ringers and dead ringers

 

If you say that someone is a  “Dead Ringer,” it means they have the exact likeness of someone else - like a twin.

Going back to 19th century U.S. in horse racing,  an owner might substitute a horse that was faster or slower than the original racing horse to con the bookies. That horse looked exactly like the substituted horse and was called a ringer. 

The term "ringer" may have originated from the British term of the same name, which means "substitute or exchange". 

But why "dead"? In the phrase "dead ringer", the word means "precise" or "exact", similar to the phrases "dead on", "dead center", and "dead heat". 

When I was younger, I had heard the more frightening folk etymology of a "dead ringer." This usage originated from a custom of providing a cord in coffins for someone who buried alive to ring a bell for help. However, this is a folk etymology and the phrase has nothing to do with death.

rutting

 

The term "rutting" is used to describe the mating season of deer and moose which occurs starting in mid-September because it refers to the aggressive and competitive behavior that males exhibit during this time.

"Rut" is a word that comes from the Old English "rot," which means "to copulate."

During the rut, male deer and moose become territorial and engage in fierce battles with other males to establish dominance and access to females. This behavior is often accompanied by loud vocalizations, such as bugling or grunting, and physical displays of strength.

Sometimes They Say What They Mean

Some sayings have fairly literal origins. For example, if someone is "burning the midnight oil” meaning that they are working late into the night. The origin is from the days before electricity when oil lamps were used for lighting a room. Hence, you were burning oil at midnight if you were working late.

 To end a disagreement and move on might be described as "burying the hatchet." This old saying comes from a Native American tradition. When tribes declared a truce from battle, the chief from each opposing side would take a hatchet and bury it during a ceremony.

Today, if you are "caught red-handed” you have been apprehended during the commission of a crime. The origin is 15th century Scotland when being caught red-handed literally referred to committing a crime that leaves you with blood on your hands.