Knock, Knock!!

Picture a troop of summer campers as they gather around the cabin leader to hear the plan for a hiking trip that evening. “We’ll be heading out after dinnertime,” the leader announces. “Weather permitting,” they add and tack on a “Knock on wood!” Wood is plentiful in our daily lives—and especially so at summer camp—so it’s an easy request to fulfill, but what exactly do people mean when they use this expression and where did it come from?

Used to express a desire for good luck and a fortunate outcome, the phrase Knock on Wood is much appreciated here at Everything Summer Camp, the home of C&N Footlockers. Here we take the idea of good luck seriously which is why our trunks are constructed from solid, 3/8" cabinet-grade plywood to make a sturdy, reliable, and beautifully-crafted camp trunk. Knocking on the solid wood of our trunks is a way of recognizing the quality and care that goes into each one.

So where did this phrase come from? We don’t know for sure, but there are a couple different theories:

The first theory goes back to an 1800s phrase from a popular children’s game by the name of ‘Touche du Bois’ or ‘Touch Wood’. To play the game, one would make a statement and then immediately would have to knock on a piece of wood to avoid being caught or punished.

The other theory goes back much further to an ancient belief that there were spirits living within trees.  When you knocked on a tree, it was thought to awaken or appease the spirits inside and bring you good fortune.

So next time you find yourself wishing for a positive outcome, try knocking on some wood—it just might help! And if you're looking for a trunk that will bring good luck and last for many summers to come, check out our traditional steel camp trunks right here at Everything Summer Camp where, the home of C&N Footlockers. Thanks for reading, Folks. And, as always, Happy Camping!

 

- John

Rise and Shine, Summer Campers!

Early wake-up calls may very well be a common occurrence for you during your summer camp stay, whether it's for a morning hike, fishing trip, or just to enjoy the peace and quiet before the day begins. As the saying goes, “The Early Bird gets the Worm.” But why do we say this age-old proverb and where did it come from?

The phrase “The Early Bird gets the Worm” seems to have originated in the 17th century, but it's not clear exactly where it came from. Some say it came from a book of proverbs that was published back in 1670. Other folks contest that it was Thomas Middleton in his 1605 play "The Second Maiden's Tragedy" who first used the phrase.

Regardless of its beginnings, “The Early Bird gets the Worm” has become a popular idiom, often used to emphasize the importance of being proactive and taking advantage of opportunities before they disappear. The phrase has been used for centuries, passed down from generation to generation, used in literature, speeches, and everyday conversations.

This phrase is often associated with successful people who wake up early to get a head start on their day and make the most of their time. This association has further fueled the popularity of the phrase and its widespread usage.

More often than not, being proactive and seizing opportunities can lead to great success and unforgettable experiences. So, set your alarm clock a little earlier, pack your gear, and get ready to make the most of your day – because as the saying goes, the early bird gets the worm! Thanks for reading, Camp Folks! And, as always, Happy Camping!

 

- John

Today I have another interesting old adage to look into for our ‘Adage Origin’ Blog posts. The term adage may be better known to you as a common saying or turn of phrase. We’re talking about idioms that are so interwoven into our everyday speech, we hardly even know we’re using them when we do. Some examples that we covered last year are ‘Put a Sock in It’ and ‘Fit as a Fiddle’. Today we’re taking a look at the phrase ‘Dime a Dozen’.

This is a saying that’s used to reference things that are cheap and plentiful. It goes back to a time around the 1850s when the phrase was initially ‘A Dozen for a Shilling’—describing items that were sold in bulk at low prices. The ‘shilling’ used to be a British coin that was still widely used by Americans in the U.S. at that time. It had been valued a bit higher than the ten cents of the dime.

When the price of goods dropped to a dime per dozen, however, the phrase quickly shifted to ‘A Dime a Dozen’ and, over time, it worked its way into our culture as it’s still a commonly used phrase today. It’s not a complimentary statement, implying something is of low quality and not worth much.

Probably the most interesting thing about the phrase ‘A Dime a Dozen’ is that it’s not unique to the U.S. (or England with their “A Dozen for A Shilling”). Similar idioms are used in other countries that speak other languages! There’s the French, for instance, who say “Dix Sous la Douzaine" which translates to “Ten Cents per Dozen.” And then there’s the German saying, "Zehn Pfennig das Dutzend" which means “Ten Pfennigs per Dozen.”

The fact that other non-English speaking countries have these phrases implies that it isn’t unique in America for goods to be sold at a discount when sold in bulk and are thus considered to be cheap.

Be sure to tune in the following month when we’ll investigate where the phrase ‘Knock on Wood’ comes from. Thanks for reading, Camp Fans. And, as always, Happy Camping!

 

- John

Hi! Pleased to meet you. I’m John.

The first day of camp is always an exciting scene! When campers get to their cabin, it’s normal for there to be some shyness and nerves about meeting new people. Starting conversations with other kids can feel a bit difficult to begin with, but before campers know it, they’re sharing a laugh or two and learning about one another.

Initiating friendships is often referred to as ‘Breaking the Ice’. We even sell the Buddy Talk Icebreaker Game that helps get new friends talking. But why? How did this term get so intertwined with introductions and making friends?

Well, the origin of the phrase dates back to the 1600s. In those days, it was common for ships that were navigating through Arctic regions to get stuck in the thick ice chunks of the cold ocean waters. Whenever a ship got stuck, crews of other nearby ships would sometimes come to their aid, breaking up the ice to free a trapped ship.  

Literally breaking the ice proved to be a very difficult job—and dangerous too. It required a great, coordinated effort among all the ships involved. The rescue ships, using sheer force combined with strategic maneuvering—would break the ice apart and forge a path for the trapped ship to make its escape. Freeing a ship typically took many hours or possibly days to achieve, but in such cold and merciless conditions it was a matter life and death.

In time, the phrase ‘break the ice’ developed a connotation; people started applying it to any situation that called for overcoming a barrier and establishing a connection. The phrase is now mostly used in reference to initiating a conversation in social situations. Check out our Buddy Talk Icebreaker Game as well as our collection of cards, dice, and plenty of other fun games to make breaking the ice easy at camp!

 

Thanks for reading, Camp Folks. And, as always, Happy Camping!

 

- John

Hey, Runners!

Old familiar sayings that are really entrenched in our everyday speech are more specifically referred to as idioms or adages. There’s such an abundance of these old phrases and sayings which are so woven into our everyday speech that, often enough, we don’t even know it when we’re using them!

 
Today we’re featuring the saying ‘Hit the Ground Running’. When we say that somebody ‘hit the ground running,’ what we mean is that they are moving at full speed from the get-go—that they began a new job with a great amount of forward momentum.

This saying paints the picture of somebody jumping from a moving locomotive and continuing on once they hit the ground without any pause in between. ‘Hit the Ground Running’ was a phrase that was being used in a literal sense by the late 1800s.

Nobody can be sure exactly where this phrase originated from. Some people say it came from riders of the Pony Express avoiding delay when they changed mounts. Others say it was stowaways jumping from freight trains. And, yet, some contend that it may come from troops who had been dropped into a combat zone (like the World War II D-Day operation).

Whether it was the origin of the phrase or not, the D-Day military operation did a wonder for the popularity of the phrase ‘Hit the Ground Running’. The phrase suddenly spread like wildfire as ‘Hit the Ground Running’ essentially became synonymous with D-Day. It was just another 25 years on that the phrase had taken on its more current implication of a figurative meaning.

This is our first Adage Origin Blog post for the year. Come on back next month when we return to continue our Blog series of Adage Origins. As always, thanks for reading, Folks!

 

- John