Autumn, or “fall” as folks would say in North America, is one of my favourite times of the year. I love the bright sunshine and crisp cold that arrives. I love how the leaves change colour. It’s also a beautiful reminder to let go – to release anything that isn’t serving your life just as the trees release the leaves that would otherwise weigh them down when the winter snow arrives.
“crisp cold” = very cold, fresh and invigorating. There is a dryness in the air at this time of year. We also use the phrase, “a crisp autumn day.”
Other meanings of crisp:
1. British word for “potato chips.”
2. Dry and brittle (easily breakable).
Origin:
It is thought that the idiom comes from use of “neck” to mean a strip of land separated on both sides by water – also called an isthmus. From this comes the sense of referencing your land or your place in the world.
Area where someone lives:
- In my neck of the woods, we love to carve pumpkins at Halloween.
- Will you be in our neck of the woods on Monday? If you are, come by for tea!
- Have you met Tom? We are both from the same neck of the woods.
- In this neck of the woods, it often rains a lot in August.
Where someone grew up:
- As a child, how did you celebrate New Years in your neck of the woods?
- Growing up, in my neck of the woods of Scotland, we had a two week holiday in October that we called the “tattie holidays” because many teenagers were off school to help with the potato harvest.
Yes, this example is really true! “Tattie” = Scottish slang for potato. Yes, we Brits love our potatoes! 🙂
Origin:
This idiom is thought to date back to at least ancient Roman times where it was first mentioned in literature.
Negative usage
No longer facing a difficulty or problem although it might not have gone away completely:
- He has made a good recovery from his heart surgery but we will need to monitor him for signs of stress as he isn’t out of the woods yet.
- He has improved his marks this term, but he still has much work to do if he wants to pass the course so he isn’t out of the woods yet.
- We aren’t out of the woods in terms of our debts, but our budget is looking much better.
Past a critical phase of difficulties or past all dangers and troubles:
- The increase in sales were very welcome to the business owner and for the first time she felt she had come out of the woods.
- Taylor Swift has a song called “Out of the Woods” about a couple where one person is wondering whether the relationship is doing alright and whether they are in the clear and out of the woods. (“…in the clear…” means almost the same thing.)
- Thank goodness the big storm has died down and we are out of the woods. We can relax and go outside again!
Origin:
The origin of this idiom dates back several centuries and is an allusion to when people would hunt with packs of dogs. The prey would sometimes trick the dogs into believing they had run up a certain tree and stayed there when really they had escaped.
(Allusion: an indirect reference to a person, place, thing or event.)
To persue the wrong thing:
- My husband cleaned his car with special waxes and tools. He excitedly asked me if it looked good but unfortunately he was barking up the wrong tree because I hadn’t noticed it needed cleaning and to me it looked the same!
- You are barking up the wrong tree if you think giving him a present without an apology will help him understand why you forgot to turn up to his birthday party!
- I told you that you were barking up the wrong tree in taking that beginner course. You should have started with a bigger challenge.
To wrongly accuse:
- I didn’t take the last biscuit! You are barking up the wrong tree. It wasn’t me!
- You are barking up the wrong tree if you think I gave away your secret. I don’t ever gossip.
- The politician was barking up the wrong tree when he blamed crime rat
Origin:
The origin seems to be disputed but it makes sense someone must have looked at nature and contemplated how easy it is to get caught up in details.
Note:
This idiom is used exclusively in the negative.
To be unable to understand a situation clearly because you are too involved in it:
- The politician talked only about crime rates. Her opponent claimed she couldn’t see the wood for the trees as there are other issues to consider.
- Why are you dusting the lightbulbs when the whole house needs to be cleaned? I don’t think you can see the wood for the trees!
- The last time I went on holiday I couldn’t see the wood for the trees. I got so stressed about all the details of packing and preparing to go away that I forgot that going on holiday is supposed to be fun.
Origin:
Centuries ago, pages in books were called “leaves.” Turning to a new “leaf” meant that you were turning over to a new blank page. Therefore, this came to mean creating a new behaviour.
To start to act in a better or more responsible way:
- I managed to turn over a new leaf this month and have been getting up much earlier than usual.
- When my dad got sick, he had to turn over a new leaf and stop eating sugar.
- How did you manage to turn over a new leaf with your study habits? I’d love to know!
Nostalgic (adjective): feeling a desire to go back to a previously happy time in your life or to your home or homeland, or to your family and friends. E.g Many people get nostalgic thinking about how much fun they had as children playing with the fallen leaves.
Cascade (noun): anything that is like a waterfall, especially in seeming to flow or fall in great amounts. E.g …the annual cascade of autumn leaves.
Cascade (verb): to fall pour or rush. E.g Her curls of hair cascaded around her face.
