English Idioms Whilst Walking Through London

by Panzer
[Music] Pip-pip. Tally-ho.
Joolz Guides here, in which I wander around London and
tell you fascinating facts about our city, and also
about our beautiful language. So, today, I'm going to be
talking about where certain expressions come from.
For example, the expression ‘above board,’ which means
something that's perfectly legal and allowed.
And the reason I'm in Leicester Square is because
over there is the Hippodrome. Now, the word Hippodrome
actually comes from the Greek ‘hippos’ meaning horse,
and ‘dromos’ meaning racecourse. Because a Hippodrome originally
was for horseracing, but then later on it became adopted
by general entertainment venues; as meaning, a general place
for entertainment. And, that's why a hippopotamus is actually
a river horse. ‘Hippos’ meaning horse, and ‘potamos’ meaning river.
The Hippodrome actually opened in 1910, and it attracted acts
like Charlie Chaplin and then Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra,
even the Jackson 5 performed there. And, what -- I hear you cry --
does this have to do with being ‘above board.’ Well, in later years,
the Hippodrome turned into a casino and my friend reliably
informs me that it's a good place to get a drink after hours.
But the other good thing about it, actually, is that you can just go in,
and place even very small bets. So if you're not a complete gambling
addict like me, you can just go and put, you know, £2 onto the
roulette wheel.
[Music]
But, the phrase ‘above board’ actually comes in relation to
people playing poker, because players who were being accused of cheating
might be stacking the deck or something underneath the table --
otherwise known as the board. So players were requested to keep
their hands physically, above the board, so that people could verify
that they were playing the game fairly. For example, one might say,
“That bloke, who sold me that dodgy looking theatre ticket
in the middle of the street; he looked a little bit untrustworthy.
But, don't worry, it was all completely above board.”
[Music]
Speaking of theatre tickets, if you're intending to go to the
theatre in the West End, you can actually get discounted
theatre tickets if you come here on the same day as the