A column of a different color

Since I received quite a bit of feedback on my last column, which dealt with odd phrases and old sayings that only make sense when you know some obscure fact, I decided to continue along that vein.

The first phrase I’m going to deal with today is one I’ve always loved. It’s ‘a horse of a different color.’ This is used in conversation is to designate something that is unlike the subject already at hand.

As in, ‘The political leanings of Republicans and Democrats are generally pretty easy to predict, but Independents are a horse of a different color.’

A bit of cool trivia on this one is how it was used in the classic film ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ At one point in the city of Oz, Dorothy and her companions are riding in a cart pulled by a horse that seems to change color periodically, and when Dorothy remarks on this the driver replies, ‘Oh, this is the horse of a different color you’ve heard tell about.’

Actually, this comes from the practice of registering horses at birth. This registration included a record of their color. So when a horse is sold or traded, the registration is also transferred. And sometimes, perhaps not surprisingly, the color recorded on the registration may not match the actual color of the horse in question, leading the new owner to suspect the horse might not be the one registered. Of course, horses can change color as they age, just like human hair changes color, but it’s usually more likely the buyer didn’t get the horse represented on the registration.

Here’s one that fascinated me when I was finally able to trace down its origins. It’s ‘wet behind the ears,’ which means to be naive and inexperienced.

As in, ‘When it comes to negotiating a loan, John is still a little wet behind the ears.’

As most people know, when a baby is born, it is covered in mucous and other fluids, and even with some help, it takes a while for the newborn to dry off. Protected areas, such as the area behind the ears, can take a bit longer. So ‘wet behind the ears’ refers to the period shortly after birth before the baby is completely dry. And, of course, we all know that a newborn baby is one of the most unworldly, innocent, naive and inexperienced of creatures. So once you know this fact, the phrase makes perfect sense.

Being an avid reader, the next phrase made me really curious the first time I heard it. It’s ‘read between the lines.’ I was able to figure out it meant to listen for what is implied in a conversation, rather than what is directly stated.

As in, ‘If your wife says you shouldn’t worry about getting her an anniversary present because she has everything she needs, you’d better read between the lines and buy her those diamond earrings she’s been looking at so longingly.’

But on the face of it, it still didn’t make much sense to me. How could you read between the lines? Well, it turns out this one comes from the world of espionage and the need for secrecy. Early on in the days of sending secret messages those needing to protect information would write it using substances that would only show up on plain paper with the use of a reagent. In fact, lowly lemon juice was one of these substances. Normally transparent on paper, when lemon juice is heated, like over a candle flame, it becomes discolored and thus visible.

But obviously, delivering a blank piece of paper would be a dead giveaway, so the author of the message would write an innocuous letter in ink, and put the secret message in the spaces in between. So if you wanted to know what the real message was, you had to treat the paper and, literally, read between the lines.

Charlie Johnson is news editor of the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191.