Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Strange Backstories For Common Phrases...!

I've said before that the English language is very hard to learn Not for those of us that have been speaking it all our lives, but for others just learning.

It has to be confusing to some to try and understand where certain phrases came from. Heck, I often wonder about the origins of some sayings.

‘Cakewalk’



When you’re told that some task is no “cakewalk,” you’ve been warned of the huge difficulty or obstacle that you might face engaging in it. The origin of this phrase is not as cheerful as it sounds. A cakewalk was a dance performed by slaves on plantations in the southern United States. The dance was done in mockery of their white owners. The owners, who knew nothing about the dance’s backstory, took delight in it and had slaves perform it for them during weekend contests while they served as the judges. The winner is rewarded with a piece of cake, and the phrase “piece of cake” also comes from the dance.

After slavery came to an end, cakewalks became popular for another wrong reason. It was performed by white actors who painted their faces black and portrayed the slaves as people attempting to sincerely emulate white culture but failing hilariously. It eventually became the foundation of famous ragtime songs. Over time, the phrase remained while the gruesome story behind it faded. If any phrase origin takes the cake for being disturbing, this one does.

I have to admit that when I researched this at Listverse, I had no idea where some of these phrases came from. Sometimes the origin of certain catchphrases and words should best be left alone!

Let's take a chance and have coffee out on the patio this morning...OK?

6 comments:

linda m said...

That was very interesting - sad, but interesting. You are right , sometimes I think I would rather not know where something came from or how it came to be. Coffee outside sounds good. Still cool here so I'll mow my lawn today.

Gorges Smythe said...

I doubt if the folks who continue to have cakewalks as contests in social events have any idea! lol

HermitJim said...

Hey Linda...
Might be the best way to go. As they say...ignorance is sometimes bliss!
Thanks for stopping by today!


Hey Gorges...
I doubt if they do. If they really knew the backstory, I wonder if it would make a difference?
Thanks for coming by today!

JO said...

Good post today. I never heard of this before.

Company left this morning and today they pave the road in front of my house. Patio sounds good to me.

Dizzy-Dick said...

Wow, Jim!! I learned something new again from your blog posting. I would have never guessed where the origin of "cake walk" came from. Now I know, thanks to you. I always learn something from your blog postings, except on Sundays (grin).

HermitJim said...

Hey Jo...
Company is always good...especially when they leave. I hope they don't mess up the road too badly.
Thanks for dropping by today, sweetie!


Hey Dizzy...
I'm glad that you could gain some more knowledge from my feeble attempt. I'll work on the Sunday format a bit.
Thanks for the visit today!