Why is boxing called the sweet science when it’s obviously such a bruising sport? Also, a mother of five is baffled when her Gen Z kids use words she thought she knew. For example, they call sweatshirts sweaters, and declare that’s so aesthetic...
Linda in Salisbury, North Carolina, wonders why boxing is called the sweet science, since there’s nothing obviously sweet about a bruising sport. This term took hold among British sportswriters in the early 19th century as promoters tried to frame...
The phrase throw in the towel, meaning to give up, originated in the world of boxing. An earlier phrase from the same sport that carried the same metaphorical meaning is chuck in the sponge. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Throw...
A ham-and-egger job, meaning a weak effort or a dud, comes from boxing, where a ham-and-egger fighter doesn’t have much fight in him, it’s just someone doing it to earn a meal. The idiom goes as far back as at least 1918, when it showed up in a U.S...
To belt out a song onstage probably derives from the idea of belting your opponent in the boxing ring. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Origin of Musical Verb “Belt”” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, thank you so much for...
The idiom thrown for a loop most likely derives from boxing and the image of someone knocked head over heels. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Origin of “Thrown for a Loop”” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, Martha. Hi, Grant...