Where did those phrases come from?

Moira Brady looks at more of the origins of some popular everyday sayings

“Off the Cuff”

The phrase “off the cuff” refers to speaking spontaneously, without relying on prepared notes. This expression has roots in the Victorian era when men wore shirts with detachable collars and cuffs to keep them cleaner for longer. Politicians and public speakers of the time, hoping to appear sincere and unrehearsed, often addressed audiences without visible scripts. However, many discreetly jotted key points on the inside of their cuffs, allowing them to glance down occasionally to stay on track. Some would even scribble responses while listening to opponents speak, helping them craft counterarguments on the fly. Although it seemed they were speaking from the heart, they had, quite literally, read off the cuff.

“A Dead Ringer”

When we say someone is a “dead ringer”, we mean they closely resemble someone else. The expression may have a chilling origin. In medieval England, medical knowledge was limited, and people sometimes declared dead were in fact unconscious or in deep comas. When graves were occasionally reopened, scratch marks inside coffins suggested some had been buried alive. To prevent such tragic mistakes, a string would be tied to the deceased’s wrist and connected to a bell above ground – if the buried person awoke, they could ring the bell for help. These “safety coffins” saved lives, and stories emerged of supposed corpses being seen alive days or weeks later. People who saw them walking the streets might exclaim, “He looks exactly like Joe Bloggs – I thought he died!” to which the reply might be, “That must be a dead ringer.”

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