"Flash in the pan"

In the 17th century, the pan of a musket was where you put the powder that was ignited by the sparks from the flint. If the powder ignited properly, the flash would set off the charge in the gun, firing the ball out of the barrel. Occasionally, the priming powder would burn without igniting the main charge. The burn was visible but ineffectual, just as a flash in the pan is successful, but only briefly.

"In like Flynn"

This is believed to refer to Ed Flynn, who headed the New York City Democratic Party machine in the 1940's. He was a consumate dispenser of patronage. Once you gained his good graces, Flynn could get you elected, get you a cushy job and maybe even get your trash collected.

"Can't hold a candle..."

Someone who can't hold a candle to another person is considered inferior to him. In the 16th century, before streetlights, servants known as linkboys were hired to help Britons cross darkened streets by walking beside them, holding a candle. Obviously, the job required little ability or education, so if someone couldn't even hold a candle he was deemed lower than a linkboy.

"Get Your Goat"

This refers to the uncanny ability of some people to irritate us. According to one theory, the phrase came from the practice of horse trainers of putting a companion in stalls with high-strung Thoroughbreds, to soothe them. Goats were among the most effective companions. Horses became so attached to them that rival barns sometimes would steal a companion the night before a race. The horse, upset, would presumably under-perform the next day.

"PUT UP YOUR DUKES"

It is said that in England the word dukes came to refer to people's noses, in honor of the Duke of Wellington, who had a very large proboscis. Fists became known as duke busters, and later this term was shortened to dukes.

"Once In A Blue Moon"

Disasters that made historyDuring the volcanic eruption on the Indonesian island of Krakatoa in 1883, the dust thrown into the atmosphere caused the moon to appear blue for some time. Natural disasters of such magnitude are rare, so the expression means something that seldom happens.

"Nest Egg"

The allusion is to the fake egg that used to be put into a hen's nest to induce her to lay. Similary, saving some money serves as an inducement for a person to add to it.

"Gone to pot"

This refers to anything beyond repair or anyone gone to ruin. The phrase comes from the practice of throwing leftover food into a pot for stew or hash.

"A Busman's Holiday"

A busman's holiday is free time spent doing precisely what one does at work.
During the day of horse-drawn buses, some drivers became so attached to their horses that they made a point of seeing that they were being treated properly by going along as passengers on their own buses on their days off.

"Strike While the Iron is Hot"

To do this means to take advantage of a situation or act at the right time. This saying goes back to the 14th century. It comes from the blacksmith who must strike metal when it is exactly at the right temperature to create the precise shape and fit required.

"Get the Sack"

This saying is to be dissmissed from one's job. Workmen used to carry the tools of their trade and belongings in a sack, which they unpacked and lodged with an employer. When they were discharged, their employer gave them back the sack.

"White Elephants"

A white elephant is an expression used to describe some expensive item that turns out to be useless. The phrase relates to the Kings of Siam who gave a white elephant to any courier who annoyed them. The animals were regarded as scared. But their upkeep was so costly that anyone who received one was apt to be ruined.

"(He or She) Kicked the Bucket"

The bucket in this phrase does not refer to the vessel used for carrying water, but to the bucket beam or wood frame on which pigs were hung after slaughter. Anyone who has kicked the bucket, therefore, has died.

"Top Dog" or "Underdog"

Although these words are usually associated with dogfights, where the stronger dog ends up on top, another explanation exists. Before the days of electric sawmills, all timber had to be cut by hand. Felled trees were placed over pits, and two men used a long saw to cut the timber. One one stood in the pit and got covered with sawdust; he became known as the underdog. The more fortunate man, who stood above the pit at ground level, was called the top dog.

"A Baker's Dozen"

During the middle ages, bakers suffered severe penalties if they were caught selling loaves of bread that were below the legal weight. To avoid prosecution for any unintentional sale below this standard, bakers added a free loaf to every 12. So a baker's "dozen" is really 13.

"The Buck Stops Here"

President Harry S. Truman popularized the phrase during his White House years, from 1945 to 1953. The individual on whose desk the buck rests must take responsibility and not "pass the buck" onto someone else.
The original buck was a marker passed around the table in poker games. It was placed in front of the player whose turn it was to deal and to see that the antes of all players were placed in the pool.

"Get Down to Brass Tacks"

This phrase means to get down to essential details, come straight to the point. In a draper's shop, once a customer had made up his mind what material to purchase, the shop assistant "got down to brass tacks" by measuring the amount of material required against brass-headed nails that were evenly spaced along the counter.

"Get up on the Wrong Side of the Bed"

This figure of speech refers to anyone who is moody or bad-tempered for the day. It is based on the old superstition that it is unlucky to get out of bed on the left side--this because the left side is was associated with the west, where the sun sets, symbolizing death.

"Saved by the Bell"

It means to be spared from a difficult situation at the last possible moment. In England in the late 17th century, a sentry at Windsor Castle was accused of being asleep on duty. His defense at his court-martial was that since he had heard the clock of St. Paul's in London, 20 miles away, strike 13 at midnight, he could not have been asleep.
The court ridiculed the idea that the bells of St. Paul's could carry between London and Windsor, and sentenced him to death. It was later verified, however, that the clock did strike 13 instead of 12 times on that particular night. Saved by the bell, the sentry was released and lived to the ripe old age of 102.