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Book

Burst Your Bubble

Giving information to another person that will more than likely disappoint them; to ruin someone's happy moment; to destroy someone's expectations.

When's the last time you blew a bubble? Blowing bubbles is an activity that kids and 

adults enjoy doing today on occasion. However, the fun comes to an abrupt end when 

the bubbles pop, or burst, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Some might even try to get their bubbles to float as long as they possibly can, only to be disappointed once it finally does burst. Hence, this phrase might possibly derive its figurative meaning from how a person's enjoyment levels of literally blowing bubbles can abruptly change when their bubbles burst.

I'm not entirely sure how old the activity of blowing bubbles is, but there are several paintings made by Dutch artists in the 17th century that show children blowing bubbles, so based on this, it's at least 400 years old.

The earliest that I could find the phrase 'to burst someone's bubble' in writing was around the 1860s, and it carries the same meaning it does today. For example, the expression is found in the Anglo American Times, 1869:

"They actually strove to fasten on the President, and the very Treasury which had designedly burst their 

bubble, complicity with the design, and so openly, boldly, and circumstantially was this done, that some 

people were for a moment staggered by the attack on the Executive."

* I don't want to burst your bubble Timothy, but I won't be able to pay you back that $50 I owe you until later this month.

* Not to burst anyone's bubble, but the tickets for the movie we were planning to see today are sold out.

Note: The origins for many phrases and sayings are so unclear, it's like trying to find something at the bottom of a muddy river! However, while it's not the case for every phrase, most of what you see are the more popular theories that are around that try to discern how a phrase came about. Keep in mind, though, that these are merely theories, and are not a 100% confirmation!

Additionally, the quotes you see coming from old books, poems, newspapers, and so on, are there to give you, the reader, an idea on how far back in time some of these idioms go. Consider this also: If you see a quote from William Shakespeare, and he's using some expression, it doesn't necessarily mean he's the guy that came up with it. Maybe he heard it from a friend, who really knows! I do try to list the oldest recorded forms of a phrase that I can find, but it's always a possibility that I missed something.

Break The Ice

Breaking down a social stiffness to make things more comfortable.

This phrase is sometimes used when the cold social awkwardness is broken between two people who are meeting for the first time.

Some may say that this phrase comes from, or at least was made popular, by steam-powered icebreaker ships that were designed in the 1800s for sailing in polar regions of the world. As the name suggests, these ships were designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, which can be quite challenging. Nevertheless, using the ship's strengthened hull and powerful engine, it can break the ice apart into smaller pieces, allowing the ship to pass through without too much difficulty.

However, by the looks of it, this phrase actually preceeds the creation of the icebreaker ships. This expression goes back to at least the 17th century, written in a poem by Samuel Butler in 1678. There's a line from the poem that reads:

"To give himself a first audience, After he had a while look'd wise, At last broken silence, and the ice."

* Carl introduced me to his new friends and I felt a little uneasy at first, but the ice was quickly broken soon after meeting them.

* Paul was set to give a speech in front of a large crowd and was incredibly nervous, but he broke the ice with his audience by starting out with a funny joke.

Note: Finding the origins for sayings and phrases can be very difficult a lot of the time, as it's hard to find that one person or even area where an idiom started. For the most part, what's given are possibilities in how a phrase could have originated, but not necessarily how it actually did. Additionally, early recorded forms of a saying will be given, and these tend to come from old books, newspapers, poems, or plays.

However, if phrases are being printed in forms of media, like a newspaper, that's usually a sign to show it's already a well known saying, and is probably much older. Ultimately, you get an approximate on how long a phrase has been used for, and gain a little understanding on where a phrase's roots are from.

Bird Of a Feather Flock Together

People tend to associate with those who share similar interests or values.

Flocks of birds flying together in close formation, gracefully moving through the light blue skies. You've probably seen this sight plenty of times by now in your life, and what a sight it can be, especially when there's a large number of birds. Yes, bird flocks can vary greatly in number; some might travel together with only a dozen or so, while other birds, like the Red-billed Quelea, can form flocks that reach into the thousands. That's a lot of feathers... and birds!

Well, this phrase speaks for itself, really. Birds of a similar kind tend to flock together from place to place. For instance, pidgeons fly with other pidgeons, crows fly with other crows, flamingos fly with other flamingos, and so on. Hence, this phrase looks to have formed through a basic observation, which is that birds of a similar kind, or feather, flock together. This idiom is now applied to people today. In what way? In that people usually associate with others who share similar interests or values.

Wikitionary says that in the year 1545, "William Turner wrote a version of the expression in the Rescuing of Romish Fox: 'Byrdes of on kynde and color flok and flye allwayes together.'" 

This would make the phrase over 450 years old.

My sister enjoys exercising and staying in shape, and so do her friends, so it seems that birds of a feather flock together.

Note: The origins for many phrases are not really clear, so in such cases, what you'll probably see me listing on a page are theories as to how a phrase may have come to be, but keep in mind that these are theories. As for the quotes, I try to find the oldest recordings that I can. The quotes I find usually come from old books, poems, or newspapers, and these quotes can give an idea for how far back in history a phrase goes, at least.

Between a Rock And Hard Place

Being in a dilemma where the only two available options are both unsatisfying or bad.

The origin of this phrase is believed to be rooted in the United States. It is not entirely 

clear on where exactly this expression comes from, but some guess that it may come from 

Arizona during financial panics that happened in the early 20th century. 

According to The Phrase Finder, the earliest known recording of the idiom can be found in the 

Dialect Notes V from the year 1921, where it reads: 

"To be between a rock and a hard place, to be bankrupt. Common in Arizona in recent panics; 

sporadic in California."

Judging by that quote, it looks as though the phrase originally meant to be bankrupt, where as today it means "facing a tough dilemma." The earliest writing I could find of the saying with its modern meaning comes from The Advertiser newspaper, January 1930, where it is written: 

"After that we were between a rock and a hard place. There was a lot of unpleasantness with Mr. 

Romanes, but by and by we see'd we couldn't do nothing by fighting each other, so we shared out 

the grub, and took what we each thought was the best road off that damned mantelpiece."

* I'm between a rock and a hard place... on one hand I can go to the movies with my friends, or I can choose to go to dinner with my lovely girlfriend.

* Mariah found herself stuck between a rock and a hard place when she received a big dent to her car; she either had to spend the money and have it repaired, or drive around with an unsightly dent on her vehicle.

Note: The origins for many phrases are so unclear, it's like trying to find something at the bottom of a muddy river! However, that's not the case for every phrase. Still, please note that most of what you will find for the origins of many phrases are popular theories that try to determine where a phrase came from, or from who. Keep in mind, though, that these are merely theories, and are not a 100% confirmation!

Additionally, the quotes you see often times come from old books, poems, newspapers, and so on. These quotes are used to give you, the reader, an idea on how far back in history some of these idioms go. Remember this also, if you see a quote from William Shakespeare and he's using some  expression, it doesn't necessarily mean he's the guy that came up with it. Maybe he heard it from a friend or relative or heard of it somewhere else! Moreover, I do try to list the oldest recorded forms of a phrase that I can find, but there's always a possibility of an older recording existing that I'm unaware of.