Ever told someone they “drink like a fish”? I've been accused and agreed.

Technically, you’ve used a simile, not a metaphor. That’s because it uses the word “like” to make the comparison. Fish don’t actually drink water the way we imagine — they absorb it differently depending on their habitat — but the phrase, dating back to the 17th century, paints a vivid (and slightly soggy) picture of overindulgence.

This got me thinking: our language is full of colourful idioms, and most of them have weirder backstories than we realise.

Take these for example:

• Mad as a hatter – Thanks to mercury poisoning in 19th-century hat-making.
• Bite the bullet – Originated in battlefield surgeries before anaesthesia. Ouch.
• Kick the bucket – Possibly from the method of hanging or pig slaughter (cheery, I know).
• Let the cat out of the bag – A scam where buyers thought they were getting a piglet… but nope, it was a cat.
• Hold your horses – A literal command back when horses were your Uber.
• Know the ropes – From sailors mastering ship rigging.
• Knickerbocker glory – A towering dessert named after an elaborate fashion trend.

What’s your favourite idiom — or the strangest one you’ve heard? Drop it in the comments. Let’s spill the linguistic tea ☕🐴

#LanguageLovers #IdiomsExplained #DrinkLikeAFish #KickTheBucket #HistoryOfWords #EtymologyNerd #WittyWisdom