this is something i've thought about before, but was reminded when i saw burt mention that 'learning the ropes' is an everyday expression with its roots in boxing. tried to search for a similar thread, couldn't find one. no sport has had as much influence on culture, and therefore language, as boxing. which boxing idioms/expressions/terms do we use in broader contexts on a day to day basis? i'll start... 'on the ropes' 'to beat someone to the punch' 'out for the count' 'saved by the bell' 'to be a heavyweight/lightweight/featherweight' 'touch gloves' 'punch drunk' 'to pull one's punches' and 'don't pull any punches' 'to roll with the punches' 'up to scratch'
Im not so sure 'learning the ropes' is taken from boxing. Quite a lot of everyday terms have maritime origins and i believe this is one of them. Another term ive heard,although not as often, is fighting 'to the bitter end'. I used to think this was referring to some kinda 'nasty' or 'mean' side to fighting, when the truth of its origins is again maritime. Its simply the end of a chain that holds an anchor, the 'bitter end', meaning if that went then you had lost the whole anchor.
ah interesting. yeah just looked up 'learning the ropes' - all about tying knots and so forth! i like the origin of 'the bitter end' too. it seems like all the other ones i listed are from boxing, though, right?
'to be a punching bag' 'to punch above one's weight' 'to box clever' 'down and out' 'throw in the towel' 'to throw your hat in the ring' 'you can run but you can't hide' 'toe the line' and 'toe to toe' 'below the belt' 'slap happy'
a few more tenuous ones are: 'the bigger they come the harder they fall' - although an ancient expression, recent usage in english has been attriubuted to multi-weight champion bob fitzsimmons. 'the real mccoy' - welterweight champion kid mccoy was so widely imitated that he changed his name to kid 'the real' mccoy. 'as happy as larry' - unbeaten larry foley was awarded £1,000 for his final fight, a lot of money in the nineteenth century!
'pound for pound' Like in football, pundits will say, 'pound for pound he's the best striker out there right now'. What the **** does pound for pound mean in that context?? But yeah, people do still use loads of boxing references.
good one, as far as i know, this expression was first used in reference to bob fitzsimmons (another expression that he's linked to!) football pundits are the worst of any sport... maybe because so many people think they know about the game. i guess that's due to its (apparent) simplicity, and popularity.
"No. No! Give me the one I mixed." "I'm going to make sure you kiss me good with those big lips. I'm gonna make you my girlfriend" "I want your heart. I want to eat his children. Praise be to Allah." "I'll never let a white boy beat me." I drop these in conversation everyday.
some dodgy ones there, burt. the concept of a 'journeyman' has its roots in medieval times, and originally referred to a tradesman who would gain experience by wandering from town to town to hone their skills.