Sayings and where they come from.

[InsaneApache]

Here's a few,

“Buy the farm”
Origin: In the early days of aviation, U.S. pilots sometimes suffered fatal crashes into barns and the like; after a farmer successfully sued for damages, the pilot’s life had effectively paid for the farm.

“Rain cats and dogs”
Origin: Dogs and cats used to hunt on the interconnected rooftops of 16th-century London, and powerful downpours would occasionally wash them into the street.

“Flash in the pan”
Origin: Early guns required you to light an explosive powder, called priming powder, in the flat “pan” of the gun, which then would set off the main charge and fire ye olde grapeshot or whatever. If the priming burned but didn’t light the main charge, it was just a—well, you know.

“Indian summer”
Origin: In 18th-century New England, when the natives were restless, colonists had to hide within the walls of their forts until autumn, when the colder weather kept the Indians away. If summer intruded again for a week or two, it brought the possibility of the Indians’ return. It was not welcome.

“Pull the wool over his eyes”
Origin: Wealthy Brits of the 17th and 18th centuries were fond of wearing woolen wigs (Americans too—think George Washington). To punish those engaging in this sissy practice, brigands and highwaymen would tug their victim’s hairpieces down over their faces, the more easily to relieve them of their pounds and pence.

“Red herring”
Origin: Smoked herring (the process turns them red) were once used to train dogs to follow a scent; escaped prisoners in the know would try to get a few and toss them around to distract their canine pursuers.

“Bring home the bacon”
Origin: From the greased-pig-catching contests at English county fairs. If you held on to the porker, you could take it home and eat it—hence the phrase.

“Red-light district”
Origin: In the early days of the railroad, trains’ caution lights were red-painted oil lamps. Railroad workers would carry them around with them between shifts and hang them outside the brothels they frequented.

Anymore anyone?

[BDC]

“Buy the farm”
Origin: In the early days of aviation, U.S. pilots sometimes suffered fatal crashes into barns and the like; after a farmer successfully sued for damages, the pilot’s life had effectively paid for the farm.

I thought it was to do with payouts to family after a soldiers's death...

[Taffy_is_a_Taff]

There's a Welsh equivalent to raining cats and dogs, it translates as raining "Old women and sticks".

I'd love to have somebody explain that one.

[Somebody Else]

'Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey.' - On ye olde age of cannone and saile warships, cannonballs were kept stacked in brass trays... called monkeys. When the weather turned cold, the trays changed size relative to the cannonballs - spilling the balls off said monkey.

[Strike For The South]

She's just naturally horizontal. - This would be a Texas saying trying to explain why your friend/duaghter is more open then most

[Telys]

Knock on wood.
Im not sure which people did this, I think it was people in northern europe maybe druids or celts, but back when nature was god people would knock on a tree and ask the tree spirit for rain, good fortune, whatever they felt like asking it. Hence the term knock on wood, your asking the tree spirit to protect you from whatever you may have said.

[Kanamori]

"Toe the line."

I'm pretty sure I'm just repeating this for nobody's sake. In the House of Commons, in Westminster Palace, there are lines along either side of the benches that politicians are supposed to stay behind when speaking, or just in general. Supposedly, the lines are such a distance apart that two normal people could draw two normal swords, and they would be unable to fight each other while behind the line, from opposing sides. When tempers flared, this was supposed to keep MP's from hacking each other apart -- as most of them used to carry swords into Parliament -- in dipsute of tax reforms or some other thing. And so, when Mr. Speaker yells, "toe the line," to restore order they're really just trying to save the lives of their MP's and trying to keep the blood from the carpeting.

I really ought to remember more of them than I do.

[Somebody Else]

"Toe the line."

I thought that was to do with old fashioned boxing, where both contestants had a line from which they couldn't move, and they'd just pummel each other senseless. I could be wrong.

[Craterus]

There is a "sword-line" (well, two in fact) in the Commons. I don't know if that's where the expression comes from though.