I'm a nerd. I'm in fact such a big nerd that I tend to look up word origins in my spare time because I'm fascinated by our language. The odder the origin, the better. I've got a collection of random information in my brain that makes me an awesome Trivial Pursuit partner, but is completely useless when it comes to real world application. Like say, job applications.
In any case, I thought I'd share some of this random crap with you in the form of the new acronym-ific series. I give you - Word Origins from Left Field - that's right, the WOLF. Er... ignore the fact that the "from" doesn't fit.
Today, I want to talk to you about the cut of your jib.
Every heard someone say they don't like the cut of someone else's jib?
It means that a negative first impression has been made, and we know that because of context clues and the general delivery. But - what's a jib, anyway?
Interestingly, we get this little gem from sailing (we actually get a lot of phrases from the high seas - more to come). The jib is a triangular sail on the front of a ship, and most were shaped in accordance with the nationality of the ship. Therefore, other sailors could tell where this ship was hailing from, and subsequently whether this was someone they wanted to avoid or not.