Meaning: To reveal your true intentions, personality, or behaviors.
Example: Everyone is on best behavior on the first date, but soon enough you will show your true colors.
Origin: Color(s) has numerous meanings. An early use of the word is flag, pennant, or badge.
Early warships often carried flags from many nations on board in order to elude or deceive the enemy. The rules of civilized warfare called for all ships to hoist their true national ensigns before firing a shot.
Someone who finally "shows his true colors" is acting like a warship which hails another ship flying one flag, but then hoisted their own when they got in firing range.
Meaning: Act quickly while the opportunity is still available.
Example: If you want the job, you need to strike while the iron is hot.
Origin: Blacksmiths working iron by hand heat the iron in a fire to red-hot making it malleable. The Smith removes the iron from the fire and shapes it with blows from a hammer. They need to work quickly before the iron cools. Once the iron is cool, it becomes brittle and the opportunity to hammer it into shape has passed.
Example: Ever since getting out of jail on bond I have been on the straight and narrow.
Origin: This phrase comes from the Bible and describes the path to heaven. Matthew 7:14 to be exact: "Broad is the way that is the path of destruction but narrow is the gate and straight is the way which leadeth to the house of God."
A second reference to it is in John Bunyan's book "The Pilgrim's Progress". In it, Pilgrim, the representative of the Everyman, must follow the "straight & narrow".
A third comes from John the Baptist: "Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Make his path straight."
Example: California is a strange place. In restaurants and bars the smoking lamp is out, but in the cannabis buyers club you can smoke all you like.
Origin: The smoking lamp probably came into use during the 16th Century when seamen began smoking on board vessels. The lamp was used to light the smoke before matches were invented.
The smoking lamp was also a safety measure. It was devised mainly to keep the fire hazard away from highly combustible woodwork and gunpowder.
Most navies established regulations restricting smoking to certain areas on board. Usually, the lamp was located in the forecastle or the area directly surrounding the galley indicting that smoking was permitted in this area.
Even after the invention of matches in the 1830s, the lamp was an item of convenience to the smoker. When particularly hazardous operations or work required that smoking be curtailed, the unlighted lamp relayed the message.
"The smoking lamp is lighted" or "the smoking lamp is out" were expressions indicating that smoking was permitted or forbidden. The smoking lamp has survived only as a figure of speech. When the officer of the deck says "the smoking lamp is out" before drills, refueling or taking ammunition, that is the Navy's way of saying "cease smoking."
Example: I'll be a son of a gun. I didn't think you could keep a job for more than six months.
Origin: Early warships had very cramped quarters. Sailors slept between the cannons because that was the only space available.
They sometimes had female company on board. Some ships actually carried prostitutes. Other times a sailor's wife would be allowed on board so that he would not have to leave the ship, and potentially desert.
In any case, many children were conceived between the cannons, or guns. Woman who gave birth on the ships typically also did so between the guns.
The male children were thus called "son of a gun".
