Definition of HOLY TOLEDO in the Definitions.net dictionary.

Whether any specific rulers actually bestowed such a passive-aggressive gift is uncertain, but the term has since come to refer to any burdensome possession—pachyderm or otherwise. In truth, the saying is most likely derived from the Freemasons, a centuries-old fraternal organization whose members undergo rigorous questioning and examinations before becoming “third degree” members, or “master masons.”Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you.Find out more about the unusual origin stories behind 10 everyday phrases.© 2020 A&E Television Networks, LLC. Thus, for mariners, “by and large” referred to trawling the seas in any and all directions relative to the wind. According to legend, if an underling or rival angered a Siamese king, the royal might present the unfortunate man with the gift of a white elephant.

Holy Toledo Barney 07/20/00 Holy Toledo! There are several theories as to where the expression "holy Toledo" came from. The myth dates back as far as the 14th century and comes from a book called “The Travels of Sir John Mandeville.” Wildly popular upon its release, the tome recounts a brave knight’s adventures during his supposed travels through Asia. Writing in 1772, the famed explorer Captain James Cook noted that “to run amok is to … sally forth from the house, kill the person or persons supposed to have injured the Amock, and any other person that attempts to impede his passage.” Once thought to be the result of possession by evil spirits, the phenomenon later found its way into psychiatric manuals. This is a result of poor communication and bad spelling. The saying was popularized in the 18th and 19th centuries, when European visitors to Malaysia learned of a peculiar mental affliction that caused otherwise normal tribesmen to go on brutal and seemingly random killing sprees. Holy Toledo! While ostensibly a reward, the creatures were tremendously expensive to feed and house, and caring for one often drove the recipient into financial ruin. While it typically refers to someone with a strong dedication to a particular set of beliefs, the term “diehard” originally had a series of much more literal meanings. In 1837, the Marquis of Waterford—a known lush and mischief maker—led a group of friends on a night of drinking through the English town of Melton Mowbray. The marquis and his pranksters later compensated Melton for the damages, but their drunken escapade is likely the reason that “paint the town red” became shorthand for a wild night out. The bender culminated in vandalism after Waterford and his fellow revelers knocked over flowerpots, pulled knockers off of doors and broke the windows of some of the town’s buildings. The phrase “paint the town red” most likely owes its origin to one legendary night of drunkenness. Michael Quinion's discussion of the phrase at World Wide Words points out the same sacrificial origin. Information and translations of HOLY TOLEDO in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on Among its many fabrications, the book includes a description of crocodiles that notes, “These serpents sley men, and eate them weeping, and they have no tongue.” While factually inaccurate, Mandeville’s account of weeping reptiles later found its way into the works of Shakespeare, and “crocodile tears” became an idiom as early as the 16th century. In fact, Eve’s first comment to Adam after the expulsion was “Adam When Adam and Eve were cast out of heaven, they were quite despondent. All Rights Reserved. Inside the tabernacle for the 1911 campaign in Toledo, Ohio Some say it became a phrase used during the revivals that evangelist Billy Sunday held in Toledo Ohio in the early 1900's. Meaning of HOLY TOLEDO. Meanwhile, the much less desirable “by,” or “full and by,” meant the vessel was traveling into the wind.

Holy Toledo was the Kingdom of Toledo, the juridical definition of a Christian medieval kingdom in what is now central Spain. Holy Toledo may also refer to: This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Holy Toledo.

To top it all off, the mob literally painted a tollgate, the doors of several homes and a swan statue with red paint. Many everyday phrases are nautical in origin— “taken aback,” “loose cannon” and “high and dry” all originated at sea—but perhaps the most surprising example is the common saying “by and large.” As far back as the 16th century, the word “large” was used to mean that a ship was sailing with the wind at its back. In the midst of the fight, a wounded British officer named William Inglis supposedly urged his unit forward by bellowing “Stand your ground and die hard … make the enemy pay dear for each of us!” Inglis’ 57th Regiment suffered 75 percent casualties during the battle, and went on to earn the nickname “the Die Hards.” “Running amok” is commonly used to describe wild or erratic behavior, but the phrase actually began its life as a medical term. Apollo was usually depicted with a crown of laurel leaves, and the plant eventually became a symbol of status and achievement. But in 18th-century England, the Riot Act was a very real document, and it was often recited aloud to angry mobs. The idea of resting on your laurels dates back to leaders and athletic stars of ancient Greece. is an expression that's probably slipped out of usage now except among comic book characters and government officials with a taste for mild expletives.The phrase has a curious etymology. These days, angry parents might threaten to “read the riot act” to their unruly children.

Still yet another theory suggests the phrase was actually born out of the brothels of the American West, and referred to men behaving as though their whole town were a red-light district. The phrase later became even more popular after 1811’s Battle of Albuera during the Napoleonic Wars.