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Origin of Phrases - I

 

Indian Giver

According to the 1907 book, Handbook of American Indians, in the colonial days of the United States, an "Indian gift" referred "to the alleged custom among Indians of expecting an equivalent for a gist or otherwise its return."  The Handbook went on to label an "Indian giver" as a "repentant giver."  Incidentally, this book was issued by the Smithsonian Institution.

 

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Origin of Phrases - I

 

In The Groove

This is a relatively new expression that originates from the jazz or swing era of music.  It's derived from the phonographic records and its quality of accurate reproduction through a needle's traversing of the grooves of the record.

 

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Origin of Phrases - I

 

In One Ear And Out The Other

This phrase comes from Geoffrey Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde, a series of five books released sometime around 1374.  In it, Chaucer had this thought about boring remarks: "Oon ere it herde, at tothir out it wente."

 

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Origin of Phrases - I

 

Ignoramus

It's Latin for "we do not know why."  By the 17th century the term referred almost exclusively to "ignorant, arrogant attorneys," thanks in large part to a 1615 play in which the main character was a stupid lawyer named Ignoramus.