If the English language occasionally gets your knickers in a twist then you’re not alone.
A third of us are baffled by the meaning of commonplace names and phrases, like “beating around the bush”, “barking up the wrong tree” or “funny bone”, according to a new survey.
Among the younger Gen-Z, almost two thirds (61%) admit to confusion about the origins of popular names and idioms.
At least when it comes to food the younger generation is more adventurous.
The likes of Spotted Dick, Sussex Pond Pudding, Stargazy Pie, Devilled Eggs and Ladyfingers might cause consternation among some, but fewer than one in ten Baby Boomers would try an unfamiliar dish on a menu, compared to one in three Gen-Zs who would order it just to find out what it was.
The survey, by French biscuit brand LU, found that a quarter of us (24%) simply pretend to understand unusual sayings, a similar number (27%) simply accept them without challenge, and more than three quarters of us (77%) love the eccentricity of our language and wouldn’t change it. LU sent Frenchman Fred Sirieix onto the streets of London to quiz people about the phrases that throw them and to advertise its new Petit Cookie which it claims is far from small as its name would suggest.
Fred, 52, host of TV’s First Dates, said: “It’s been great fun finding the unique names, terms and phrases that often cause confusion in the English language.”
It was a labour of love for Fred who describes his new book, Seriously British, as a love letter to Britain and says: “It captures everything that I’ve fallen in love with having been here for the past 30 years – even the rain!”
He said of his trip to ask Brits about their favourite misnomers: “You know, English isn’t my first language, so it’s been even more fun to get to the bottom of it all. I’m now on a mission to turn the peculiarly named Piccadilly Circus into ‘Normal English Square’ – makes much more sense!”
The top 10 perplexing names, according to OnePoll survey on behalf of LU and the percentage of people who said they were confused by them:
Tennis bracelet (32%) – Style of bracelet with single line of identical gemstones re-named in 1987 after Chris Evert’s diamond bracelet flew off when serving in the US Open.
Herringbone (17%) – Pattern (often in material) resembling fish bones.
Koala bear (16%) – Not a bear but a marsupial.
Gravy boat (13%) – Long narrow jug for serving gravy, not to be confused with gravy train – a chance to make money with little effort..
Earwig (12%) – Insect the Anglo-Saxons thought crawled into your ear.
Red herring (12%) – Clue designed to mislead.
Wisdom teeth (11%) – Hindmost molars which are the last human teeth to grow at an aged (17-25) when you are supposedly wiser. Not everyone has them.
Pencil lead (11%) – Not lead but graphite, though the Romans used lead styluses.
Cat burglar (10%) – Thief who climbs through an upper storey window, like a cat.
Daddy longlegs (10%) – Arachnids or insects with long legs – most usually Crane Flies.
The top 10 perplexing idioms:
A dime a dozen (24%) – Common (you could buy 12 for US 10 cents).
Raining cats and dogs (16%) – Origin unknown. May be from Greek phrase Cata doxa meaning ‘contrary to experience’.
Cat got your tongue (14%) – Taciturn. From myths about ancient kings having the tongues cut out from people who offended them and thrown to their pet cats to eat.
Bite the bullet (12%) – From military patients coping with surgery without anaesthetic.
Easy as pie (12%) – Pie being something enjoyable and easy to eat.
Beat around the bush (9%) – From beaters on a hunt flushing out birds to be shot.
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch (9%) – Don’t make assumptions about the future.
A penny for your thoughts (7%) – First attributed to Sir Thomas More.
Barking up the wrong tree (7%) – Like dogs who’ve lost track of their prey.
Let the cat out of the bag (7%) – From days when market cheats would sell a live piglet but put a worthless cat into the bag in its place for the customer to discover later.
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