Uncovering the Origins of Famous Idioms: Ancient Rome's Public Toilets to Biblical Rituals

You've likely guessed where the idioms "money doesn’t stink" and "scapegoat" originated from.

1. Money Doesn’t Stink

This famous phrase, known in Latin as Pecunia non olet, traces back to the Roman Emperor Vespasian (9–79 AD).

Amid a political crisis and a depleted treasury, Vespasian sought new revenue sources. He introduced a tax on the use of public latrines. His son Titus disapproved, calling the income "dirty money." According to Roman historian Suetonius, Vespasian handed his son a coin from this tax and asked if it smelled bad. When Titus said no, the emperor replied, "But it is money from urine."

A related sentiment appears in the Roman poet Juvenal’s Satires:

"Don’t think there’s any difference between raw hide and perfume; profit’s scent will come from anything."

2. Mark It on Your Nose

Originally, this phrase was a playful threat. In old Russia, few people could read or count, so illiterate workers or debtors carried a wooden board called a "nose" (from the verb "to carry") to track days worked or debts with notches. Sometimes the board was split: one half for the debtor, the other for the lender. Another theory suggests the phrase comes from jokingly threatening to mark someone's nose.

3. Paper Endures All

This idiom stems from ancient Rome. The Latin phrase Epistola non erubescit (literally, "The letter does not blush") was used by the renowned writer and statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 BC). In a letter to politician Lucius Lucceius, Cicero wrote:

"In person, I hesitated to speak openly; from afar, I will be bolder: a letter does not blush."

In modern Russian, the meaning of this phrase persists, even if the exact wording has changed. Fyodor Dostoevsky referenced a similar idea in The Brothers Karamazov: "They say paper does not blush..."

4. To Put Something on the Long Shelf

There are several theories about this phrase’s origin.

One suggests it originated during the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov. In front of his wooden palace in Kolomenskoye near Moscow, a box was nailed where petitions and complaints were placed. Officials often left many unanswered, effectively "putting them on the long shelf."

Another theory links the phrase to the German expression Etwas in die lange Truhe legen ("to put something in the long chest"), which entered Russian bureaucratic language during the Imperial era to describe delaying minor petitions.

5. Dotting the I’s

Before the 1918 orthographic reform, Russian had 35 letters, including the "decimal i" (і), which was later removed. The phrase "dotting the i’s" refers to the practice of writing words first, then adding diacritical marks like dots. This expression is a direct translation from the French mettre les points sur les i et les barres sur les t ("to put the dots on the i’s and bars on the t’s").

6. As Naked as a Ram

This phrase likely originates from the battering ram used in medieval sieges, known as a "ram" (in Russian, "sokol"). It was a long, smooth wooden log reinforced with metal and suspended by chains. The "naked" referred to its smooth surface, unrelated to the bird of prey. The original phrase included a continuation: "Naked as a ram, sharp as an axe or razor."

7. Scapegoat

The idiom for someone unfairly blamed originates from an Old Testament ritual. The high priest laid hands on a goat (Azazel), symbolically transferring the sins of the Israelites onto it, then sent it into the wilderness.

Leviticus 16:20–21 (NIV): "He shall lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites... and send it away into the wilderness."

8. Bosom Buddy

Today, it means a close, intimate friend. However, "bosom" derives from an old Russian phrase meaning "to drink heavily." Originally, a bosom buddy was simply a drinking companion.

9. Fertile Ground

In Old Church Slavonic, "zlachny" meant "rich, abundant with grain." It appears in Orthodox prayers describing paradise as a "bright, fertile, and peaceful place." Over time, the phrase took on a negative, ironic meaning, referring to lively places of revelry, such as taverns.

10. The Naked Truth

This expression comes from the Roman poet Horace (65–8 BC), originally Nuda Veritas in Latin.

"Has Quintilius been embraced forever by sleep? Will he find equal valor and incorruptible honor—sister of justice—conscience, and naked truth?"

Truth was often allegorically depicted as a nude woman, symbolizing candor and unvarnished reality.

11. The Deal’s in the Bag

Several theories explain this phrase’s origin.

One theory attributes it to an ancient custom of settling disputes by drawing lots from a hat. The marked item drawn signified a decision in someone's favor.

Another suggests it comes from old mail delivery practices where important documents were sewn under a courier’s hat lining to avoid theft.

A third theory claims officials accepted bribes placed inside an inverted hat.

12. Casting Pearls Before Swine

This phrase has biblical roots. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said:

Matthew 7:6 (NIV): "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you."

In Russia, pearls were called "beads," which is how the phrase entered modern language via Church Slavonic translations.

13. A Curse on the Tongue

"Tipun" refers to a bird disease causing a hard growth on the tongue, and also to hard pimples on humans. Superstitiously, "tipun" was thought to afflict liars, and saying "tipun on your tongue" was akin to a mild curse.

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