The Cold Shoulder
Most people know this phrase to mean to be short, aloof and indifferent towards somebody. It’s a bit of a strange phrase, though, isn’t it? Yes, being cold towards someone is the opposite of being warm and inviting, but why the shoulder specifically? As it turns out, according to Writing Explained, this likely originates from the ancient and ongoing practice of welcoming guests with a warm meal. Unwanted guests, however, would be presented with something considerably less welcoming, such as a cold shoulder of meat.
Break a Leg
It’s incredibly common to hear this used by well-wishers before any kind of performance, or even outside of one, to the point where many in the theatre consider “good luck” to be a curse. As it turns out, there are several different theories on where this phrase came from, some of which you may have heard before. However, the most accepted theory was in reference to the leg curtains, which are the short curtains separating the entrance to the wings on either side of the stage. In fact, the curtains all have names! In the early days of theatre, simply getting hired to perform didn’t actually mean you would get paid; you had to go through — or break — the leg curtains and perform on stage, which not every act got to do. To say “break a leg” to an actor was to say, in short, “I hope you get paid.” As a theatre student myself, this was the origin I was taught in my classes but it is also the story explained as most generally accepted by Transcendence Theatre Company.
Mumbo Jumbo
“All a bunch of mumbo jumbo” equals “all just nonsense.” It doesn’t make sense; it’s nonsense, just like what it’s implying, right? But that’s where things get interesting. According to an article by National Public Radio, “mumbo jumbo” likely originates from African — specifically Mandikan — religious ceremonies relating to the key figure “Maamajomboo.” Maamajomboo was a towering, masked deity who would appear when a quarrel broke out between a man and his wife or wives. He would stand outside the home of the couple or polycule in question to dance, chant and shriek, making a decision on who was at fault. Once a verdict was made, the guilty party — usually the wife or wives — was punished using the whip Maamajomboo carried with him. What is now a phrase meaning nothing started as a name that meant a whole lot to Mandikan women who were tiptoeing the line by the threat.
Beating Around the Bush
This one is the most peculiar to me. Nowadays, if someone is “beating around the bush,” they aren’t getting to the point, usually intentionally. The strange part is that, as reported by Phrases.org, this term seemingly originated in bird hunting, where hunters would beat on and around bushes to scare birds into flight. Though this activity could rightfully be considered productive, I suppose it was still technically off-course of the true objective: shooting birds. Even if you did actually spook anything, the other hunters would be the ones doing the task.
White Elephant
While not everyone has played, many people have heard of the White Elephant Gift Exchange which is enjoyed by some and dreaded by others. It’s an interesting game, to say the least, with an end result of most players going home with something they never wanted that they now have to find something to do with. The origin of the phrase is just as interesting. As reported by White Elephant Gifts, in Saim, kings would gift advisors who wronged them a white elephant as a punishment. The elephant, being sacred and a gift from the king, could not be killed or otherwise gotten rid of, but was extremely expensive and burdensome to deal with. On top of that, with the animal being very pale (an undesirable trait in a place with a lot of sun exposure, especially on such a large animal), they required even more care than a regular elephant. When the elephant inevitably died, the advisor bore the shame of letting it happen. What started as a sort of twisted entertainment for the king has since become a sort of twisted entertainment for the average partygoer. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far at all.
[End note: Please note that for most of these phrases we don’t really have a definite origin, as they are very old and have gone through various incarnations. However, the phrases included here are the ones I could find as close to a solid answer as possible, or at least the one that is generally agreed upon.]