People like to retell stories about the origin of some phrase or other. I get mail, phone calls, posts on Facebook.
It’s always the same old tales – plausible, but false.
Here are the most popular examples of folk etymology – the Nonsense Nine
- The whole nine yards – everyone’s favourite; this has to be number one.
- Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey
- The full monty
- The ‘coffin quartet’ – four for the price of one.
- The real McCoy
- Scot free
- Golf
- Raining cats and dogs
- See other well-known misquotations.
Thanks to Bob Killian for the idea for this page, and for the graphic.