The Surprising (and Sometimes Gross) Origins of Medieval Sayings

Have you ever wondered where certain phrases we say come from? I certainly have, and to my delight, many are medieval sayings. Some grew out of laws and punishments, others from religion, superstition, or simply survival.

There is always a backstory that goes along with these sayings. We’re talking plague carts, a public whipping, a poo stick, and a fair amount of superstitious nonsense wrapped in church doctrine. People back then had a knack for turning their daily chaos into phrases that have survived into modern English. 

Some of these sayings are clever. Some are ridiculous. One or two might make you gag a little. But they all say something about how people lived, struggled, and got through the day without indoor plumbing.

20 Medieval Sayings We Still Say Today

On a recent visit to the UK to see my mum, we visited some relatives in Enfield, Pete and Christine. In their heyday, they ran a successful entertainment company specializing in murder mystery weekends. They wrote all their own scripts and always included a historical talk. 

Over lunch, we got chatting about their performances and some of the most memorable ones, including The History of the Smallest Room. Now, in case you were wondering, the smallest room was the toilet. Included in this talk was a piece on where the phrase “The Wrong End of the Stick” came from. And so the inspiration for this article was born.

1. The Wrong End of the Stick

You’ve probably heard someone say they “got the wrong end of the stick” when they misunderstood something. These days, it’s used to smooth over a miscommunication, but its origins? Well, let’s just say it makes me grateful I live in an era of private toilets and toilet paper.

Public toilets back then weren’t known for privacy or personal hygiene. People sat side by side on stone benches with holes carved into them. Underneath ran a shallow channel of water. Instead of toilet paper, they used a sponge attached to a stick, which sat soaking in vinegar or salt water between uses. One stick. Communal. Passed along.

So, if you happened to grab that stick and weren’t paying attention to which end had been doing the business… well, you can guess what kind of day you were about to have. 

2. The Apple of One’s Eye

In early medieval England, people thought the pupil was solid; a little orb, like an apple. The word æppel” in Old English could mean any round fruit or object, so the most important part of your vision became known as the “apple” of your eye. It appears in early texts, including the King James Bible, which helped it stick in the English-speaking world. 

3. A Baker’s Dozen

These days, a “baker’s dozen” is a generous little bonus, thirteen instead of twelve. But the real story? Less generosity, more fear of getting hauled off in chains.

In medieval England, bread was strictly regulated. Under the Assize of Bread and Ale. Bakers could be fined, flogged, or even thrown in the stocks if their loaves were underweight. Bakers started throwing in an extra roll or bun when selling a dozen to cover their backsides and ensure no one came at them with a set of scales.

That thirteenth item was insurance, a little flour-dusted buffer against medieval justice. And it worked. The phrase stuck around long after the punishments faded, though sadly, the free pastries didn’t.

4. To Throw Down the Gauntlet

If you had a serious problem with someone and were a knight in full armor, you’d take off one of your metal gloves and fling it at their feet. That was the signal. No turning back. You were calling them out, right there in front of everyone.

A gauntlet was thick, heavy, and part of your battlefield gear. Tossing it on the ground meant you were ready to settle things with swords or lances, not words. And if the other guy picked it up? That meant he accepted the challenge, and you were both off to knock each other off a horse.

It was all very public, very formal, and very risky. No muttering insults under your breath. You either meant it or kept your gauntlets on and your mouth shut.

5. By Hook or by Crook

This phrase comes from the medieval countryside, a world where wood meant warmth and survival, and getting your hands on it wasn’t always straightforward. Back then, common folk couldn’t march into the lord’s forest and chop down trees. That was poaching. But clever villagers found a way to work around the law. 

They were allowed to take branches they could reach using a shepherd’s crook or a billhook, a curved cutting tool. So, it was fair game if they could pull it down or cut it off without felling the whole tree.

People got what they needed; however, they could, if not with one tool, then with the other. By hook or by crook, you made it work. The phrase stuck as a way of saying you’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done, even if it means stretching the rules a little.

6. Hue and Cry

In medieval England, law enforcement wasn’t at the end of a phone; you had to shout for it. Loudly. If you saw a crime happening, you were legally required to raise what was called a “hue and cry.” That meant shouting your head off while chasing the criminal through the village, hopefully getting the neighbors to join in along the way.

“Hue” comes from the Old French huer, meaning “to shout.” It was 13th-century neighborhood watch in full swing. If you ignored a hue and cry and stayed indoors, you could be fined. Everyone had to help. 

7. Red Letter Day

Today, a “red letter day” means something special. But its roots lie in medieval calendars and the church’s control over when people ate, fasted, feasted, or prayed. Most people couldn’t read in those days, but monks could. They kept detailed calendars marking important religious festivals, such as saints’ days, holy days, and dates when they weren’t allowed to eat meat. 

The biggest events were written in red ink, while the ordinary days were left in black. Red ink meant to pay attention. Something sacred, solemn, or celebratory was happening. It was a visual cue in a world where many people couldn’t read.

8. Get Off Your High Horse

If someone tells you to “get off your high horse,” it means you’re acting like a pompous windbag. But the phrase didn’t start as a metaphor. It was about actual horses, and the people who used them to look down on everyone else.

In the medieval world, the size of your horse said a lot about who you were. Nobles and knights rode tall, powerful warhorses, bred for battle and status. The higher the horse, the higher the rider was socially. Commoners rode something closer to a mule than a charger if they had a horse at all.

Telling someone to “get off their high horse” was a way of cutting them down to size. Still works today, though now it’s more verbal slap than actual dismount.

9. Eat Humble Pie

If you’ve ever had to apologize through gritted teeth, you’ve probably “eaten humble pie.” But before it meant swallowing your pride, it meant swallowing something much more literal and less appetizing.

In the Middle Ages, when nobles hunted and killed deer, they kept the best cuts for themselves. The leftovers, the heart, liver, lungs, and other bits people politely call “offal,”  were minced up and baked into a pie. This was called an umble pie, from the French word nombles, meaning deer innards. 

Over time, the word umble started sounding a lot like humble, and the meaning shifted. The pie became symbolic, and “eating humble pie” became a metaphor for being put in their place. 

10. Full Tilt

These days, if someone’s going “full tilt,” they’re giving it everything they’ve got. But in medieval times, it meant one thing: you were about to be launched off a horse at terrifying speed by a man with a lance and a grudge. “Tilting” was the original term for jousting.

It was a brutal, often bloody contest that let knights prove their worth. The tilt referred to the angled charge, in which both riders galloped toward each other down a narrow lane, lances aimed squarely at the chest.

If you went full tilt, you weren’t holding back. It meant full speed, full force, no hesitation. Just a crash of armor, splintered wood, and hopefully a victory. 

11. To Play Devil’s Advocate

It might sound like something someone says just to be annoying in a meeting, “Let me just play devil’s advocate here…” but this phrase comes from an official job title in the Catholic Church, and it was a serious one.

In the 16th century, when someone was up for sainthood, the Church appointed someone called the Advocatus Diaboli, or the Devil’s Advocate. His role was to argue against canonization. He dug into the candidate’s life, pointed out flaws, questioned miracles, and made sure no one got sainted without having been seriously vetted.

12. Take with a Grain of Salt

When someone says, “Take it with a grain of salt,” they usually mean, “Don’t believe everything you hear.” It’s the polite way of saying, “Yeah… I’m not buying that.” But the idea of salt as a form of caution goes way back.

The phrase is often traced to Pliny the Elder, a Roman author who wrote about a recipe for an antidote to poison. His instructions? Add a grain of salt. Salt was thought to make the antidote more effective or maybe just easier to swallow. Either way, the grain of salt was meant to help you survive something potentially deadly.

13. Cat Got Your Tongue

There are a few theories behind this one. One theory points to the cat-o’-nine-tails, a nasty whip used by the British Navy and earlier authorities. It had nine knotted cords, often tipped with sharp bits, and it tore skin to shreds. After a good lashing, it wasn’t unusual for a person to be left stunned, silent, or in too much pain to speak. If someone went quiet after a whipping, it was called the “cat got their tongue.”

Another explanation, a bit darker still, links the phrase to having your tongue cut out as punishment for lying or blaspheming. That was more rumor than widespread practice, but the threat was enough to keep mouths shut. 

14. To Curry Favor

When someone’s “currying favor,” they’re laying it on thick, buttering someone up, playing nice to get what they want. But this phrase’s original version had nothing to do with curries or kindness. It involved a horse named Fauvel.

In the 1300s, a satirical French poem told the story of Fauvel, a deceitful, self-important horse who managed to climb the social ladder and take over court life. The nobles, clergy, and everyone in between bowed to him, brushed him, and groomed him to stay in his good graces. The phrase used was estriller Fauvel, to curry Fauvel, meaning to brush the horse’s coat with a currycomb.

The English got hold of it and changed Fauvel to “favor,” turning it into “curry favor.” Today, when someone flatters their boss just a little too hard, they’re still currying favor. It’s not too far away from brushing a medieval horse’s ego.

15. Dead as a Doornail

In the Middle Ages, nails were handmade and expensive. When they were hammered into big wooden doors, the ends would be bent over or “clenched” to keep them firmly in place. Once a nail was clenched, you couldn’t reuse it. It was done. Finished. Dead. Hence the phrase “Dead as a Doornail”.

16. To Get Off Scot-Free

When someone “gets off scot-free,” it usually means they’ve dodged trouble, no punishment, fine, or consequences. It sounds like it should involve a sly escape and maybe a kilt, but this one’s got nothing to do with Scotland and everything to do with medieval taxes. 

The word scot comes from the Old Norse skot, meaning a payment or levy. In medieval England, a “scot” was a local tax. If you were poor, sick, or well-connected, you might be let off the hook. You didn’t have to pay your share. You got off scot-free.

17. Beyond the Pale

The word pale comes from the Latin palus, meaning a stake or a fence post. A pale referred to an area enclosed by these stakes, usually under official control. Anything within the pale was considered civilized, safe, and governed. Anything beyond it was wild, unacceptable, and dangerously outside the rules.

One of the most famous examples was the Pale of Settlement in Ireland, where English control was established around Dublin in the late 1300s. Outside that pale was the rest of Ireland, which was seen as unruly and ungoverned. So if you went beyond the pale, you weren’t just crossing a line. You were stepping into somewhere off-limits, socially or politically.

18. Peeping Tom

Call someone a “Peeping Tom” and you’re not exactly paying them a compliment. Nowadays, it refers to someone sneaking a look where they shouldn’t. But the origin story? It starts with a naked noblewoman on horseback.

The legend goes that Lady Godiva, an 11th-century Anglo-Saxon noblewoman, rode through the streets of Coventry wearing nothing but her long hair. She did it as a protest, hoping to convince her husband to lower taxes on the local people. Out of respect, everyone was told to stay indoors and avert their eyes. And apparently, they did. Except for one man.

That man was Tom. According to the story, he couldn’t resist sneaking a peek as she rode by, and depending on the version, he was either struck blind or killed for his trouble. The story probably got juicier with time (as legends tend to), but Tom’s fate was sealed. His name became shorthand for anyone caught watching what they shouldn’t. 

19. To Talk Gibberish

If someone’s talking gibberish, they’re making no sense at all, babbling nonsense, speaking in a way that might as well be from another planet. But in the Middle Ages, it was about fear. Suspicion. And maybe even a little alchemy.

One theory links gibberish to Geber, the Latinized name of an 8th-century Islamic alchemist, Jabir ibn Hayyan. His scientific writings were so dense, coded, and packed with obscure symbols that European readers thought he was just making stuff up. His work became synonymous with incomprehensible rambling, not because it lacked meaning, but because no one had a clue what he was talking about.

Another theory is even simpler: people used gibber as a word for rapid, senseless speech, especially during moments of madness, drunkenness, or demonic possession.

20. Make Hay While the Sun Shines

This one’s as straightforward as it sounds. In medieval times, haymaking was a critical task. Without modern machinery or reliable weather forecasts, farmers had to seize every sunny day to cut, dry, and store hay for their livestock. A sudden downpour could ruin an entire harvest, leaving animals without feed and families in dire straits.

The phrase first appeared in English in the mid-16th century, notably in John Heywood’s 1546 collection of proverbs: “Whan the sunne shinth make hay.” It was a literal directive: take advantage of good weather because you never know when the next opportunity will come.

Over time, the saying evolved into a broader metaphor. Today, it reminds us to act promptly when conditions are favorable, whether that means pursuing a new job opportunity, starting a project, or simply enjoying a rare sunny day.

Want More Gritty Details from Medieval Life?

If you’re curious to dig deeper into the grit and daily realities behind these sayings, The Middle Ages Unlocked: A Guide to Life in Medieval England, 1050–1300 is a brilliant book. Packed with well-researched detail, it covers everything from food and fashion to law, language, and toilet habits. No sugar coating, just solid insight into how people really lived.

So… What Have We Learned?

If there’s one thing the Middle Ages gave us, it’s a dictionary’s worth of phrases we still use today. They crept out of battlefields, bakeries, monasteries, and yes, even communal toilets. But now you know what’s lurking behind the curtain, and in some cases, under the latrine bench. 

So the next time someone says they got the wrong end of the stick, you know where that stick’s been. And, in case you wanted to know, Pete and Christine have now retired. However, as members of the British Music Hall Society, they still do their bit by commemorating old music hall artists through blue plaques.