Say what?

Have you ever wondered where some of our figures of speech come from?  I actually do all the time!  I mean, if you really think about it, some of them sound pretty silly; Why would you bury a hatchet in the literal sense?  What does that have to do with ending an argument?

Well, today's website, The Phrase Finder has many of the answers you might be looking for!  The site is a searchable collection of proverbs, American phrases, phrases coined by Shakespeare, nautical phrases, and phrases from the Bible.  Search or browse for any idiom or expression and find the historical origins of the common saying.

And by the way, "burying the hatchet" comes form a Native American custom of literally burying a hatchet as a way to make peace.  It was a symbolic motion that removed a symbol of war so it would never be seen again, hence promising peaceful relations.