ESL Blogs

This blog is dedicated to my Grandiest Granny WMW and her torturing companion AH_TK. LOL. Don't ask me the story behind this dedication.

As part of my Did You Know? series, in this blog, I am going to dedicate in writing about idioms and phrases relating to punishment.

Did You Know Series:-

1. Did You Know?  2. Did You Know? - Continuation   3. Did You Know - Another Continuation   4. Did You Know - Not Another Continuation!   5. Did You Know? - Gosh! Will it Never Ends?   6. Did You Know? - Oh No! Not Another One!   7. Did You Know? - Here Comes Another One!  8. Did You Know? - Another One?   9. Did You Know? - One, Two, Eighty Six?

1. Scot Free

We always heard the expression "scot free" when it's being associated with escaping without punishment or getting it without incurring any payment. The origin of this expression is very interesting. It's derived from the Scandinavian word of "skat" which meant tax or payment. When the word "skat" migrated to Britain, it's evolved to a new word "scot" which carried the same meaning. In as early as 10th century, various forms of scots had been to represent various taxes. People hated paying taxes, and people will get scot free since the 11th century until to-date.

2. Tarred and feathered

Tarred and feathered someone meant to serve a vigilante punishment to the person perceived had done the wrong doing. This was originated from the medieval punishment from centuries past. It was said that the "guilty" person would be held down by townsfolk and hot pine tar would be poured over that person. Then the angered townsfolk would dumped chicken feathers or other types of feather that person. The humiliating effect would be completed then. Now in modern time, when someone was said to be tarred and feathered, it meant that person had been handed a brutal and humiliating punishment.

3. Face the Music

When someone was said to "face the music" it meant that person had to accept the unpleasant consequences of his(her) actions. The origin of this phrase was believed to be from the military tradition. It was said that a disgraced or dishonoured soldier was to be relieved of his duties and stripped of his rank by making a final march accompanied by drums. Some references said that the soldier was forced to sit on a horse backward, and thus facing his comrades, and thus facing the music. 

Okay.. enough about punishment for the moment. I don't want to you to take this blog as a punishment to whoever read it. LOL.