Ever say these without knowing why?

We all toss these phrases around, but their origins are stranger (and darker) than you’d think. Here are 5 of my favorites:

1. Katie bar the door

Trouble’s coming. From a 16th-century Scottish ballad where a woman yells “Bar the door, Katie!” during a siege.

2. The whole nine yards

WWII fighter pilots’ machine-gun belts were 27 feet (nine yards). Empty the belt into a target → you gave ’em the whole nine yards.

3. Bite the bullet

Before anesthesia, soldiers literally bit down on bullets during battlefield amputations.

4. Saved by the bell

Boxers rescued at the end of a round. Also tied to 19th-century “safety coffins” with bells for those buried alive.

5. Kick the bucket

Slaughterhouses hung animals from a beam called a “bucket.” Their kicks gave us this cheery way to say “died.”

👉 Want the other 15? I put them all in this video: 🎥 Watch the full list here

If you got a laugh out of this, pass it along to a friend. And if you want insights that are more than just trivia, check out Martin Armstrong’s book 👉 https://bit.ly/4lxQwd7