Ninja

An Assassin of Japanese origin

OK, so this one will be kind of short but it is totally fascinating. As we know them from the movies, black clad, using throwing stars and katanas most likely never existed. Though “ninjas” were real their myth sort of evolved over time. You see the actual term “ninja” is not of Japanese origin. It was coined by Westerners in Japan during the mid-19th century. The actual phrase used to describe these shadow warriors was Shinobo no mono, “person of stealth”. Westerners being the kind of people they were decided they needed a shorter term, so the borrowed on from the Chinese. Nin (stealth) and ja (person). Put together and we have nin-ja. (stealth person). So yes, it is actually a Chinese word.

Interestingly enough, the first time the word “ninja” appeared in print? 1964 in You Only Live Twice by Mr. Ian Flemming.  So maybe it should be Ja, Nin Ja… (See? Bond. James Bond. Get it? Nevermind.)

Bury the Hatchet

Make Peace

OK, so this one should be no great mystery. For years before the Europeans came to the New World native tribes would conclude their peace treaties with the practice of burying axes or other weapons to signify a truce. Though most likely they would have used the term tomahawk. As the men from the Old World came they observed the tradition and coined the phrase.

In an interesting side note. The tribal gatherings the led to the “burying of the hatchet” were called pow-wows by the Europeans. This phrase stemmed from the word po’wah. That term actually was the title given to the medicine man that was in charge of the peach talks, not the talks themselves.

Cold Feet

Apprehension or Fear 

Also known as Immersion Syndrome or trench foot it was common among World War I troops. They would often spend long periods standing around in the trenches filled with cold and muddy water.

It was very painful, but also guaranteed a trip to hospital. Those who didn’t want to be shot at would endure the pain until just before a major offensive, reporting to the hospital at the last minute.

The first documentation of the condition can be traced back to the Napoleonic Wars.

Rank and File

Unexceptional members of an organization, usually numerous

Back in the day… when soldiers got into formation they usually stood in ranks (meaning side by side) and in file (one behind the other). This mass of men generally was formed by the basic soldier, whom there were usually many. In the mid-19th century the phrase left the military and was sued to denote common people or employees in general.

Die Hard

Unwilling to change or adapt

During the 1811 Battle of Alburea in Spain the British 57th Foot were engaged against the French and under heavy fire. Colonel Sir William Inglis knew that his men were going to be overwhelmed. As the battle raged in addressed them saying, “Stand your ground and die hard; die hard and make the enemy pay dear for each one of us.” When the battle ended Inglis had lost 438 of his 579 men.

After the battle the regiment became known as “The Diehards”. Before long the name began being used in common parlance to denote one that would not give up, even in face of long odds. And yes, it would become the name of one of the greatest movie franchises of our time. (Yeas? What? Oh, oh yeah.) How about one of  the best movies, and bunch of middle of the road sequels?

Click or Klick

Kilometer

This term became popular during the Vietnam War and is an indication of distance, a kilometer to be exact. The range of the big artillery guns  was managed by turning one of two dials (for lack of a better term). One of which was for large adjustments, one click of the dial equaled one kilometer.  The other was for smaller adjustments, less than a kilometer.

Some have indicated that the term predates Vietnam and could be from the Korean War or in the interwar period. It may, but it definitely came into popular use during the 60’s.

GRAPE

Yes, when you hear grape you most likely think about those little beauties in the picture above.  But how did they get their name?

Well from this:

The curved knife in the lovely lady’s hand was called by several names during the medieval era, one of which was grape. During times of war grapes (the knife) were used to penetrate the cracks, crevices and joints of armor. The sharp point and hook were very effective at getting around the protection and into the flesh of the enemy.

In times of peace the grape was very effective in harvesting “wine berries” from their vine. (Yep that’s what they were called!) Eventually the name transferred from the knife to the berries which they harvested.

Braille

Braille is a tactile writing system used by people who are blind or visually impaired. It is traditionally written with embossed paper.

The origin of the system, and later the word, came from a young French artillery officer in 1819, Captain Charles Barbier de la Sierra. Faced with the difficulty of reading his orders at night and trying avoid the dangers of lighting a lantern and thus giving away his position to the enemy, Barbier came up with a code of embossed writing that allowed him to read the messages in the dark. The method used raised dots on paper, each cluster indicating a letter  that the user would be able to feel on the paper. Though revolutionary, the military took no interest in it.

Shortly after, a teacher at the French National Institute for Blind Children, Louis Braille, took an interest and began using the system in his school. From there the usage grew until it became the standard for visual impaired writing.

All thanks to a French military man that had trouble reading in the dark.

Pay Through the Nose

Render Excessive Fees

We really paid through the nose for that new car!

Going back as far as the 9th century, having ones nostrils slit stood as common punishment for not paying your taxes/fines or for theft

It was practiced by the Vikings in areas of northern England where those that could not pay were sliced as a reminder that they should save up for the next time. Not only was this an everyday reminder for the poor person it happened to, but it was a mark where by the next time the raiders came back they would know who had trouble paying last time.

Later when the actually slitting of the nose became less common the phrase turned to mean paying a high price for something.

Ouch.