It started Sunday night after family and friends had departed. Sneezing, non-stop, congestion. By Monday morning I knew. I had a cold, again!
I hate getting sick because it turns my busy schedule on its head. Juggling, rearranging, learning flexibility all over again. Ugh! What makes it worse this time is the fact that I’m leaving on Friday (tomorrow) for Portland for my grandson’s first birthday!
I awoke yesterday thinking, “I’m under the weather.” I started wondering where that expression came from. Do you know? It’s actually a maritime phrase. When sailors became ill, (usually seasick), they were ordered to go below deck and therefore below the weather. Down below, the rolling of the ship would be felt less than up on deck. They were said to be “under the weather.”
Besides “under the weather” there were other interesting idioms I looked up.
1) “Under the table” – Hidden, secret, often illegal. Something that is under the table is hidden from sight. The expression, “I drank him under the table” means that the other person got so drunk that they fell off their chair and landed under the table.
2) “Under one’s breath” – First recorded in 1832, probably a hyperbole, alluding to a sound that is softer than breathing.
3) “Under one’s belt” – Experienced or achieved. This metaphoric expression likens food that has been consumed to an experience that has been digested. (First half of the 1800s)
4) “Under my thumb” – Controlled or dominated by someone. Mid 1700s. The allusion was to a protagonist so powerful and a victim so insignificant that even the former’s thumb was strong enough to control them.
Interesting, right? And so I remain “under the weather”, hopefully better by tomorrow. :))
p.s. My blog for next week will be delayed a few days as I will be out of town! Stay tuned!