What I See with Peter Fiorenza: Delving into the origins of our many and varied sayings

The other day I was chatting with my mate, John Luscombe. Anyone who knows John, knows he is always up for a chat, and the topics can be wide and varied. I’m not quite sure the specific nature of the conversation, only that I ended it with the comment: “You shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” John looked up at me and said: “You know, Pete, I’ve always wondered what that means.” After a bit of googling, we nailed down an understanding. To not look a gift horse in the mouth, suggests that someone should be grateful for what they have. For instance, we might like a better car or a bigger house, but, really, should be grateful that we actually have a good car or nice home. And this got us thinking. There are so many sayings that we use on a daily basis — some more than others, but they certainly bring colour to our lives. There’s “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater”, or “you can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear” and don’t forget “fair suck of the sauce bottle.” Many have an English origin, while others have more of an Aussie flavour. Such as “making more runs than Bradman” or “wrap your laughing gear round that” and how about “he’s got Buckley’s chance.” Each week John provides me with his “Saying of the Day” as part of my Sunday morning radio show and finds out the story behind the phrase. Recently, he provided me with the classic saying, “The proof is in the pudding.” According to Lusky, this is an alteration of an older expression “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” First used in the 1600s, the word proof is used in the sense of testing something, such as a test of quality. Today this refers to evidence or something resulting in a reassurance of the method used. John also tells us that puddings in the 1600s were somewhat different. In medieval England, puddings were a type of savoury dish involving a sausage-like oatmeal stuffed into a prepared skin or bag and boiled in water. So, you didn’t know it was cooked until you tasted it — the proof. You could say that John is transforming himself into a bit of an old sage as he researches the origins of some of our best-known sayings. Tune in this week to see what he has in store. Peter Fiorenza hosts Fiorenza on Sunday between 10am and noon on Radio MAMA