Foil

A foil in literature is a character who contrasts with the main character to highlight the main character’s attributes. The purpose of the foil is to give the protagonist more color, depth, and nuance. So, the kind protagonist has a cruel foil. It's common in novels, movies and comic book superheroes.

A foil is not necessarily an enemy or antagonist. Sherlock Holmes had Dr. Watson. harry Potter has Draco.

But why? We know that a common use of foil is the metal that we use to wrap foods. Jewelers also place foil under gems to make them shine more brightly. Is it because this contrast makes a jewel’s brilliance and facets more apparent. Is that why a literary foil character serves as a "backdrop" to make the protagonist “shine.”

As a noun, "foil" means "very thin sheet of metal". It comes from the Old French words fueille, foile, or fueill, which mean "leaf; foliage; sheet of paper; sheet of metal". These words come from the Latin word folium, which is the plural of folia and means "leaf". The word "foil" has been used since the early 14th century.

As a verb, "foil" means to overthrow, defeat, beat off, repulse, or discomfit. In wrestling, it can also mean to throw or inflict a "foil" upon.

Big Wigs, Mad Hatters and Sons of a Gun

I saw that a question on TV's Jeopardy was about  “Big Wigs.”  The term has come to mean a very important person. The origin is quite literal. In the 18th century, wigs for women and men were common. The important figures within the political system would wear the biggest wigs.

You might have heard the expression that someone is “As Mad as a Hatter” meaning they are crazy or insane. I first encountered it in Alice in Wonderland.

The origin also goes back to the 17th and 18th centuries. Hatters - those who made hats - made felt hats using mercury. That led to all kinds of side effects, including literal insanity. The Mad Hatter, from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, is based on this phenomenon.

It is not a bad thing to call someone a "son of a gun" as it is a term of endearment. The origin I found goes back to when sailors took their wives to sea on long voyages. Inevitably, some of the women became pregnant. It was believed that the safest place to give birth was deemed to be between the guns/cannons. I couldn't find why that was the place, but therefore, a child born on the gun deck was known as a "son of a gun."

Another variation I found is that when in port, wives - and prostitutes - were allowed on board. In the morning, the Bosun's mates would yell "show a leg" as they came to the gun deck, where the sailors hung their hammocks. A female leg meant not to upend the hammock to get the sailor to work. That origin story also said that if a baby was born onboard, especially if the father wasn't known for sure, then the babe was a son of a gun.

Perhaps related is that the term "gundecking" is still used to mean really screwing up or doing the job wrong.

jalopy

It is not a word I hear used as much today as back in the 20th century, but “jalopy” is an informal term used to describe an old, run-down car. 

The origin of jalopy is unconfirmed, but the earliest written use that has been found was in 1924. It is possible that the longshoremen in New Orleans referred to the scrapped autos destined for scrapyards in Xalapa, Mexico. Xalapa is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz and is alternative spelled as pronounced as Jalapa as with the letter J as in English.

This term emerged in American slang during the 1920s and has since been used to describe worn-down automobiles.

Today, a car that is often old and damaged and is in a barely functional state might be referred to as a jalopy, beater, clunker, hooptie, old banger (UK), but the most commonly as just a junk car

This 1961 Rambler American convertible would qualify as a jalopy.

Walk of Life

What is the meaning and origin of the idiom "from all walks of life"?  When people talk about walk(s) of life, they are referring to different types of jobs and different levels of society. "The club has members from all walks of life."

The phrase "people from all walks of life" is often used informally to convey that a group of people consists of individuals from diverse backgrounds and occupations. It can also bring to mind the idea that people from all socioeconomic classes and ways of living are represented

OED's earliest evidence for "walk of life" is from 1733, in the writing of Eustace Budgell.

But why is it a "walk" of life? I found no explanation. My guess would be that each life is a journey and walking is one, especially in the 1700s, way of moving through the day and your life. 

Collective Soul

Collective Soul - 2016 in Camden, New Jersey  Link

Collective Soul is an American rock band that consists of the brothers Ed (lead vocalist) and Dean Roland (rhythm guitarist), Will Turpin (bassist), Johnny Rabb (drummer), and Jesse Triplett (lead guitarist). Formed in 1992, the original lineup consisted of the Roland brothers, Turpin, guitarist Ross Childress, and drummer Shane Evans. 

In 1993, Roland's song "Shine" from the Rising Storm label release of Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid became an underground hit and created a new band lineup.

Ed Roland was reading Ayn Rand's novel The Fountainhead and came across the phrase "collective soul." In the novel, "collective soul" is a threat to the main character's sense of individualism. Roland has said that the choice was not in support of "Ayn Rand, objectivism, egoism, or anything...we just dug the name."

ALBUMS
Collective Soul

Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid

Dosage

Afterwords

7even Year Itch: Greatest Hits, 1994-2001