The quirky roots of phrases we all know

Once again, the Enigma Explorer emerges from the shadows, ready to weave her way into the pages of this newspaper and the corners of your mind. Prepare to embark on a journey through the curious and the unexplained, where everyday mysteries await to be unraveled.

This go-round, she will examine phrases most of us have used all our lives without ever considering their origins. Actually, we touched on this subject several years ago, but it seems there are always additional points to ponder.

For example, why is a bobby pin called a bobby pin?

I must confess: When I was scrolling through the online pages of MentalFloss.com recently and I came across this question, I was a bit embarrassed. I mean, I’ve heard of and used bobby pins my entire life. But did I ever wonder who Bobby was? No. Never.

Not a good realization for a logophile.

If you fall into this category, too, well, let me share with you my newfound knowledge. In this instance, there never was a Bobby. There was a Bob. Or rather: a bob.

Bobby pins got their colloquial name from the bob haircut that burst into popularity in the early 20th century. To keep that style of hair fixed in place, a newly invented kind of clip was often used and – voila! – said clip became known as a bobby pin. So simple yet so enigmatic.

So, what are some other murky word or idiom origins?

• Piggyback ride. Seriously, have you ever even thought about that? Once more … I had not. Again … embarrassed. With red face glowing, let us note that the term “piggyback ride” originates from the Middle English phrase “pick pack” or “pick-a-pack,” which referred to a pack pitched on one’s back for transport. Over time, “pack” was misheard as “back,” along with other miscues, leading to the modern term we use today.

It’s also worthy to note that one explanation from an 18th-century British publication indicates that the phrase originated from schoolboys “riding on one another’s backs, straddling, as an Irishman would carry a pig.”

• Can’t hold a candle. The blushing continues. Of course, we say “can’t hold a candle” to someone else when their skills don’t even come close to being as good. Essentially, that person isn’t even good enough to hold up a candle so that a talented person can see what they’re doing. Holding the candle to light a workspace would have been the job of an assistant, so it’s a way of saying “not even fit to be the helper, let alone the expert.”
• Run of the mill. My face is still burning. If something earns this description, it’s average, commonplace, routine. Most likely, the phrase originally referred to a run from a textile mill – the stuff that has just been manufactured, before any decorations or embellishments.
• Hands down. The humiliation persists. The origin of this colloquialism has roots in mid-19th century horseracing. When a jockey was nearing the finish line far ahead of the competition with victory certain, he could drop his hands, relaxing his hold on the reins and still win the race. By the late 1800s, the phrase was being used in non-racing contexts to mean “with no trouble at all.”

As you probably realize, a plethora of such offerings exists – but I’m running out of room, so we’ll save the rest for later. Meanwhile, I found something you might want to mark on your Christmas list (or if you’re generous, on MY Christmas list – LOL):

The book “Mental Floss: The Curious Compendium of Wonderful Words: A Miscellany of Obscure Terms, Bizarre Phrases & Surprising Etymologies.”

Sounds yummy.