Volume XXXII

I. New Digs 🏠

The word comes from diggings, first used in 1500s Britain to mean mining sites. By the 1800s, it broadened to cover the towns that popped up around the pits. And soon after, the word became shorthand for the lodgings miners stayed in.

By the late 19th century, the short form digs appeared in print as slang for living quarters. British students picked it up, and just like “bruv,” it made its way across the pond.

Now “new digs” just means a new place — whether that’s a sixth-floor walk-up, a dorm, or your new office with a view of Lady Liberty.

II. Kick the Bucket 🪣

On old farms, animals were often hung from wooden beams called “buckets” during slaughter. In their final struggle, they’d literally kick the bucket, and the phrase stuck as a blunt way to say someone died.

Today, it’s used more lightly. A great-uncle passing away, sure…but also when your car finally gives out, your phone battery quits at 2%, or your favorite sneakers fall apart.

Everything’s bound to kick the bucket eventually.

III. Mad as a Hatter 🎩

In the 18th century, hat makers used mercury to treat felt. Prolonged exposure damaged their nervous systems, leading to tremors, slurred speech, and erratic behavior. The bizarre symptoms made them seem “mad.”

The phrase then stuck as shorthand for eccentricity or instability.

Nowadays it’s applied to anyone from your buddy who gives you the 3 a.m. startup pitch to the professor who sneaks in a quiz during syllabus week.

Keep on sending on. Forward to a friend.