VIII. LEXICAL FEATURES OF PROPER NAME IDIOMS
VIII.3. ON THE LOCALIZATION OF PROPER NAME IDIOMS
By way of a preliminary note, the denominations 'GB' and 'US', introduced above in conjunction with aspects of
frequency, demand also here a few precursory comments. As a standard practice, when any such abbreviated symbol (GB, US, IRE or AUS) stands for the respective country in tabular or summarized presentation used in this thesis, it signifies a proper name idiom, not necessarily suggesting origins in the designated country, but – as a rule - referring to an idiom mentioning a British, American, Irish, or Australian person or place. The exceptions to this general practice are
discussed in the introductory note opening the previous chapter.
The material of the 500 proper name idioms collected from the precursory sources contained an overwhelming
majority of British idioms, i.e. those referring to a British person or place, as compared to the scanty share of American items, and yet scantier catch of Australian or Irish ones.
The respective share of each country among the Top Hundred (the original material of 500 items in parentheses) is as follows: Britain 73 (411), United States 23 (71), Australia 2
(11), and Ireland 2 (6). Thus, the locational spread is strongly focussed in Britain: by 73 (82) per cent, as
compared with the United States with her 23 (15) per cent, or Australia with 2 (2) per cent, or Ireland with 2 (1) per
cent.
As for the idioms with a place name element examined as a distinct group, more or less the same distribution comes forth. The Top Hundred contains 18 place name idioms with a reference to a British, Irish, or American location – no items from Australia appeared (cf. the respective maps in Appendix 2). A great many more place name idioms also
including Australian sites occur in the original data of 500 proper name idioms; to pinpoint all such localities amounting close to a hundred entries with a place name, not
infrequently bearing on a local geographical curiosity (at Narrowdale noon), and a certain, perhaps half-forgotten, alley in London carrying a special connotation in a
particular phrase (the three tailors of Tooley Street) would undoubtedly provide an absorbing challenge, which, however, falls wide of the objectives of this investigation.
On the evidence of the original data, however, the following general comment could be made on the locational characteristics of British place name idioms. Among these, an overwhelming majority of two thirds refer to the capital
region, London with its suburbs, namely 20 out of the total 30 phrases. These are exemplified by Bow Street runners, the
man on the Clapham omnibus, Paddington fair, as black as Newgate knocker, within the sound of Bow Bells, all Lombard Street to a China orange.
In addition, there are 17 imaginary or jocular
geographical designations (all holiday at Peckham, to send a person to Birchin Lane, to drink at Freeman’s Quay) serving a similar role that the person names made up of 'properized' appellatives carry in their denomination. The main attention, therefore, has been focused on the general features typifying the Place Name idiom as well as finding, at the least, the approximate site of each of the 18 place names constituting the geographic department of the Top Hundred.
VIII.4. ON THE AREAS WHERE PROPER NAME IDIOMS HAVE ORIGINATED
Personal proper name idioms having their origins in a certain area are grouped under comprehensive categories of human
endeavour. Parenthetical data stands for the number of idioms among the Top Hundred assigned to such a denomination.
These denominations are not rigorously mutually
exclusive; a certain phrase may be entered in two categories, which are not mutually exclusive, i.e. Uncle Sam has been entered into those of 'Literature & Press' as well as of 'The Armed Forces'.
LITERATURE & PRESS (23):
Doubting Thomas (Bible); Uncle Tom (fiction); Alice in Wonderland (children's fiction), King Charles's head
(fiction); to out-Herod Herod (Bible); Box and Cox (play);
Hobson's choice (article); Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (crime story); Parkinson's law (satire), to be in Burke
(aristocratic catalogue); What will Mrs Grundy say? (play);
Namby Pamby (sugary poetry); Paul Pry (comedy); Rip van Winkle (novel); Walter Mitty (short story); the real Simon Pure (play); John Bull (satire); Darby and Joan (article); as poor as Job's turkey (newspaper sketch); Heath-Robinson,
Colonel Blimp, to keep up with the Joneses (newspaper drawing); to gerrymander (journalese)
PASTIME & LEISURE (15):
to lead the life of Riley, to put on the Ritz (luxury &
elitism); Pooh Bah (officious self-importance); Joe Miller (variety show); as pleased as Punch (puppetry); Aunt Sally (target of derogation); Tom Tiddler's ground (children's games); according to Hoyle (card games); Hobson's choice
(horse-hiring); Bronx cheer (audience reprobation); to pull a brodie (betting); as happy as Larry, the real McCoy (boxing)
BIBLE & RELIGION (11):
doubting Thomas (failing faith); Adam's ale (beverages); not to know one from Adam (failures of recognition; as poor as Job's turkey (extreme poverty); By George! (patron saints);
all my eye and Betty Martin (church liturgy); to raise Cain (human frailty); to out-Herod Herod (tyranny); St Martin's summer (calendary saints); nosey Parker (officious
interference); to rob Peter to pay Paul (fiscal policy)
THE ARMED FORCES (11):
Uncle Sam (army supplies); Colonel Blimp (military
intolerance); Kilroy was here (vessel inspection); Tommy
Atkins (the rank-and-file); sweet Fanny Adams (canteen food);
Black Hole of Calcutta (imprisonment), gone for a Burton (missing serviceman); to be in Civvy Street (release from service); to send to Coventry (military punishment); to
(have) kiss(ed) the Blarney Stone (tactics of persuasion); a Roland for an Oliver (even combat)
POLITICS & SOCIAL ISSUES (11):
I'm from Missouri, you've got to show me (political speech);
to gerrymander (political elections), And Bob's your uncle (nepotism); Queen Anne's dead (monarchy); John Hancock (political assembly); Belisha beacon (traffic policy);
peeping Tom (arbitrary method of government); to rob Peter to pay Paul, soapy Sam (religious politics); Teddy boy/girl
(protesting against the 'Establishment); Uncle Tom (racial prejudice)
HUMAN IMPERFECTION (10):
not to set the Thames on fire, to carry coals to Newcastle (unintelligence), to pull a brodie (foolhardiness), to raise Cain ([destructive] aggression), to out-Herod Herod
(cruelty), Walter Mitty (day-dreaming), smart aleck, clever dick (would-be ingenuity), Murphy's law (prolonged failure), doubting Thomas
(mistrust)
COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (10):
shipshape and Bristol fashion (seafaring); to carry coals to Newcastle (mining); to talk Billingsgate (retail of fish); to be in Queer Street (financial problems); tommy rot, tommy shop (trade union); A1 at Lloyds (marine insurance); to be in Carey Street (bankcruptcy); Parkinson's law, Buggins's turn (civil service)
PUBLIC POWER, CRIME & JURISDICTION (8):
John Doe and Richard Roe, Philadelphia lawyer (court
proceedings); Lynch law (public malpractices); Black Maria (arrest of criminals); Buckley's chance (fugitive life);
sweet Fanny Adams (murder); not on your Nellie!, to take the mickey out of someone (underworld slang)
FAMILY LIFE & HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS (5):
Darby and Joan (marital life), to mollycoddle (upbringing),
to keep up with the Joneses (social rivalry), What will Mrs Grundy say? (social prejudice), when Miss/Mr Right comes along (ideal partnership)
FOLKLORE & LEGENDARY BEINGS (5):
mumbo jumbo, Davy Jones's locker, by George!, wise men of Gotham, a Roland for an Oliver
SCIENCES (2):
according to Cocker, according to Gunter (mathematics)
SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE ASSOCIATE AREAS ABOVE
In conclusion of observations made on the above fields of activity, it has been surprising to discover that only two idioms were closely related to family life: Darby and Joan, and to mollycoddle, and that, even if this category is
extended to include other human relationships, only three other phrases may be eligible: to keep up with the Joneses, What will Mrs Grundy say?, and when Miss/Mr Right comes along. In summary: only five per cent of the Top Hundred idiomacy allude to the home or relationships within or near the family. This result is, however, consistent with the attitudinal findings (averaging 16 per cent positively toned idioms versus 55 per cent negatively marked phrases) among the original data of 500 items). In short, the outlook of the
average citizen in the western welfare state has evolved more or less uniformly towards increasing individuality - and
pursuit of personal interests - at the expense of the family and social relationships.
The other major unexpected discoveries include the large number of Scriptural and religious phrases (dealt in more detail below in VIII.6), as well as the large share of phrases related to the armed forces. The reasons for the great biblical influence will be easily revealed to the inquisitive mind aware of the predominance of the Church in the European education system since medieval times, an
influence still perceptible in the British school. The
reasons for the high proportion of military locutions in the general language will be attributable to the essential role of the British colonial army for the birth of the new
European Empire, and, later, to the contributions of the Briton forces in both World Wars.