Sleep
Tight: To sleep tight is to sleep well. 'Tight' seems an odd word to
use in this context. It may refer to pulling bedclothes tightly around
you as you snuggle down to go to sleep but there is another explanation.
In the past bed frames were strung with ropes on which straw mattresses
were placed. After some time the ropes would loosen, resulting in an
uncomfortable bed. When pulled tight, the bed improved. Apparently
there was a tool - an iron type of gadget that looked somewhat like an
old clothes peg but larger - which was used to tighten the ropes.
Sleeve: To laugh up one's sleeve is to laugh inwardly; to be secretly
amused . At one time it was quite possible to conceal such amusement by
hiding one's face in the large loose sleeves then worn. The French say,
rire sous cape.
Slope: To slope off means to depart without hurry; to amble away. The
Saxons had a word 'hleapan', "to jump", from which we derive leap. We
also got the word 'lope' from the same source. There was also a Saxon
word 'slupan' meaning "to slip". Slope seems to be a combination of
both words.
Slush fund: A slush fund is a fund of money that is separate and secret
from other funds. Slush seems a funny word in these circumstances until
it's realised that the original source of such funds was the surplus
fat or grease from fried salt pork, the standard food on 19th century
ships. The slush was usually sold in port and the money raised used to
buy little extras and luxuries for the crew. In 1866 the US Congress
had applied the term to a contingency fund it had set up from one of
its operating budgets. From that time the expression took on its
current meaning.
Snook: If you cock a snook at someone then you show them contempt or
opposition. Snook in this saying is the action of putting one's thumb
to the nose and spreading out the fingers as a sign of contempt. The
gesture only became used in the 19th century and its origins are
unknown.
Soap opera: If you habitually watch or listen to a Soap Opera then you
are hooked on a regular TV or radio serial, usually about ordinary
life, but sometimes about the rich and supposed famous. Why Soap? The
origin goes back to a well known weekly US radio programme called
"Amos& Andy". This started out in 1927 and was broadcast at a
prime time. Each episode ended excitingly and guaranteed a certain
audience for the next episode. The sponsors were soap manufacturers
Proctor and Gamble and they advertised their products. A second Soap
sponsored serial called "Today's Children" soon came along and the
catch phrase Soap Opera entered the language.
Sock: If you tell someone to put a sock in it then you are telling them
to be quiet. The Sock in this instance was originally a real sock. In
the early days of sound reproduction and radio broadcasts the ability
to control the volume of sound coming out of the instruments was almost
non-existent; sound came out of large uncontrollable horns. However, if
a sock was stuffed into the mouth of the horn, then the volume was
considerably reduced, hence the saying.
According to Expressions & Origins the above explanation
".....seems improbable: in the sort of household that alone could have
afforded such a novelty it is unlikely that a sock would be used in the
drawing-room. In a barrack-room, however, socks would certainly be
lying around at night and one can imagine a heavy snorer being shouted
at and told to 'put a sock in it' (his mouth). Some such military
origin is far more likely."
I don't agree with this; irrespective of how rich the instrument's
owner was, it was the technology that governed the sound volume. Socks
were a very good muffler.
Soldier: To come the old soldier. The saying is used in the context of
an admonishment for a minor misdemeanour. An old (experienced) soldier
charged with a minor offence, such as dirty boots, long hair, etc could
well have had sufficient ability to talk himself out of punishment,
even though guilty, if dealing with a young and inexperienced official.
I was raised in the East End of London in the 1930s - the saying was
common then, but I haven't head it for years. It was used in "Tom Brown
at Oxford" and is clearly quite old. When my Mum caught me, or someone
else, in such a situation, she was wily enough to spot an attempt to
talk ourselves out of trouble - "don't come the old soldier with me"
she used to say. We knew then that punishment was inevitable!
Some more examples of the phrase's use are in Dictionary of English
Idioms. Longman. 1979, but no origin.
Soldier: play/come the old soldier. Not formal, rather old fashioned.
1 to claim to have much knowledge because of one's long and varied
experience: "he enjoys playing the old soldier among his friends"
2 to pretend to be ill, esp. in order to avoid doing one's work: "if
the boss was more strict, fewer workers would attempt to come the old
soldier"
3 to beg for money, drinks, etc., by pretending to be a poor man who
once served in the wars: "go away and don't come the old soldier in my
pub again"
Song: Something said to be going for a song is thought of as being sold
for a price less than its true worth. The saying started off as "All
this for a song" and is the alleged angry response by Burleigh to Queen
Elizabeth I when she instructed him to pay Edmund Spenser £100 for a
performance of his "The Faerie Queen". "Song" in this instance is
probably a play on an already established expression, where, perhaps,
people did make some sort of a living from singing, probably in the
street or a tavern. They were paid a pittance for their efforts, which
seems to be what Burleigh thought Spencer's work was worth.
Sorts: If someone is out of sorts, then they are less than fit, not up
to a task, out of order. This saying has two possible origins. The
first comes from playing cards which, if out of sort, are deranged and
out of order. The second suggestion comes from the printing trade,
where certain characters such as @, ?, or ! are called 'sorts'. If a
printer is out of these, then he's not up to doing a particular job.
Soup: In the soup is an expression used to imply that someone is in
trouble. The origin is said by some to go back to the potato famine in
1840s Ireland. Such was the famine that soup kitchens in Dublin were
vital; however, in order to be given soup, Irish families had to give
up Catholicism and also Anglicise their names - O'Donohue became
Donohue for instance. The Irish hated this, but were so hungry that
many families were forced to be in the soup. Since the phrase is first
recorded only in the late 19C in the US, this is unlikely. The origin
seems obscure
.
Spell: To undertake a spell of duty is to take one's turn to perform a
task. Spell seems an odd word in this context until it is realised that
the word derives from the Old English 'gespelia' meaning "substitute".
One group of workers substituted another by taking over their duties.
