Why do we say 'break a leg' and other popular expressions? Here are 3 fun origin stories

Expressions with deeper meanings or fascinating origin stories tend to be used commonly in the English language — everything from "barking up the wrong tree" to "don't cry over spilled milk." 

Popular sayings are often a metaphoric spin on real meanings — but where did they come from? 

And who came up with some of the expressions and sayings we often use today? 

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Learn more about the origins of a few particular sayings that are just fun to know more about and understand.

Here are three.

People often use common phrases that have a metaphorical meaning.  (iStock)

3 popular sayings and their origin stories

1. ‘Bite the bullet’ 

The phrase "bite the bullet" tends to describe a moment when someone might have been apprehensive about making a decision — then ultimately decides to go for it. 

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One might "bite the bullet," for example, when making an expensive purchase like a home, car or other big-ticket item. 

"Biting the bullet" might also be used when the unexpected occurs and someone has to proceed with a difficult decision or action. 

One of the most common phrases is "bite the bullet," often used when people have to make a decision they don't particularly want to make.  (iStock)

While the origins of the phrase are considered unconfirmed, many sources claim it came from actual moments in wartime when people would bite on a bullet between their teeth to deal with pain during medical procedures done under emergency settings without proper anesthesia, as described in a 1796 book by Francis Grose, "A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue."  

"It is a point of honour in some regiments, among the grenadiers, never to cry out, or become nightingales, whilst under the discipline of the cat of nine tails; to avoid which, they chew a bullet," wrote that author. 

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Other sources say that people undergoing punishment in times gone by would "bite down on bullets" to try to take their minds off the agony or humiliation. 

Its apparent first appearance as an idiom in writing occurred in 1891, in a book by Rudyard Kipling, "The Light That Failed."

Kipling wrote, "‘Steady, Dickie, steady!’ said the deep voice in his ear, and the grip tightened. ‘Bite on the bullet, old man, and don’t let them think you’re afraid.'" 

2. ‘Like ships passing in the night’

The popular phrase has more of a well-known history, as it came from a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

"Ships passing in the night" might be used to describe new parents who are taking shifts as they care for a newborn baby — and hardly get to see each other or interact much outside of that. (iStock)

The saying is commonly used to describe two people who might be close in physical proximity but don’t communicate or interact for a variety of reasons.

For example, it’s common that couples may feel like "ships passing in the night" while taking care of a newborn baby, as the pair might work in shifts to ensure each of them gets enough sleep during such a demanding time. 

"Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing. / Only a signal shown and a distant voice in the darkness."

Or, the simile could describe close friends who are each so busy with their own responsibilities they barely get to stop and say hello even though they live in the same city or neighborhood — then may not see each other again for a long time. 

"The Theologian’s Tale" is a Longfellow poem credited for this metaphoric phrase, per Dictionary Online. 

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Part of the poem reads, "Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing / Only a signal shown and a distant voice in the darkness."

3. ‘Break a leg’

This common phrase is often used to wish someone good luck on a big moment in life. 

Arguably the most common way to use "break a leg" is when wishing an actor, singer, musician or such the best of luck before a performance. 

"Break a leg" is often used to wish people good luck.  (iStock)

One of the most common and believed theories about the phrase's origin comes from the early days of theater. 

The Transcendence Theatre Company of California notes, "This is where ensemble actors were queued to perform." 

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It adds on its website, "If actors were not performing, they had to stay behind the ‘leg line,’ which also meant they wouldn’t get paid."

And "if you were to tell the actor to ‘break a leg,’ you were wishing them the opportunity to perform and get paid."

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