SHAGGY DOGS:TO CALL somebody an Uncle Tom is a derogatory reference implying a black person has an unduly deferential and reverential attitude to white people. The expression derives from Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), which depicted a faithful and dignified old black man called Uncle Tom. Black activists and human rights campaigners later argued that the story, or "Uncle Tomism" as it became known, was detrimental to their cause, writes Albert Jack
Others reasoned that the story gave the American public a better understanding of the problems of slavery and racism.
To be made of sterner stuff is to be strong both mentally and emotionally, having firm resolve and not buckling easily under pressure. We turn to the inventive prose of William Shakespeare for the origin of the phrase. In Julius Caesar (1599), Mark Antony, when speaking at Caesar's funeral, responds to the claim that he is ruthless and determined: "Did this in Caesar seem ambitious? When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept; Ambition should be made of sterner stuff."
Subsequently, the expression has been in regular use all over the English-speaking world and popularised via literature.
Stemming the flow of blood or water is one of the most commonly-used phrases, but it doesn't even occur to many of us that it is actually an idiom. One of the oldest in our language, the expression can be traced back to the Viking invasions of the late eighth century and the old Nordic language they brought along with them. The Vikings used to build dams, and the Norse word for a dam is stemma, which, loosely translated, means to "dam up" or "stop". The word soon became a part of everyday language and remained so, even after we managed to stemma the flow of Vikings across the North Sea.
The word quiz is worth recording because of the wonderful story surrounding its origin. Quiz nights in pubs and clubs throughout the world are as popular today as they have ever been, but to find the source of the word we must travel to Dublin.
During the 1700s, a man called Daly was the manager of a theatre in the centre of the city.
In 1780, he made a wager with friends one evening that he could introduce a brand new word, with no meaning at all, to the English language and, what's more, he said he could do it within 48 hours. The bet was accepted and within hours Daly had chalked the letters Q-U-I-Z on doors and walls all over the city. The word immediately became the centre of attention and within weeks newspapers were running features on what it may possibly mean. Daly won his bet because the word became associated with asking questions and finding answers, with people mulling over the "quiz" question in coffee houses and inns throughout Ireland and England.
Unfortunately, there is no hard evidence to support the truth of this story, but it is still a good one and is often repeated by trivia enthusiasts.
Extracted from Shaggy Dogs and Black Sheep by Albert Jack (Penguin Books)