Idiom Corner

My friend Greg lent me his book Made in America by the totally awesome Bill Bryson. In it, Mr. Bryson tells the history of the US through the language we’ve spoken and how/why many words came into common usage. It is extremely interesting to me because I love history and I love learning about a words, their usages, and their origins.

I also love idioms and learning how certain idioms came to be. And so, here we are at a little segment I like to call "Idiom Corner" - Flashy, no? Feel free to suggest a better name – I am all ears. In this segment, I will highlight an idiom, its definition, and its origins.

Sometimes the provenance of idioms are hard to trace, so feel free to comment if you think I’m wrong or have another explanation. Additionally, feel free to tell me your favorite idioms and I will highlight them in future Idiom posts to the delight of all my readers.

Today’s Idiom (one of my favorites):

A Bubble Off

Meaning – one who is not quite right, odd/wierd, a little slow in thinking, and/or crazy.
Provenance –Levels (for hanging pictures, etc) are liquid filled tubes with an air bubble that movies to the center when the level is, well level. If it is not, it is "a bubble off."

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