Pink Slip – Dismissal notice
The dreaded Pink Slip - none of us want to receive one. I have been unable to find the origin although we can assume that termination notices were once printed on pink paper.
A Cushy Job - A great job with little effort
During World War II a cushy job was one that did not involve danger or too much hard work. An Anglo-Indian term, cushy is derived from the Hindi, Khush, meaning pleasant.
Boarding the Gravy Train – Where the money flows
It’s easy to see how gravy, a rich sauce used in the 14th century to accompany meat would later be used to described a pleasant trip or something extra. Later, it became an American expression used by railroad workers to describe a well-paid job requiring little effort. Today we use the term to describe financial rewards.
Fish or Cut Bait - Make yourself useful
There is no room in a cramped fishing boat for idle people – so, if you’re not going to fish, then get to work cutting bait, in other words – make yourself useful.
Get Sacked - To be fired
This expression originated in the Industrial Revolution in England around 1700. In those days, mechanics were expected to supply their own tools while working in the age-old factories of the period. When a worker was discharged, he was usually given a sack to carry his tools away.
Where There’s Muck There’s Brass - Money can be made from hard, dirty work
At the end of the 17th century in England, pennies, halfpennies and farthings were made in brass because it was less expensive than gold or silver. As a result, a farthing (one fourth of a penny) was worth nothing. This led to the saying; it’s not worth a brass farthing. Since that time, brass has become a slang word for money.
The Bosses in the Smoke Filled Room - Back stage maneuvering
First used by an Associated Press reporter, Kirke Simpson, who used it to describe back-stage maneuvering for Warren Harding’s nomination at the 1920 Republican convention.
Yellow Dog Contract - Signifying worthlessness
These contracts are illegal now but at one time they were a very good way for employers to stop the spread of unionism. The employers encouraged the employees to sign a contract stating they would not join a union. Yellow Dog was used as an epithet in the 1800’s to signify worthlessness at a time when the Knights of Labor and the A.F.L. were beginning to flex their muscles.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Buy at Amazon
Hidden History of Denver
Buy at Amazon
About Me
- Elizabeth Wallace
- Over the past 15 years, I’ve published eight books on travel, local history and historical fiction. Several years ago, after speaking with family members in England, a name popped up that I hadn’t heard in ages. It was the dreaded name of Sawney Bean, a wicked and despicable Scottish folklore character from the 1600s. After researching Sawney and his clan, (the BBC did a documentary and tried to locate his cave) the inklings of a story began forming. The first book of what has become a trilogy, Forbidden describes Catherine MacDonald, who becomes a nun after being left by her mother at a priory. After an unusual encounter with a young woman she undertakes a journey to Scotland where she discovers what really happened to her mother, and the horrifying life she endured just to stay alive. In the second book, Damaged, Catherine tries valiantly to restore her respectability but is thwarted at every turn. Tainted by her mother’s legacy, she is shunned by the church, and by many of her friends. Unhappy and disillusioned with her life, she decides to embark on a journey to the New World. The final book, Expectations, will be published in the fall of 2014.
