Volume VI

I. Costs an arm and a leg🦵 

You’ll get a different answer to the origins of this one-liner depending on who you ask. Someone on the streets of Hennepin Ave in Minneapolis might tell you it originated in the early 20th century, in the world of art. It’s said that when artists painted portraits, they would charge more for a full-body painting than for a head-and-shoulders portrait—implying that the limbs were the costly parts of the painting.

A Vietnam vet at the VA might counter that theory and suggest the phrase is linked to war veterans who lost limbs in combat and faced significant medical costs or challenges reintegrating into society. In this sense, the expression could reflect the high price of sacrifice.

Regardless of its origins, the phrase has become a widely recognized way to convey that something is prohibitively expensive—and could be the perfect line to pull out of your back pocket with new tariffs imminent.

II. Beat around the bush🌲

This one sounds like it belongs in a boardroom—maybe as a polite way to tell someone to get to the point already. But it actually goes back to medieval England, when hunting birds was a whole production.

Back then, wealthy folks would send out assistants—called beaters—to whack the underbrush and scare out the birds. Thing is, beaters wouldn't strike directly at the bush where they suspected animals were hiding. Instead, they would strategically beat around it—making noise and disturbance in a circular pattern that would frighten animals into running toward the waiting hunters.

Today, we use it when someone’s hemming and hawing instead of just saying the damn thing. Maybe this can be some inspiration to stop beating around the bush and tell your roommate to clean their fair share...

III. Let the cat out of the bag🐈

You’d think this one was about someone losing control of their house cat. But nope—this phrase has much shadier roots, likely tied to old market scams from medieval Europe.

Picture this: you’re at your bustling local market, buying a piglet—something you’d carry home in a sack (as one did back then). But a sneaky seller might swap your pig for a cat, which, I think we can all agree, is not quite bacon material. If you opened the bag before handing over your coins, you’d let the cat out of the bag—busting the scam wide open.

These days, “letting the cat out of the bag” just means spilling the beans (fear not—will be featured in a food-themed TWS soon) or revealing a secret before its time. Like announcing a surprise party too early.

Moral of the story? Always check the bag—and keep the beans in the can.

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