Objects to move
| Origin | Metaphor |
| Believe it or not, being buried alive was once a common occurrence. For those who were scared of such a thing happening they were buried in a special coffin which was connected to a bell above ground. Guards would listen for any ringing in case they had to dig up a living person. | |
| An ancient custom in India involved people throwing balls of butter at statues of the gods to please them. | |
| It was believed that a 17th century English Judge, Sir Francis Buller, made a rule that a husband was allowed to beat his wife with a stick, if the stick was no wider than his thumb. | |
| In the Napoleonic days in Paris the upper classes were expected to have their hair done up in an elaborate way. This involved a lot of hairpins and time. It was only when they got home that they could relax and take out the pins. Of course when they did this their hair would fall down. | |
| The origin of this metaphor goes back to the Chinese who worked on the Great Wall. It was noted that their foreman would yell "Gung Ho" and then they'd all get busy at the same time. | |
| In the old days, artisans came with their own tools for the job they were doing (usually in a sack). When an employer wanted to fire someone, all he did was hand him his sack and tell him to take his tools and go. |