From French kiss to Mexican wave and Indian summer - but do you know how such geographic idioms originated?
Indian Summer: This idiom most likely comes from the American Midwest (rather than India) where warm weather in the autumn is common, and Native Americans would take advantage of it to hunt and stock up on food for winter. In 1778, a French American, St John de Crevecoeur, wrote: “Sometimes the rain is followed by an interval of calm and warmth which is called the Indian Summer; its characteristics are a tranquil atmosphere and general smokiness.”
Luck of the Irish: According to Edward T. O’Donnell, author of 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Irish American History: “During the gold and silver rush years in the second half of the 19th century, a number of the most famous and successful miners were of Irish and Irish American birth. Of course, it carried with it a certain tone of derision, as if to say, only by sheer luck, as opposed to brains, could these fools succeed.”
French Kiss: The amorous reputation of the French is to blame for this idiom, which is popularly considered to have been brought to the English-speaking world by soldiers returning after the first world war. And the French (who call it un baiser amoureux, meaning 'a lover’s kiss') certainly didn’t invent it - there are mentions of open-mouthed kissing in Sanskrit texts dating back to 1,500BC. Furthermore, it was once known as a 'Florentine kiss'. Baciare alla fiorentina ('to kiss the Florentine way'), is a term dating back to at least the 17th century.
Mexican Wave: A wave-like movement made by a crowd watching a sports game, when everyone stands and lifts up their arms and then sits down again one after another. We call it a Mexican wave because of its widespread use at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, which was shown to a huge global audience.
When in Rome: The oldest saying on our list. St Ambrose is attributed with the phrase “si fueris Rōmae, Rōmānō vīvitō mōre; si fueris alibī, vīvitō sīcut ibī” (“if you should be in Rome, live in the Roman manner; if you should be elsewhere, live as they do there”). A truncated version remains in use 1,600 years later.