handed
- caught in the act of doing something wrong, or immediately afterwards with evidence showing, so that denial is pointless - the expression 'caught red-handed' has kept a consistent meaning for well over a hundred years (Brewer lists it in 1870). It's based simply on the metaphor of a murderer being caught with blood still on their hands, and therefore would date back probably to the days even before guns, when to kill another person would have involved the use of a direct-contact weapon like a dagger or club. The red-handed image is straightforward enough to have evolved from common speech, that is to say, there's unlikely to have been one single quote that originated the expression.
condom
- birth control sheath - a scientific approach to birth control is not a recent practice; Latin writer Pliny the Elder advocated the use of sticky cedar gum as early as the 1st century, and the Romans were using sheaths of various descriptions before then. The Italian anatomist Gabriello Fallopio (yes, he was first to describe the function of the fallopian tubes) designed the first medicated linen sheath in the mid 16th century. The condom however takes its name from the Earl of Condom, personal physician to Charles II, who recommended its use to the king as a precaution against syphilis in the second half of the 17th century
cut to the chase
- get to the point, get to the important or exciting part (of a story, explanation, presentation, etc) - a metaphor based on a film editor cutting incidental sequences from a film, so as to show the chase scene sooner, in order to keep the audience's attention; 'the chase' traditionally being the most exciting part and often the climax of many films
december
- the twelfth month - originally Latin for 'tenth month' when the year began with March
die hard
- fierce or resilient - the die-hards were the British 57th Foot regiment, so called after their Colonel Inglis addressed them before the (victorious) battle of Albuera against Napoleon's French on 16 May in 1811, 'Die hard my lads, die hard'. Only one officer of 24 survived, and only 168 men of 584. The regiment later became the West Middlesex
double whammy
- two problems in one - from the American cartoon strip character 'Li'l Abner' by Al Capp (1909-79). The zoot-suited character 'Evil Eye Fleegle' (not Li'l Abner - thanks FS) could cast a spell on someone by 'aiming' at them with his finger and one eye open; he called it 'shooting a whammy'. He could shoot a 'double whammy' by aiming with both eyes open
draconian
- harsh (law or punishment) - from seventh century BC when Athens appointed a man called Draco to oversee the transfer of responsibility for criminal punishment to the state; even minor crimes were said to carry the death penalty, and the laws were apparently written in blood.
Caliber
