Several years ago, I read a Reader Digest collector's edition on Word Roots. Since then, the idea of Root has prodded me to discover the genesis of new words and phrases I came across. Knowing the roots greatly enhances a person's vocabulary. It also helps to remember the meaning of words with little effort, so one does not have struggle to learn them by rote.
"Hands Down" therefore for obvious reasons led me to uncover why the phrase is so called. Winning hands down is commonly used to refer to the fact that someone has won something with little effort. It appears the phrase is from horse racing where jockeys who have a comfortable lead, slacken their reigns ("Hands Down" - not nudging the horse to run at the same pace any more) as they approach the finishing line for an easy win.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Australia Citizenship
Part 1—Australia and its people Part 2—Australia’s democratic beliefs, rights and liberties Part 3—Government and the law in Australia Pa...
-
Jacques Derrida was the best-known French philosopher of the 80s and 90s, yet many find it difficult to grasp his ideas. He asked complex ph...
-
Scrutiny of public figures is not essentially intrusive, as these figures owe their fame & recognition to the general public, and there...
-
Macquarie chair Opera house Wharf rides bondi beach Northern beaches lighthouse Bluemountains kiama Entrance central coast somers...
No comments:
Post a Comment