The Origins 5 Funny Sayings We Use Everyday

Yesterday, for one reason or another, every time I had a conversation with someone, an odd saying was worked in.  I'd be like, "Why do we even say that?" So I decided to figure out where some of these sayings came from.  Here is what I found out from Wiki Answers:

1. “Barking up the wrong tree” Dogs were used in the chasing of raccoon's, which was chiefly undertaken at night and were trained to indicate the tree in which the animal had taken refuge by barking at it. Of course, even dogs can err and, at times, barked up the wrong tree.

2. To” bury the hatchet” means to create peace. With hostilities at an end, the hatchet was no longer needed, and therefore could be disposed of. Now a merely figurative expression, the phrase is based on an actual practice of North American Indians. When negotiating peace, they buried all their weapons; their tomahawks, scalping knives and clubs. Apart from showing their good faith, simultaneously it made it impossible for them to go on fighting.

3. “Bite the bullet” Back before anesthetic, surgeons often had to operate on soldiers without any pain relief except a shot or two of whiskey. To keep the soldier from crying out, they would often give him a lead bullet to bite down on. This helped him resist the pain being inflicted.

4. “It´s raining cats and dogs” Back in the 1500´s, cats and dogs would sleep up in the thatched roofs. This got very difficult when it rained, since the straw would become slippery and they would slide right off the roof, making it appear that it was indeed raining animals.

5. The saying "as sick as a dog" has its origins in the fact that dogs will willingly eat almost anything and be very ill afterwards. (indeed often eating the very evidence of their being ill soon after they produce it.)

So, now you know where some of your favorite expressions actually came from. I don't know about you but I will now sleep a lot easier tonight. In fact, I will sleep like a baby, now that's a dumb one. Right fellow parents?