Tell it to the birds: 1860

Lovers have a rage for talking of their martyrdom. Rather than be silent, they would tell it to the birds that fly, or the cloud which passes.

--From Catherine--

According to Google Books, the phrase made its way into the English language via a translation of a French novel. It seems to have taken awhile for it to gain the tone of sarcasm with which we associate it today.

So, which one's the wife? :1685

Question: Why are the cool Lights Female, or Night-lights?

Response: Because the Moon and Stars which are cool Night-lights, rule in the night; and for that the Night is the Days Wife.

--From The Paradoxal Discourses of F. M. Van Helmont--

1. What does it say about a person's view of relationships when they ask such a question?

2. With the way modern sex relations are, would it not be advisable to ask this question of straight couples (late at night, when they're tipsy)?

---

Symmetry: 1794

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

--From Songs of Innocence and of Experience--

There's something about symmetry that can make even mundane things seem extraordinary.

Economy: 1888

False ambition is one prolific source of false economy, and it is truly pitiable to see the woeful ignorance that exists regarding true economy....

People coming up with big schemes, ostensibly to save money, that end up wasting money. What does that remind me of? Pretty much everything now-a-days.

...A lack of a knowledge of true economy keeps many a family in squalor and filth. True economy consists in a рrореr adjustment of time, strength and money. It does not consist solely in saving money; it may consist in spending it.

The difference between economizing and economics is that economizers will talk about both saving and spending money while economists will only talk about spending it. It's no wonder the government hires all sorts of the latter, but not a single one of the former.

--From Good Housekeeping--

Drug addiction: 1632

But when I perceived, his extraordinary service and flattery, was onely to have a share of the Tobacco I carried with me, I freely bestowed a pound thereof upon him: Which he and his fellowes tooke as kindly, as though it had beene a pound of gold, for they are excessively adictted to smoake, as Dutch men are to the Pot...

--From The totall discourse of the rare adventures...--

I'm sure he doesn't mean the same thing by "pot" as we do, but the Dutch are still known for it.

Antonyms: 1632

If I have made use of my poore Talent, the profit redoundeth unto my Country; which being shaddowed under your auspicuous Favour, shall leave a greater stampe to the Worke, and a deeper impression, of future knowledge, to the curious Understanders.

--From The totall discourse of the rare adventures...--

Are you a curious understander, or are you... ? What's the opposite of a curious understander? An incurious knower? An incurious know-nothing?

Modern(e): 1632

--From The totall discourse of the rare adventures...--

"Modern" and the concept of modernity pre-dates spelling.

Ice habit: 1900

Following the installation of the fountain came hot weather, and on one day he sold one thousand glasses of various flavors; on other days, six or seven hundred glasses; and even during recent cooler weather there has been a profitable business....

Doctors called and denounced the use of soda water, fearing harmful effects from the dangerous ice-cold liquid, and then took it themselves, just as they do at home. The success of this fountain is another indication of the growth of the ice habit in England. Colmore Row is a great thoroughfare, but is not as likely a place for a soda water fountain as is crowded New Street. It seems that an American soda fountain syndicate has taken up the matter of the introduction of soda water fountains in England, and is determined to, and will, succeed.

--From American druggist and pharmaceutical record--

So, if you went to your drug dealer to purchase ice for your habit, you were literally going to your drug dealer to purchase ice for your habit.

And don't even get me started on the powerful syndicate pushing ice on the dwellers of urban areas.

Playgirl: 1913

"I am dying by inches thinking and dreaming about her, she's a playgirl, I never thought I could win her, I only wanted to stop dreaming about her to give my soul some peace."

"That's the way I like to hear a boy talk," said the witch doctor, his clear, limestone-colored eyes twinkling sympathetically.

--From Susquehanna legends--

I feel the same way about the song:

To make a call: 1898

To "make a call" has an inelegant robustness of tone to one not used to hearing it; but Americans cannot plead that they are not used to hearing it. And the expression is not only general, but universal here. "Paying visits," the neat substitute for the rougher phrase, is not yet in colloquial use.

If you "made a call" you were visiting someone in person; people had telephones, but they would "call someone up" if they decided to do "telephoning".

It is a good rule to stay only fifteen minutes at a formal, at any rate a first call, unless, of course, urged to stay longer for some special reason.

When you did make your call you only got fifteen minutes to leave an impression; the original fifteen minutes of fame.

Above all, don't keep her standing an hour, while you lecture or "orate," or go over somebody's history, while everybody else sits about looking foolish.

Calling was kind of like the acting out a blog. Someone would sit at home and a stream of people would come in leaving comments; some of the comments were weird and went on forever.

Put your card on a convenient place in the hall, or on the tray the servant holds out for you, and mention your name to the manservant, if there is one.

You would leave little cars with your name on them, to let people know you were there.

This also makes me think of blogs. Sometimes I see blogs as establishments I visit. I make the rounds every once in awhile to make sure everyone is still alive.

Leaving other people's cards is a rather precarious business, and done at the caller's risk! It is not pleasant to meet your hostess driving in just as you sail out with the consciousness of having done a good stroke for a friend.

And no sock-puppets!
--From Etiquette for Americans--

Whole foods: 1915

Those who are at all interested in the progress which has been made in the scientific knowledge and practical handling of our common foodstuffs must be aware to how great an extent to-day both serious and popular attention has become fixed on the subject of the so-called whole or natural foods, and their relation, in the sense of prevention or cure, to certain recognized physical disorders known as "deficiency" diseases.

--From McClure's Magazine--

Yes, whole foods are a subject of serious and popular attention, both today and back when "today" had a hyphen in it.

Antiquity: 1620

As for antiquity, the opinion touching it which men entertain is quite a negligent one, and scarcely consonant with the word itself. For the old age of the world is to be accounted the true antiquity; and this is the attribute of our own times, not of that earlier age of the world in which the ancients lived; and which, though in respect of us it was the elder, yet in respect of the world it was the younger.

--From The New Organum--

We are the ancients.

Our predecessors didn't have the same concept of history as we do, didn't have all the experiences and information that we do. These are the things which make you old--memories of experiences--and we have a lot of them.

If you want to be a human encyclopedia now you have to settle for a much abridged version. Humans have recorded so many experiences, that no single person can absorb them all. But then, old people often have trouble remembering things.

Bacon solves a (non-food) problem:1620

Whence it comes to pass that the high and formal discussions of learned men end oftentimes in disputes about words and names; with which (according to the use and wisdom of the mathematicians) it would be more prudent to begin, and so by means of definitions reduce them to order.

--From The New Organum--

Many art classes have a huge discussion regarding the question "What is Art?"  And many buildings are full of things which are supposed to make us question what art is.  It's perfectly clear where this line of thinking is going to end--with lots of stuff people aren't sure if they can throw away.  So I'll take a page from Francis Bacon and make up a definition, which probably isn't even original.

Art: Something made by humans for the purpose of expression.

Whenever someone asks,"What is art?" I'll immediately shoot out that answer.

 I can even use the definition to determine how good a piece of art is (How expressive is it, and do I like what is trying to be expressed?).

Thanks Bacon!

The Pope: 1823

Pope. A figure burned every fifth of November, in memory of the gunpowder-plot, which is. said to have been carried on by the papists.

--From Grose's classical dictionary of the vulgar tongue--

Something tells me the Europeans of a few generations ago would have had a much different response to Muslim extremists than those of today.

The meaning of roses: 1823

ROSE. Under the rose; privately or secretly. The rose was, it is said, sacred to Harpocrates, the god of silence, and therefore frequently placed in the ceilings of rooms destined for the receiving of guests; implying, that whatever was transacted there, should not be made public.

--From Grose's classical dictionary of the vulgar tongue--

Of course you can't tell anyone the meaning, because I have it under a rose.

Amusements: 1823

SPARROW. Mumbling a sparrow; a cruel sport, frequently practised at wakes and fairs: for a small premium, a booby having his hands tied behind him, has the wing of a cock- sparrow put into his mouth; with this hold, without any other assistance than the motion of his lips, he is to get the sparrow's head into his mouth; on attempting to do which, the bird defends itself surprisingly, frequently pecking the mumbler till his lips are covered with blood, and he is obliged to desist: to prevent the bird from getting away, he is fastened by a string to a button of the booby's coat.

WHIP THE COCK. A piece of sport practised at wakes, horseraces, and fairs, in Leicestershire : a cock being tied or fastened into a hat or basket, half a dozen carters blindfolded, and armed with their cart whips, are placed round it, who, after being turned thrice about, begin to whip the cock, which if any one strikes so as to make it cry out, it becomes his property ; the joke is, that, instead of whipping the cock, they flog each other heartily.

--From Grose's classical dictionary of the vulgar tongue--

A mixture of animal and human cruelty.

Something you should never ever name your baby: 1823

TRIP. A short voyage or journey, a false step or stumble, an error of the tongue, a bastard. She has made a trip ; she has had a bastard.

--From Grose's classical dictionary of the vulgar tongue--

I suppose it could be ironic, but who would do something like that?

Zombie meme: 1823

WIFE IN WATER COLOURS. A mistress, or concubine; water colours being, like their engagements, easily effaced or dissolved.

--From Grose's classical dictionary of the vulgar tongue--

The lyrics in this 2009 song go: "...I'm a wife in water colors..." and now I know what the song is about!

Not :1823

BENDER. An ironical word used in conversation by flash people; as where one party affirms or professes any thing which the other believes to be false or insincere, the latter expresses his incredulity by exclaiming, Bender! or, if one asks another to do any act which the latter considers unreasonable or impracticable, he replies, O, yes, I'll do it— Bender ; meaning, by the addition of the last word, that, in fact, he will do no such thing.

--From Grose's classical dictionary of the vulgar tongue--

That's really clever, not (Bender?).

British Royalty, circa 1700

BARGAIN. To sell a bargain: a species of wit, much in vogue about the latter end of the reign of Queen Anne, and frequently alluded to by Dean Swift, who says the maids of honour often amused themselves with it. It consisted in the seller naming his or her hinder parts, in answer to the question, What? which the buyer was artfully led to ask. As a specimen, take the following instance: A lady would come into a room full of company, apparently in a fright, crying out, It is white, and follows me! On any of the company asking, What? she sold the bargain, by saying, My a-se.

-- From Grose's classical dictionary of the vulgar tongue--