Today we examine a phrase said to have been born on a dance floor and immortalized as the motto of the highest civil and military honor attainable in Great Britain. The expression is honi soit qui mal y pense (literally, "shame to him who evil thinks it"; or, more colloquially, "evil to him who evil thinks"). Its story dates back to the 14th century.

According to legend, King Edward III first spoke the phrase as a reproof to snickering courtiers. (Remember that back then, English kings commonly spoke French). It seems that courtiers had laughed when the Countess of Salisbury (the king's dance partner) lost her blue garter. Edward gallantly picked up the garter, fastened it to his own leg, and rebuked his underlings.

The king then went on to commemorate the incident by establishing the Most Noble Order of the Garter. In the more than 600 years since its founding, the Order of the Garter has become one of the most distinguished and exclusive orders of knighthood with many illustrious members. When Winston Churchill was first offered the knighthood in 1945, after his party was voted out of office, he refused, explaining, "I can hardly accept the Order of the Garter from the king after the people have given me the Order of the Boot."