Everyday, almost all of us use some phrases in our conversations or while writing. Many of these phrases come from words that had a different meaning in the past. Over the generations, people have twisted the words, added a dash of humour and fitted them into the language. Let us now take a look at how some of these phrases originated.

Cock-and-bull story...

It now means a story which is unlikely to be true but which has been offered as an explanation. The phrase has been derived from a pub called Cock-and-Bull in Ireland. Every evening farmers gathered there and drank to their heart?s content. Tipsy, the farmers started narrating outlandish stories which no one quite believed.

Above board...

Something very transparent. The term originated in racing circles, where one of the course attractions was, at one time, spinning wheels. They were in the form of stands, covered down to the ground with coloured flouncing. The owners of the tables unsuspectingly regulated the issue of the spinning wheel on the board by working a hidden treadle. Thus, anything underhand came to be called ?not above board?.

Bag and baggage...

To be packed off unceremoniously. ?Bag? was the Celtic bag, a wallet or bundle, not the present English word bag. Baggage came from the Old French bagues, which meant goods, articles or belongings. To get rid of a person, ?bag and baggage?, was, therefore, to send him off with his bundle and goods.

Bury the hatchet...

To stop fighting about something. North American Indians, when they smoked the pipe of peace, buried their hatchets, knives and clubs to ensure that there could be no chance of hostilities. It was a symbol of good faith.

Cakewalk...

Something very easy. The description, it?s a cakewalk, originally referred to a popular competition among African-Americans. Couples walked round a prize cake in pairs. The couple who the judges decided had walked most gracefully was awarded the cake.

Palatial house...

A large mansion. The phrase is derived from palace, whose origin can be traced to the Roman period. The original palace was a dwelling built by Augustus on the Palatine Hills (the most important of Rome?s seven hills). It meant the house on the Palatium. Emperors Tiberius and Nero later built houses there.

To get the sack...

It now means to be dismissed from a job. The most likely origin is that it came from the habit of a mechanic, who, on getting a job, would take his own tools to the works. He usually carried them in a sack. A locker was provided to him where he could leave his tools during the night. The sack was given to the employer to take care of. When the mechanic left, or was dismissed, he was given the sack in which he stored his tools.