Language is alive. It changes and evolves with the cultures that use it, reflecting their values and unique aspects of daily life. Considering how the slang of younger generations can seem indecipherable to older folks, its no surprise that the English spoken in Medieval times can almost seem like a foreign language. That said, many phrases we use today have Medieval origins, some amusing and others frankly disgusting.1. The Wrong End of the StickReplica of a toilet stick. Source: Wikimedia CommonsWhen we say someone has the wrong end of the stick, we mean that they have misunderstood something. But the phrase has frankly disgusting origins. In the Medieval era, public toilets were long stone benches with carved holes side by side for users. There was no toilet paper, but a sponge that soaked in vinegar or salt water between uses, attached to a communal stick that was passed along. It was rather unpleasant if you accidentally grabbed the wrong end of the stick.2. A Pig in a PokeMedieval Market scene, 15th century. Source: Wikimedia CommonsIf you went to a Medieval market, you would receive your animal or animal meat from the butcher inside a cloth sack called a poke. When purchasing, you had to ensure that you received what you expected in your bag. Those who didnt and waited to get home to open up their bag could be disappointed and find that they had been given something much less appetizing inside. This gave rise to the phrase pig in a poke as a warning against accepting something without identifying it as what you expected.3. Eat Humble PieA 14th-century butcher shop, c. 1350. Source: Wikimedia CommonsWhen you must apologise for something when you dont really want to, we sometimes call this eating humble pie. But while this phrase represents swallowing your pride today, in the Middle Ages, it literally meant eating offal pie. When animals were butchered, the best pieces went to the wealthy nobles, while the leftovers, such as the liver and lungs, were minced up to make pies for poorer folk. These were called umble pie in England, adapting the Norman-French word nombles, which means dear innards. Eating these pies became a metaphor for being put in your place.4. By Hook or By CrookKing John on a stag hunt, 14th century. Source: The British LibraryWhen we say by hook or by crook today, we mean achieving something no matter what and by whatever means necessary. This phrase can be traced back to the 14th century, when most forests were owned by the crown. As such, while commoners were allowed to enter forests to collect things such as firewood, they were specifically barred from cutting branches from fallen trees using a billhook or pulling them down with a shepherds crook. Since this would have been difficult to monitor, many peasants likely got away with gathering extra wood using these illicit tools, obtaining what they needed by fair means or foul.5. Caught Red HandedThe Bessant familys living conditions in rural Hampshire may have resembled those depicted in The poacher arrested, by Thomas Rowlandson. Source: Boston Public LibraryToday, we use the phrase caught red-handed to indicate that someone has been caught in the act of doing something. But the term was initially coined because laws in 15th-century Scotland stated that a person could only be convicted if they were caught in the act or with the blood still on their hands, turning them red. This could apply to murdering a fellow man, but more usually applied to poaching and killing livestock. The phrase remains popular today because Sir Walter Scott used it in his popular 1819 novel Ivanhoe.6. Drawn and QuarteredThe Execution of Guy Fawkes, by Claes (Nicolaes) Jansz Visscher, 1919. Source: National Portrait GalleryThe phrase drawn and quartered reflects the bloody sense of humor of the Medieval era. One of the most common forms of execution was to be hanged, drawn, and quartered. This saw a person hanged but cut down before dying so that they could suffer their genitals being removed, bowels extracted and burned, and then beheaded. The head was then displayed on a spike. In 1305, when William Wallace, of Braveheart fame, was killed, his body was famously divided into four parts. Today, we say that someone should be drawn and quartered when they need some serious consequences.7. Sink or SwimDepiction of a sink or swim ordeal from Witches Apprehended, Examined and Executed, 1613. Source: Wellcome CollectionThe phrase sink or swim also has violent origins. In the Medieval era, there was a belief in signs from the divine. Trial by ordeal could allow the divine to indicate if a person was guilty or innocent. Unfortunately, the general rule was that the innocent would sink, and therefore possibly drown, while the guilty would float, pushed out of the baptismal waters. Today, the phrase means jumping in the deep end and seeing what happens: success or failure.8. No Mans Land15th century York, by E. Ridsdale Tate, 1914. Source: York CastleNo mans land has been used since World War I to describe the land between the trenches of the two opposing sides. It has become more broadly popular to refer to a dangerous area where men fear to tread. But it is actually an older Medieval phrase from the 11th-century Domesday Book, written nanesmanesland to describe uninhabited and desolate areas, such as waste grounds (garbage dumps) outside cities.9. By My TrothManuscript of the Tale of Melibee, by Chaucer, mssEL 26 C 9, folio 153v, c. 1400-1410 CE. Source: Huntington LibraryThe word troth meant true in Medieval England, so by my troth just means by my truth. In the 14th century, the phrase was commonly used to swear that what a person was saying was true. It appears frequently in Geoffrey Chaucers Canterbury Tales, in which it appears as a common, everyday oath. It remained popular for centuries and even appeared in Shakespeare, such as in Henry IV, Part Two.10. Memento MoriAllegory of Death by Florens Schuyl, 1629-1669. Source: Rijksmuseum, AmsterdamMemento Mori was a Latin phrase commonly used in the Medieval world, reminding people that death is inevitable: remember that you must die. It was used to chastise, reminding believers that life could be over at any moment, and to live righteously. It became a popular phrase in devotional art, appearing in macabre scenes alongside skulls.11. By Gods BonesObscene scene from the manuscript Maastricht Hours, c. 14th century. Source: British LibraryBy Gods Bones was a popular way to swear in Medieval England, referring to the physical remains of Christ. Sometimes the word bones was replaced with eyes, nails, or something else. It was used as a kind of blasphemous oath, taking the lords name in vain in the most vulgar fashion. It was considered doubly offensive because of how seriously people took oaths, as communities were built on trust.12. The World, the Flesh, and the DevilTitle page of the Book of Common Prayer, 1662. Source: British LibraryIn the Middle Ages, the world, the flesh, and the devil were the three great enemies of the Christian soul, representing external, internal, and spiritual temptation. This phrase was used repeatedly in sermons and theology, making it a widely familiar Medieval idiom. It was used as late as 1662, when it appears in the Book of Common Prayer.13. Blood is Thicker Than WaterThe Baptism of a Child, by Nicola Grassi, 1697-1750. Source: The British MuseumThe common phrase blood is thicker than water suggests that the bonds of family are stronger than those of any other relationship. This phrase can be traced back to 13th-century Germany, where it was used to suggest that water could dilute blood ties, possibly referring to the potential impact of baptism. By the 15th century, the phrase was used in England with a reversed meaning, because while water leaves no mark, blood is hard to wash off.14. One Bad AppleHistoric photo of apple barrels, Iowa, c. 1900s. Source: Hood River History MuseumWe often use the phrase one bad apple to refer to the impact that just a small amount of negativity can have. The original phrase is one bad apple spoils the whole barrel, and specifically refers to fruit storage. If you accidentally place a bad apple in a barrel, it can quickly spread and ruin the rest of the produce. It became a metaphor for Juman behavior, with Geoffrey Chaucer referring to a bad apple in his The Cooks Tale, to describe someone who causes problems for others.15. More Irish Than the IrishMaurice FitzGerald, Lord of Llanstephan, an Anglo-Norman involved in the invasion of Ireland, as shown in a manuscript of the Expugnatio Hibernica, MS 700, f77, right margin, 1189. Source: National Library of IrelandDuring the 12th century, the Normans started to invade and settle Ireland. While they formed a noble upper class, they also became deeply immersed in local customs and culture. This concerned the Anglo-Norman leadership back in England, so by 1366, the Statutes of Kilkenny were introduced to limit cultural assimilation. The phrase more Irish than the Irish was coined to refer to those who enthusiastically migrated and then adopted the local culture.