Wrong Turn of Phrase? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Got out of bed on the wrong side

This idiom dates back to Roman times, when it was considered bad luck to get out of bed on the left hand (or 'wrong') side. Apparently, to distinguish the left side and the right side, you lie facing upwards with your head on the pillow. Your left hand is on the left side of the bed. Hopefully this information will mean happier moods for everyone :-)

Answer: Got off on the wrong foot

The origin of 'got off on the wrong foot' is unclear, although it has been contrasted to 'putting your best foot forward'. Some references have noted that there is an assumption that the best foot is the right one and hence the wrong foot is the left, in long keeping with the idea that the right hand is best and the left hand is 'sinister'.

In 1590, Richard Harvey wrote 'Thou putst the wrong foote before'. Another suggestion is that this related to marching, and starting on one foot when everyone else started with the other.

In any case, getting 'off on the wrong foot' means starting a relationship or endeavor in the wrong manner, usually through an inadvertent error.

Answer: He was barking up the wrong tree

'Barking up the wrong tree' alludes to hunting dogs who mistakenly stop and bark at the base of a tree up which they think their quarry has escaped. That quarry is actually in another tree. The earliest verified use of this phrase in the idiomatic sense of being mistaken in one's beliefs came from American writer James Kirke Paulding's 1832 novel 'Westward Ho'.

Answer: Rubbed up the wrong way

To 'rub up the wrong way' is to irritate or annoy someone. I've found two possible origins of this saying. The first relates to stroking a cat's fur from the tail towards the head, which cats generally don't like (although one of ours, Kaos, absolutely loved it!).

The second refers to earlier times and cleaning and polishing wooden floors in stately houses. If the servant cleaned in the direction against the grain of the wood, it would often leave unsightly smears and marks. Hence the floors had been rubbed the wrong way, which greatly irritated the lady of the house (please, no feedback on gender stereotyping here, I'm only reporting what I found!).

Answer: Backed the wrong horse

Dating back at least to the late 17th century, the meaning of this idiom is literally related to choosing the wrong horse to win a race, hence losing your betting money. More generally, it refers to selecting the wrong option from a range of possibilities, often incurring financial losses or other penalties for this incorrect choice.

Answer: The wrong side of the tracks

There seems little doubt that the origin of this idiom was the USA in the 19th century and related to rail tracks. One theory, that has been discredited by some historians, is that the 'wrong' side of the tracks referred to the prevailing winds blowing the soot and smoke from the steam trains over to one side more than the other.

The 'clean' side was inhabited by the better homes. However, it has been pointed out that soot and smoke from the ubiquitous home fireplaces would affect all areas. An alternate theory is that the more well-heeled families lived towards the center of town and the less well-off on the margins, with the rail tracks providing an unofficial demarcation line.

Answer: Got the wrong end of the stick

This idiom dates back to medieval times where it was 'the worst end of the staff'. It seems to be that one end (the 'right' end) of the staff was for holding and the other for stirring up a variety of horrible substances. The 'staff' changed to 'stick' in the 16th century. The phrase meant that someone got the worst part of a deal or the worst of two possible outcomes. However, it wasn't until the 19th century that the current, more general, meaning of getting the wrong idea (or being mistaken) came into vogue.

Several other explanations for this idiom exist too. These include a servant getting the wrong end of the stick held by the master (i.e. being beaten) and another related to reusing a 'stick', the purpose of which was to level a pile of manure.

Answer: His parents weren't married when he was born

There are a couple of possible explanations for this idiom. Without degenerating to the salacious, the first involves hurried and 'illegitimate' conception of a child on top of the bed coverings rather than the more unhurried act of a married couple under the blankets.

Another possible origin is that unmarried mothers were often forced to have their child in secrecy, well away from any marriage bed.

Answer: Two wrongs don't make a right

The basis for this idiom (or proverb) is that one illegal or immoral action does not justify a second such action as a follow up or in retaliation. The provenance of this idiom is unclear but does date back at least to letters written in the latter part of the 18th century.


This idiom often reminds me of one of the very few puns I remember from childhood: Two wrongs don't make a right, but two (W)rights made an aeroplane... (groan)

Answer: If it can go wrong, it will

I thought it would be fun to finish with a 'wrong' statement that is truly wrong! Murphy did not say this at all. According to many sources, including Nick Spark's book 'A History of Murphy's Law', Edward Murphy was involved in a research program in the USA in the late 1940s, looking at the effect of g forces during deceleration. He proposed the use of sensors that were attached to the harness of air force colonel John Stapp. However, the sensors were installed incorrectly, much to Stapp's chagrin, after enduring a painful experiment. Murphy apparently stated that the mistake was due to his assistant: "If that guy has any way of making a mistake, he will." This anecdote is supported by several witnesses, while contested by other people. It is highly likely we will never know who is actually right and who is wrong!

There are also several other explanations for this 'law', which make very interesting reading and typically arise from observations of the apparent perversity of the universe.