Why Do We Say That? 101 Idioms, Phrases, Sayings & Facts! A Brief History On Where They Come From!

Why do you “call shotgun” when you want the front passenger seat? What does “letting the cat out of the bag” have to do with divulging secrets? Why do you ask people to “cut to the chase”? Why do you hear all those juicy rumors “through the grapevine”?

Like many people, you’ve probably used idioms or phrases like these without giving them a second thought. But if you were to take a moment to step back and learn about them you’ll be pleasantly surprised to discover the mesmerizing and sometimes outright bizarre origins to these fun sayings!

In Why Do We Say That, we have curated 101 of the most regularly used idioms, proverbs, turns of phrases, and colloquial terms that have the most fascinating backstories. For each phrase, we explain how it was coined, how its use evolved through the ages, and how it gained its contemporary use.

Inside you will discover:

✔️ What the sanitary conditions of 17th century London have to do with “its raining cats and dogs” today.
✔️ What taking things “with a grain of salt” has to do with an ancient remedy for poison.
✔️ What Southeast Asian warrior traditions have to do with the term “to run amuck.”
✔️ Why “to break a leg” became something worth aspiring to in the Elizabethan theaters.

And many, many more!

Whether you're a native English speaker looking to expand your vocabulary, an ESL student or language learner wanting to speak English more naturally and confidently, or a trivia lover fascinated by word origins and quirky English expressions — this idiom book is packed with fun facts, fascinating backstories, and memorable phrases. You'll laugh, learn, and never hear common English idioms the same way again.