Fly the Coop

Watch this on YouTube here - Abandon Video - YouTube Video

Meaning:

Fly the Coop means to leave, to depart, or to escape.

Origin:

This phrase has not been around for long but it has some old roots.

In Middle English around the 1200s, the word COOP first meant a wicker basket - and then as a cage or a pen for keeping poultry.

In the late 18th century COOP, became criminal slang for prison or jail, and eventually any confining place, both literal and figuratively. So, to “FLY THE COOP”, first meant to escape from prison, with the visual likeness of a chicken escaping from a chicken coop. It later came to mean to depart hastily from any place, but especially from a place that started to feel confining or restrictive.

The first written record was in 1909, in The Enchanted Profile by O. Henry it read:

“On the third day, I FLEW THE COOP.”

Example:

Today we still use this saying to express that a place was left and left quickly due to feeling boring or restrictive. Or as just a saying to say it is time to move on. An example sentence is:

“We stopped to see my sister at college, but she'd flew the coop, for the long weekend.”

Watch this on YouTube here - Abandon Video - YouTube Video

Comments

As Snug as a Bug in a Rug

As Snug As A Bug In A Rug Watch this on YouTube here - Staying In - YouTube Video Meaning: As snug as a bug in a rug means to be very comfortable and cozy. Example Sentence: “Aww, look at her cuddled up, as snug as a bug in a rug.” Origin: This phrase has been around for a while. The original writing of it was in 1769, in David Garrick's celebration of Shakespeare Garrick's vagary, or, England run mad; with particulars of the Stratford Jubilee. It reads: "If she has the mopus's, I'll have her, as snug as a bug in a rug." ( Mopus being a slang word for "money," naturally.) As snug as a bug in a rug started out with a much different meaning than it has today. The word “snug” was a nautical term; it was first used as an adjective in the 16th century to describe the trim, neat, compact design of a ship. Shortly after that, snug started to be used as a verb and meant “to lie close" (as in "snugging up/together for warmth or ...

Cold Hand, Warm Heart

Cold Hands, Warm Heart Watch this on YouTube here - Staying In - Youtube Video Meaning: Cold hands, warm heart alludes to people who have cold hands, have kind and loving personalities. Example Sentence: Jessica: "I don't like holding hands with Steve. His hands are so cold." Taylor: "Cold hands, warm heart." Origin: This phrase has been around since the 1700’s and is said to come from a French phrase Froides mains, chaudes amours, from Dictionnaire des proverbes françois by Georges de Backer in (1710). The phrase has held the same meaning since it has been written. This idiom has been alive for a while and is still used today. The first English text of the phrase cold hands, warm heart was in 1903 by V.S. Lean in 'Collectanea." " Cold Hands, Warm Heart" The expression does not only exist in English and French but is also known in German as Kalte Hand, Warmez Herz. Today we use it to say just because a person might s...

To Have a Finger in Every Pie

To Have a Finger in Every Pie Watch this on YouTube here - Fingers Video - YouTube Video Meaning: To have a finger in every pie means to be involved in many activities, to have influence over many different activities , often in a way that people do not approve of: “Jee, don’t they have their fingers in everyone’s pies.” Origin: Sometimes it’s said in a positive way to compliment someone who has a variety of skills, interests, and talents, and other times it’s said in a negative way to point out that someone is an opportunist who only cares about what’s in it for them. In either case, however, the person with a finger in every pie usually has influence over the activities in which they are involved, and generally, it is frowned upon. This phrase dates back to the sixteenth century. William Shakespeare used it in Henry (8) VIII in 1623, where the Duke of Buckingham complains of Cardinal Wolsey, “No man’...

Origins of Expressions

Search This Blog