1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:04,519 Speaker 1: Why do we use certain phrases without questioning where they originated? 2 00:00:04,559 --> 00:00:08,440 Speaker 1: I mean, it all starts somewhere right. Amazingly, a lot 3 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:12,399 Speaker 1: came straight from Shakespeare. But there's a fascinating and gory 4 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:16,480 Speaker 1: origin story about the phrase laughing your head off, and 5 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:19,640 Speaker 1: it's tied to a huge modern day movie star. I'm 6 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:23,120 Speaker 1: Patty Steele. Why the heck do we say the stuff 7 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:30,760 Speaker 1: we say? That's next on the backstory. We're back with 8 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:34,920 Speaker 1: the backstory. Do you ever ask yourself where everyday words 9 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:38,479 Speaker 1: and phrases come from? Yeah, not really, if you're like 10 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 1: most of us. We just say stuff because it's what 11 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:45,040 Speaker 1: everybody else says, and we don't really think about the origins. 12 00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:48,479 Speaker 1: But amazingly, a lot of that stuff came from a 13 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:51,960 Speaker 1: guy who seems too literate to talk like a regular person. 14 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:56,200 Speaker 1: But think again, Shakespeare's writing can be a little hard 15 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:59,280 Speaker 1: to process. But who knew that we all use words 16 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:02,400 Speaker 1: and phrases on a regular basis that he came up with? 17 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: But more on him in a moment. Got another story 18 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 1: that's going to fascinate you. How often when you're talking 19 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:12,399 Speaker 1: about a really funny moment, do you tell somebody you'll 20 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 1: laughed your head off. Well wait a minute, why do 21 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:18,960 Speaker 1: we say that. Well, here you go. Russell Crowe has 22 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 1: won all kinds of awards for his acting, including an 23 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 1: Oscar and he not only can tell you why we 24 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:27,400 Speaker 1: say that we laughed our heads off, but he's got 25 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:30,560 Speaker 1: some DNA in the game. It seems he's related to 26 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:35,400 Speaker 1: an eighteenth century aristocrat, Simon Fraser, the eleventh Lord Lovett 27 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:39,840 Speaker 1: from Scotland. Says Russell. Look him up. He's quite the character, 28 00:01:40,319 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 1: the old Fox they used to call him. But it 29 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 1: seems his machiavellian way is caught up with him at 30 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:49,280 Speaker 1: the age of eighty, and he became the last man 31 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:52,320 Speaker 1: to have the head chopped off his living body in 32 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,400 Speaker 1: the Tower of London. Now that's a claim to fame. 33 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 1: So it's seventeen forty seven and Simon is in prison, 34 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 1: charged with treason for supporting a Scottish takeover of the 35 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:08,600 Speaker 1: British throne and for various other less savory activities over 36 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:12,360 Speaker 1: the years, including a forced marriage and a rape for 37 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 1: political reasons, or so he claimed. So Russell goes on saying, 38 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:20,640 Speaker 1: apparently they set up temporary grand stands for the big 39 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:23,960 Speaker 1: shots in town to watch him die. That was actually 40 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 1: a pretty common practice. By the way, ladies would sit 41 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:30,639 Speaker 1: near the guillotine and do needle point, no doubt getting 42 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 1: splashed with the blood of the convicts along the way. Anyway, 43 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:39,520 Speaker 1: on this festive occasion, Simon, Russell's ancestor, was getting ready 44 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:42,920 Speaker 1: to be taken to the platform where his guillotine awaited. 45 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:48,359 Speaker 1: Suddenly one of the crowded viewing grand stands collapses. Nine 46 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:53,600 Speaker 1: onlookers there to celebrate Simon's execution instead were killed themselves. 47 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 1: What happened next, Well, they told Simon about the deaths 48 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 1: as he was walking to his fate, and he started 49 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:04,240 Speaker 1: to laugh. In fact, Russell says he was still laughing 50 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:08,240 Speaker 1: when the blade hit his neck. Thereby laughing his head off, 51 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:12,519 Speaker 1: I will leave him laughing, right, Okay, back to Shakespeare. 52 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 1: Does listening to somebody quote Shakespeare set your teeth on edge, 53 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:19,679 Speaker 1: and when they're done, you just want to say good riddance. 54 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,919 Speaker 1: Well guess what both those phrases and hundreds more all 55 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:27,360 Speaker 1: came from. Will Shakespeare ever get into a tough spot 56 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:29,760 Speaker 1: and say, yikes, I'm in a little bit of a pickle. 57 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:33,320 Speaker 1: You can thank William. In the tempest, the King asks 58 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:37,320 Speaker 1: his very drunk court jester, how camest thou in this pickle? 59 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: In other words, how the hell did you get so drunk? 60 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 1: The jester says, I've been in this pickle since I 61 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:46,640 Speaker 1: saw you last Wow, that's a long weekend, right, And 62 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:50,240 Speaker 1: how about this one? I caught a cold yep Shakespeare again. 63 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:54,680 Speaker 1: In Cymbeline, some characters are worrying about a political deal 64 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 1: falling apart, and one says, I hope it doesn't catch 65 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:02,680 Speaker 1: cold and starve some Other everyday phrases from Will include 66 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:05,720 Speaker 1: green eyed monster. When it comes to being jealous, it's 67 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:08,920 Speaker 1: all Greek to me if you don't understand something, and 68 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:11,680 Speaker 1: from the Merry Wives of Windsor we get she's a 69 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:16,080 Speaker 1: laughing stock. When you make a bad romantic choice. Looking back, 70 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:19,159 Speaker 1: you know that love is blind. That's from the Merchant 71 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:22,080 Speaker 1: of Venice. Got a grown up kid eating you out 72 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: of house and home, We'll send him packing. Both of 73 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:28,719 Speaker 1: those phrases came from Henry the Fourth, and we can 74 00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:31,960 Speaker 1: thank Romeo and Juliet for sending us on a wild 75 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:36,720 Speaker 1: goose chase. Other Shakespeare word inventions include a heart of gold, 76 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:39,719 Speaker 1: it's time to break the ice, or maybe you shared 77 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:41,960 Speaker 1: too much so you wear your heart on your sleeve 78 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:45,719 Speaker 1: from Macbeth. We get the term in one fell swoop. 79 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:49,440 Speaker 1: Ever heard the song from the seventies cruel to be kind? Yep? 80 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 1: Shakespeare from Hamlet, and he was the first guy in 81 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:56,239 Speaker 1: English to use the word zany when talking about someone 82 00:04:56,279 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: who's kind of a nut. Other words, Shakespeare came up 83 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:03,479 Speaker 1: with critic, dwindle, elbow, pushing somebody out of the way, 84 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 1: not the body part, lackluster, lonely, and swagger, to name 85 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:10,599 Speaker 1: just a few. By the way, one word he gets 86 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:15,320 Speaker 1: credit for but did not actually invent is puke glad 87 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:18,960 Speaker 1: to shatter that myth. It's all interesting because throughout the 88 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:23,919 Speaker 1: centuries English has been spoken differently, whether it's events of 89 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:27,600 Speaker 1: the day or just Shakespeare's plays. We're always looking for 90 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:31,040 Speaker 1: a new way of getting our point across. Our language 91 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 1: is constantly reinvented, so when you use a familiar everyday phrase, 92 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:39,200 Speaker 1: you gotta ask yourself where in the heck did that 93 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:45,360 Speaker 1: come from? Hope you're enjoying the backstory with Patty Steele 94 00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:49,080 Speaker 1: and subscribing. Thanks to ROBERTA. Baldwin in New Jersey for 95 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:52,240 Speaker 1: inspiring today's story. And if you have a great one 96 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:55,760 Speaker 1: for me to dive into. Please dm me on Facebook 97 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 1: at Patty Steele or on Instagram at Real Patty Steele. 98 00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:18,600 Speaker 1: I'm Patty Steele. The Backstories a production of iHeartMedia, Premiere Networks, 99 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:22,640 Speaker 1: the Elvis Durand Group, and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer 100 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:26,000 Speaker 1: is Doug Fraser. Our writer Jake Kushner. We have new 101 00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:29,560 Speaker 1: episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to reach out 102 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:33,200 Speaker 1: to me with comments and even story suggestions on Instagram 103 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:36,280 Speaker 1: at Real Patty Steele and on Facebook at Patty Steele. 104 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:39,599 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to the Backstory with Patty Steele, the 105 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: pieces of history you didn't know you needed to know.