Pam Webb

How Cliché: Minding the Ps and Qs

A combination of sayings involving those with P and Q.

Packed in like sardines: closely situated; crowded. Around the 19th century this phrase came into use, no doubt due to the crowded conditions found in city dwellings and public transportation. Spike Mulligan in his poem “Sardines” played with the idea:
A baby sardine
Saw her first submarine:
She was scared and watched through a peephole.

“Oh come, come, come,”
Said the sardine’s mum.
“It’s only a tin full of people.”

Par for the course: considered average. A golf derivative since “par” indicates the number of strokes expected for a certain hole. The term applied to other aspects around the 1920s with the added connotation of being slightly derogative, as in “Paul brought store bought muffins–which is par for the course. Other meanings attached to the phrase are “up to par” meaning to meet the standard and “below or sub par” expressing not meeting the standard. If Paul had stopped at that chic little bakery on the corner and brought in croissants he no doubt would have earned the accolade of “above par.”

Pay through the nose: being charged an exorbitant fee. The origin of this phrase is not readily found, although it appears to have been around since the 17th century. Some sources attribute it to the punishment of having one’s nose slit if late with tax payment. Thankfully today we can pay late fees without fear of such extremes, although some late fees do hurt.

Piece of cake: easily done. This is from the old tradition known as the cakewalk, in which whoever performed the most intricate dance steps upon the promenade received a cake as a prize. By the twentieth century the phrase became slang for something easily accomplished. For instance, after receiving so much ribbing from his co-workers about the sub par meeting treats, Paul decided to check out the new bakery near his apartment. It was a piece of cake to bring in a box of freshly baked cookies.

Pie in the sky: a false promise for a better life. This is a lyric taken from a song titled “The Preacher and the Slave (1911)” in which there is the promise of living in comfort, eating pie in the Glory Land. Joe Hill of the International Workers of the World or the Wobblies considered fair wages to be the “pie” in his version of the song. However, boxing champ Muhammad Ali is quoted in 1978 as saying, “You don’t want no pie in the sky when you die, you want something here on the ground while you’re still around.”

Pride and joy: a prized aspect. Sir Walter Scott is attributed for this saying in his 1813 poem, “Rokeby.” In the poem he states children as a “mother’s pride, a father’s joy.” Today the term applies to anything from an accomplishment to a possession that evokes pride and joy. Back to Paul. That little bakery he began frequenting? He discovered their muffins were their pride and joy and he set up a running order for a baker’s dozen every Thursday.

Pull the wool over one’s eyes: to deceive someone. This saying does not involve sheep. Instead it involves wigs, the ones British judges and barristers wore (and wear). Apparently it refers to a clever barrister’s ability of momentarily blinding a judge with their argument, essentially slipping their wig (which were made from wool?) over their eyes. More figurative than literal. Today the reference applies to anyone who has been fooled by a person, whether knowingly or unknowingly.

Put one’s money where one’s mouth is: show intention with actions, not just by words. Thought to have started around 1930, around the time of WWII, being used in many English-speaking countries. In the 1970s the British government applied turned the phrase into an ad campaign to convince in the NSBAD (National Savings Bank Accounts Department. Another less polite associative phrase is “Put up or shut up.”

Put words into someone’s mouth: to credit someone saying something when they didn’t. This one is found in the Old Testament in 2 Samuel 14:3: “So Joab put the words in her mouth.” Paul again. “I did not say I made the muffins. I said I made a run to the bakery to get the muffins. Honestly, quit putting words in my mouth.”

Quantum leap: an notable advancement; a great improvement. Going with nuclear physics on this one, in which the abrupt transition from one energy state to another is considered a quantum leap (very simplified). That’s literal term. The figurative term refers to the size of the transition, usually an exaggeration, as in “Wow, Paul, two weeks in a row you’ve brought in freshly made muffins. That’s a quantum leap from the days of stale grocery rack cookies.”

Quick as a wink: instantly achieved. There are several analogies that are similar, such as “quick as bunny” or “quick as a bee” or “quick as lightning.” As early as 1546 these proverbs or maxims were found in sources. The expression is still in use.

Quid pro quo: something is received in exchange for something given. This one is also known as “tit for tat” which was used by Shakespeare in Henry VI Part 1 when Margaret tells the Earl of Suffolk, “I cry you mercy, ’tis but quid pro quo” (5:3).

Many, oh so many, cliches with P were left on the editing floor. So fill up the comments with the ones that didn’t make the post or check them out in Christine Ammer’s Have a Nice Day: A Dictionary of Clichés.