Origin of Famous Expressions Revealed

As Right As Rain, a new book has revealed the origins and the true meaning hidden behind some of the popular expressions or "idioms" used in the English language.

According to the book, 'To go berserk' originated from the Berserkers, or wild Norse warriors of great strength and courage, who fought with a frenzied fury known as "the Berserker rage", the Mirror reported.

Next, 'Brownie Points' is a phrase that seems to have originated in the US where a brownie not only stands for a type of chocolate cake, but also stands for a benevolent elf or pixie.

'A bed of roses' was first used by in Christopher Marlowe's 'The Passionate Shepherd to His Love', where the lover promises to "make a beds of roses/and a thousand fragrant posies."

The book claims that the shepherd meant rose petals - and bed of roses would mean a comfortable, easy-to-deal-with situation.

Also, the expression 'The Nitty Gritty' arose in the US in the mid-20th century and it has been suggested that nitty refers to nits and gritty means the grit left at the bottom of a barrel.

Source: ANI