August 13, 2103--A Handful of Idioms

Idioms enrich every language. That in itself is remarkable and says something profound about collective human inventiveness--the creation and constant reshaping of the world's nearly 7,000 remaining languages. 

But understood literally, idioms make no sense whatsoever. 

Let's get down to brass tacks. Brass tacks? What does this refer to? Though we know its non-literal, idiomatic meaning is that it's time to conclude things, "Enough back and forth. Enough indecision. It's time to get down to brass tacks."

How did that transmogrification from the literal to the idiomatic occur? We can look up the source and the first usage but we can't distill the figurative alchemy involved in that linguistic redirection. Or figure out why, somehow, the idiom is so much more powerful than, in this case, "OK, enough. Let's conclude matters." 

Boring.

Shoot the breeze. What does this literally mean? Not easy to figure that out. We need Google's help with this Second Amendment puzzle. But we do know from usage that it means hanging out, talking about this and that. Nothing all that serious. 

Again, the gap between literalness and the metaphoric force of the idiomatic meaning is vast, but the essential truth comes crashing through as only a well-chosen idiom assures. And again, unless we study these things, we have no idea whatsoever how this remarkable idiom entered the language and came into such widespread usage. 

Get on one's nerves. This one is easier to figure out. Somehow the literal and non-literal meanings seem close to coalescence. But the idea of being annoyed by someone because he gets on your nerves--on your nerves--which is anatomically incorrect, doesn't matter at all. Again, the non-literal trumps and winds up making visceral, if not literal sense.

To bust one's chops, or, if you will, balls. The figurative meaning of these needs little explanation; but to get to the literal, one would likely think takes us back to the anatomical (the source of a good many of the world's idioms). One would be only half right. 

The chops that are busted are not ribs but rather sideburns--mutton chops--massive ones that were common a few centuries ago; and if one, sporting these then fashionable sideburns got into a tavern brawl and got punched in the side of the head--in the (mutton) chops--things probably wouldn't turn out very well. So thus, having one's chops busted . . .

Busting balls, however, is decidedly anatomical. Painfully so. Though it may, as an idiom, feel fairly benign--having one's balls busted often simply means being annoyingly, perhaps unfairly criticized--but if one were a macho bull about to be changed into a docile castrated steer--the literal source--well, that is something very much else.

Through usage, idioms take on figurative meaning. And in the distinction between their literal and non-literal sides, there is vitality, mystery, at times poetic contraction. And when they are at their best, there is no better way to express oneself. 

One does not have to make a translation from the literal meaning of get a kick out of something to its idiomatic meaning to realize that there is no better way to say that I'm just having a ball. Whatever that literally means.