Old Sayings Explained: From Spilled Milk to Flying Pigs Part 2 | The Strange History Podcast

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome back, my wyse and weary listeners to the Strange

0:03 Speaker 1: History Podcast, where we dig through history's attic and find

0:07 Speaker 1: out why your grandma says weird things like a watched

0:10 Speaker 1: pot never boils. Last time, we stitch time bit bullets

0:15 Speaker 1: and discovered that cats and bags are never a good thing. Tonight,

0:20 Speaker 1: we're finishing our collection thirteen more sayings that shaped the

0:23 Speaker 1: way we speak, think, and occasionally argue on the Internet.

0:28 Speaker 1: Let's dust off the Dictionary of Destiny and see what

0:31 Speaker 1: advice our ancestors left us.

0:33 Speaker 2: A rolling stone gathers no moss.

0:37 Speaker 1: This one rolls right out of the Latin world. It

0:39 Speaker 1: was recorded by the Roman writer Pablilius Cyrus in the

0:42 Speaker 1: first century BCE. It meant that people who keep moving,

0:47 Speaker 1: traveling or changing jobs don't accumulate moss, meaning responsibilities, possessions, or,

0:53 Speaker 1: let's be honest, emotional baggage. In the fifteen hundreds, Erasmus

0:58 Speaker 1: the philosopher, not the form or an exchange program, translated

1:02 Speaker 1: it into English and it stuck. Ironically, later centuries flipped

1:07 Speaker 1: the meaning. In the workaholic Victorian era, no moss meant

1:11 Speaker 1: no roots. So now, depending on your vibe, it's either

1:15 Speaker 1: a compliment or a warning. Basically, you're either a cool,

1:19 Speaker 1: minimalist or unemployed.

1:22 Speaker 3: This segment is sponsored by Moss Boss, the official home

1:25 Speaker 3: to core line for commitment fobes. Because you may not

1:29 Speaker 3: settle down, but your ferns can.

1:31 Speaker 2: There's no use crying over spilled milk.

1:35 Speaker 1: If you've ever watched a toddler weep dramatically after knocking

1:39 Speaker 1: over a glass, you've seen this proverb in action. It

1:42 Speaker 1: dates back to the sixteen hundreds and first appeared in

1:45 Speaker 1: James Howell's Proverbs in English, Italian, French and Spanish sixteen

1:50 Speaker 1: fifty nine. The idea was simple, what's done is done.

1:54 Speaker 1: Tears won't refill the glass. But in earlier folklore milk

1:59 Speaker 1: was sacred. Spilling it was seen as bad luck or

2:01 Speaker 1: an offence to household spirits, so the saying evolved from

2:05 Speaker 1: superstition into stoicism. In modern terms, close the app move on.

2:11 Speaker 3: This emotional cleanup is brought to you by Spillstop, life's

2:14 Speaker 3: first insurance for clumsy optimists. Wipe, laugh, repeat.

2:20 Speaker 2: One bad apple spoils the bunch.

2:23 Speaker 1: Ah Yes, the saying that launched one thousand hr memos.

2:27 Speaker 1: It comes from the fourteenth century, when people stored apples

2:30 Speaker 1: in barrels. One rotten apple released ethylene gas, accelerating decay,

2:35 Speaker 1: and the rest. The phrase became a metaphor for corrupting influences,

2:39 Speaker 1: whether in fruit baskets or political movements. These days, it's

2:44 Speaker 1: most often used in press conferences, right before someone says,

2:48 Speaker 1: we take this very seriously.

2:50 Speaker 3: Sponsored by core values, organic fruit and ethics, guaranteed fresh

2:55 Speaker 3: until human nature interferes.

2:58 Speaker 2: Let sleeping dogs lie.

3:01 Speaker 1: This one's a medieval warning. It appears as early as

3:04 Speaker 1: the thirteen hundreds in Chaucer's Troilis and Creceide, and means

3:08 Speaker 1: exactly what it says. Don't stir up old trouble. That's

3:11 Speaker 1: finally quiet. Back then, watchdogs were the medieval security system,

3:17 Speaker 1: Big loud and easily provoked. Wake them, and chaos ensued.

3:23 Speaker 1: So the next time someone says it, remember it's not

3:26 Speaker 1: about dogs. It's about that group chat argument. From twenty nineteen.

3:31 Speaker 3: This peaceful pause is brought to you by Sleepy Pup,

3:35 Speaker 3: the calming treat that keeps both dogs and drama sedated.

3:39 Speaker 2: Take it with a grain of salt.

3:41 Speaker 1: This oldie dates back to ancient Rome. Pliny the Elder

3:45 Speaker 1: wrote that salt could neutralize poison. He literally said to

3:49 Speaker 1: take it with a grain of salt. Over time, the

3:53 Speaker 1: phrase evolved into view something skeptically. In the Middle Ages,

3:57 Speaker 1: salt was rare and precious, used as metaice and as

4:00 Speaker 1: a ward against evil, So the phrase suggests balance a

4:06 Speaker 1: little skepticism, but not total cynicism. In modern form, trust

4:12 Speaker 1: but verify, preferably with snacks.

4:15 Speaker 3: This skeptical seasoning is brought to you by Salty Wisdom,

4:18 Speaker 3: the only salt brand that pairs perfectly with rumors and fries.

4:23 Speaker 2: Cry Wolf.

4:24 Speaker 1: This one howls straight out of Esop's fables. A shepherd

4:28 Speaker 1: boy repeatedly cries wolf to trick villagers until a real

4:32 Speaker 1: wolf shows up and no one believes him. Classic Boy

4:35 Speaker 1: who Cried Wolf situation. The phrase warns against lying or exaggerating,

4:40 Speaker 1: because credibility is hard to earn and easy to shred.

4:44 Speaker 1: It's the sixth century b c. Version of stop doom posting.

4:48 Speaker 3: This tale of truth is sponsored by fact snack bite

4:52 Speaker 3: sized news you can trust no wolve's attached.

4:55 Speaker 2: Put a sock in it.

4:57 Speaker 1: If you've ever been told this, you are either talked,

5:00 Speaker 1: looking too loud or podcasting too long. The saying dates

5:03 Speaker 1: to the late eighteen hundreds, when gramophones had no volume control,

5:09 Speaker 1: people literally shoved socks into the horn to muffle the sound.

5:13 Speaker 1: Over time, put a sock in it became slang for

5:16 Speaker 1: be quiet. So next time you say it, remember you're

5:20 Speaker 1: quoting Victorian audio engineering.

5:22 Speaker 3: This polite hush is brought to you by Sockbox, the

5:25 Speaker 3: first subscription service that silences unwanted noise and in laws alike.

5:30 Speaker 2: Rome wasn't built in a day.

5:33 Speaker 1: This ancient encouragement dates back to a twelfth century French

5:36 Speaker 1: proverb romna sippa fete on anjoure. It was popularized in

5:41 Speaker 1: English by playwright John Haywood in fifteen thirty eight. The

5:45 Speaker 1: moral great things take time. Rome's empire, after all, was

5:50 Speaker 1: centuries in the making, roads, aqueducts and all that marble.

5:54 Speaker 1: So whether you're building a city, a career, or a

5:57 Speaker 1: podcast empire, relax histories on your side.

6:02 Speaker 3: This slow burned success is sponsored by Brick by Brick,

6:06 Speaker 3: the productivity app that reminds you even Caesar needed a planner.

6:10 Speaker 2: Every cloud has a silver lining.

6:13 Speaker 1: Poetic right. This one first appeared in John Milton's Comus

6:18 Speaker 1: sixteen thirty four. Was I deceived? Or did a sable

6:22 Speaker 1: cloud turn forth her silver lining on the night. It's

6:26 Speaker 1: a reminder that even dark times have bright edges optimism

6:30 Speaker 1: dressed in poetic flare. Though if you've ever been through

6:33 Speaker 1: a thunderstorm, you know some clouds are just clouds.

6:38 Speaker 3: This moment of forced positivity is brought to you by

6:42 Speaker 3: Cloud nine, the meditation app that helps you find your

6:45 Speaker 3: lining before you lose your mind.

6:47 Speaker 2: People who live in glasshouses shouldn't throw stones.

6:52 Speaker 1: The earliest written version comes from Chaucer, who said, who

6:56 Speaker 1: that hath no sin cast the first stone? But the

7:00 Speaker 1: lass house version appeared in the sixteen hundreds, reminding people

7:04 Speaker 1: not to criticize others for faults they share. In an

7:07 Speaker 1: era when glass was expensive and fragile, the metaphor hit

7:10 Speaker 1: hard literally, so before you judge, maybe check that you're

7:14 Speaker 1: not sitting in a conservatory.

7:17 Speaker 3: This fragile truth is brought to you by stone Stopper,

7:20 Speaker 3: the world's first gilt resistant glove for throwing shade safely.

7:25 Speaker 2: Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

7:28 Speaker 1: Another farming favorite. This one came from Don Quixote sixteen

7:32 Speaker 1: oh five and later English proverbs farmers knew if you

7:36 Speaker 1: carried all your eggs in one basket and tripped disaster.

7:41 Speaker 1: It became financial advice centuries before stockbrokers existed. Diversify your risks,

7:47 Speaker 1: whether in investments or in life. Also applicable to dating apps.

7:51 Speaker 3: By the way, sponsored by nest Vest portfolio planning for

7:55 Speaker 3: people who drop things emotionally or financially.

7:59 Speaker 1: When pigs fly, this delightful bit of sarcasm goes back

8:03 Speaker 1: to the sixteen hundred's Scottish proverb pigs may fly, but

8:08 Speaker 1: it's not likely. It was the Renaissance way of saying

8:11 Speaker 1: yeah right. Early versions included other impossible animals, when frogs

8:16 Speaker 1: grow hair or when hens wear breeches, but pigs flying

8:20 Speaker 1: stuck maybe because it's funny and disgusting, and now, thanks

8:25 Speaker 1: to the Internet, we actually have pictures of flying pigs,

8:29 Speaker 1: proof that sarcasm eventually manifests.

8:33 Speaker 3: This airborne optimism is sponsored by Bacon wings because the

8:37 Speaker 3: impossible tastes better fried, better late than never.

8:42 Speaker 1: This saying goes all the way back to ancient Greece.

8:45 Speaker 1: The historian Dionysius of Halikarnassis used a version of it

8:49 Speaker 1: in twenty BC, and Jeffrey Chaucer revived it in the

8:52 Speaker 1: Canterbury Tales. It's timeless advice. Doing something eventually is still

8:58 Speaker 1: better than not doing it at all. It's a celebration

9:01 Speaker 1: of imperfection, of trying, failing and showing up anyway. It's

9:07 Speaker 1: also my personal motto for sending thank you notes and taxes.

9:12 Speaker 3: This tardy triumph is brought to you by Procrastinate, the

9:16 Speaker 3: productivity drink that forgives lateness but not laziness.

9:20 Speaker 1: And that dear listeners, wraps up old sayings and where

9:23 Speaker 1: they came from. Part two. From mossy stones to flying pigs,

9:28 Speaker 1: These little phrases carry centuries of wit, warning and wisdom.

9:33 Speaker 1: They've survived wars, plagues, and the invention of the Internet,

9:37 Speaker 1: which is honestly a miracle. The next time someone drops

9:40 Speaker 1: one of these phrases in conversation, you'll know exactly where

9:43 Speaker 1: it came from, and probably ruin the moment by saying, so,

9:47 Speaker 1: I'm Amy. And this has been the Strange History Podcast

9:51 Speaker 1: until next time. Take it with a grain of salt,

9:53 Speaker 1: roll with the stones, and remember Rome wasn't built in

9:56 Speaker 1: a day, but this episode nearly was. Good night and

9:59 Speaker 1: good History