Who the heck came up with that?

If you've ever wondered where phrases like "eat your heart out", "I'll be a monkey's uncle", and "I haven't got a pot to piss in" originated, check out the following web site:

http://members.aol.com/MorelandC/HaveOriginsData.htm

I was shocked and amused to identify and understand the many idioms that pervade the English language. Warning: once you start reading it's hard to leave the site because there are just so many interesting origins behind the ridiculous things we say.

P.S. These types of idioms drive ESL students CRAZY! They cause my older students no end of grief when they appear in their reading materials, as their understood meanings bear little to no relation to their literal meanings. Imagine me trying to explain to a class full of clueless ESL students why "knock on wood" is a request for good luck... Yeah, I needed all the luck I could get, thank you very much!