People shocked by origin of phrase ‘born with silver spoon’ | Weird | News


Many of our most popular sayings have stood the test of time.

From “break the ice” to “bite the bullet” and “barking up the wrong tree” – there are all sorts of things we say without knowing a lot about their true meaning.

One saying people use often is “born with a silver spoon in your mouth”, to denote someone being born into wealth, and there’s actually great meaning behind it.

A video, created by @curiousitygeek on TikTok, has revealed exactly where the saying comes from – and it may surprise you.

If you didn’t know, it’s an old tradition for godparents to gift a silver spoon to a Christened child. But, the video explains, not everyone was able to do this at the time – as they couldn’t afford it.

Those who could were said to be “born with a silver spoon in their mouth”, and the phrase has stuck with Brits ever since.

The video has since gone viral, as people couldn’t believe they didn’t know the history behind the saying. One person commented: “Thank you – my grandparents used a lot of these phrases.” Another added: “I always appreciate the language history of common expressions.”

A third replied: “I could watch these all day. Thank you.” Meanwhile, a fourth commented: “I love these, and still use so many.”

In the video, the presenter also explains where some other popular sayings come from, and their origins may surprise you. For example, to “give the cold shoulder”.

During the 1800s, when you were no longer welcome at a dinner party, it’s said the host would serve you either cold meat or pork or beef shoulder. By doing this, they were apparently “giving you the cold shoulder”.

Nowadays, people use the saying to imply that a person is angry with someone. They usually go out of their way to ignore them intentionally.



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