English Language Insights 56, Informal English: “cliffhanger, a cold day in hell, come up.” Definitions, examples, origin, sources
Michael D. Powers, Ph.D., USCCI
US Certified Court Interpreter 1980 / Ph.D. Spanish Portuguese 1981 / 24 years university professor / Estimates: 12,000+ depositions, hearings, etc. / 850 trials / 3000 documents / Conference Interpreter 650 conferences
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English Language Insights 56, Informal English: “cliffhanger, a cold day in hell, come up.” Definitions, examples, origin, sources
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1) cliffhanger
Anyone who likes suspense movies has probably heard this word. Please look at the following definitions from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
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Definition
1:?an adventure serial or melodrama
especially?:?one presented in installments each ending in suspense
2:?a contest whose outcome is in doubt up to the very end
broadly?:?a suspenseful situation
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When used as an adjective, its form is cliff-hanging.
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Examples
Recent examples on the Web follow and these were taken from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
Advertisement Then, the race turned into a?cliff-hanger.—Mark Z. Barabak,?Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
Last week's episode ended on quite the?cliff-hanger.—Journal Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2024
Meanwhile, the future of the region’s lone rail line is, literally, a?cliff-hanger.—Michael Smolens,?San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2024
The episode ended on a?cliff-hanger, with fans unsure of who receive Gerry's other rose.—Esther Kang,?Peoplemag, 8 Nov. 2023
When a species has reached the verge of extinction, recovery programs become awful, expensive?cliff-hangers.—Jared Diamond,?Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
Season 2 ended with a dramatic?cliff-hanger?as the show grapples with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, trying to play some of the real life fears and tensions from March 2020.—Aimée Lutkin,?ELLE, 26 Aug. 2023
There’s so much that needs to be answered after last season’s numerous?cliff-hangers.—Jessica Radloff,?Glamour, 16 July 2023
After the fifth episode left viewers with a major?cliff-hanger, episode six kicked off with a quick resolution: Bryan and Sarah Baeumler revealed that Kelsey and Ryan of Team Taniya won the $3,000 prize for the exterior renovation.—Katie Bowlby,?Country Living, 10 July 2023
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Origin
In Wordhistories.net, there is an interesting description as to the origin of this term that shows that it originated around 1930:
“his original reference was mentioned in the following two texts:
“1-: From?Ousting Double Features, published in the?Pictures?section of?Variety?(New York City, New York, USA) of?Tuesday?23rd?February 1932:
For the first time since it relinquished the title of FBO, Radio Pictures is taking the serial seriously. Its first, incidentally the first also to the credit of Pathe in three years, will run 24 episodes at two reels per episode. Promise is made that the two-reel episodes will be vastly different than the ones in the old school where a horse and rider were left suspended over a cliff until the following week.
2-: From the?Literati?section of?Variety?(New York City, New York, USA) of Tuesday 11th?April 1933:
Longies Now
A definite new writing trend has come upon the last few weeks along with puffed sleeves, 3.2 beer, plaid?pajamas?for he-men and trousers for the females. Magazines have suddenly hit on running one long story complete in each issue, with short stories now being used in the nature of fillers. In fact, the short story has come into slight disfavor. The demand for longs came so quickly and so unexpectedly that it has taken?seasoned?writers by surprise. Those who have been accustomed to producing serials must change their technic, as these longs run to novel form rather than following the jigsaw serial pattern ending on a high note in each issue and holding the reader by?the nose?until the heroine is rescued from the hundred-foot cliff.
The earliest occurrence of the adjective?cliffhanging?that I have found is from the?Pictures?section of?Variety?(New York City, New York, USA) of Wednesday 3rd?September 1930:”
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2) a cold day in hell
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Definition
This is a colorful way of saying that something will never happened since hell is supposed to be unbearably hot.
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Examples
It will be a cold day in hell before politician X will ever tell the truth.
As a compulsive pathological liar, it will be a cold day in hell before he every tells the truth.
It will be a cold day in hell before the racist xenophobe will ever give people from other races or countries an opportunity to be heard and understood.
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Origin
There is a citation on the Internet as to its earliest usage (see sources below):
“The origin of the idiom dates back to 1886, when it was used in a newspaper headline to praise General Gordon’s victory in the elections of Georgia. Also there are references to it being used in 1944 by a newspaper in Miami. There is also evidence in a newspaper in LosAngeles to the idiom being used in the recent past in 1990.”
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3) come up
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Definition
Following are six of the meaning of “come up” as explained in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
1:?RISE?sense 6
2:?to come near?:?make an approach
came up?and introduced himself
3:?to rise in rank or status
an officer who?came up?from the ranks
领英推荐
4a:?to come to attention or consideration
the question never?came up
b:?to occur in the course of time
any problem that may?come up
5:?to turn out to be
the coin?came up?tails
6 chiefly dialectal:?GROW UP
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Examples
These examples are also from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
In the fall of 2004, Frank?came up?with an idea for a project. —?Hazlitt, 3 Apr. 2024
But in the eighth inning, Ruth?came up?to the plate and knocked one out to right field. —?Paulina Dedaj,?Fox News, 30 Sep. 2023
The next thing that?came up?was the Fourth of July 1985 concert in D.C. —?Andy Greene,?Rolling Stone, 12 Dec. 2023
Keep in mind you will be searched online to see what?comes up. —?Susan Johnston,?Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2023
Dear Miss Manners: The wedding of the son of a good friend is?coming up?in a few weeks. —?Jacobina Martin,?Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024
This new video calls out the name of every musician when their parts?come up?in the track. —?Andy Greene,?Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2024
His game has worked for him so far, so just?come up?here and do the same thing, don’t try to do something else. —?Bob Nightengale,?USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2023
However, Claudia managed to?come up?with a Plan B and the cousin saved the day. —?Jeanne Phillips,?The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024
The joy of House of Villains comes from all the styles of confrontation the contestants?come up?against. —?Vulture, 3 Nov. 2023
The same names seem to?come up?again and again, names notably different than a decade or so ago. —?Lesley Goldberg,?The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Oct. 2023
So how did the subject of Benicio co-writing first?come up?on your end? —?Brian Davids,?The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Oct. 2023
A lot of factors have?come up, the pandemic being one of them. —?Spin Staff,?SPIN, 30 Nov. 2023
Nobody has?come up?in more sessions throughout the day than Musk. —?Mia Sato,?The Verge, 30 Nov. 2023
One was Ice Cube, the other was Patti Smith (who?comes up?frequently in the book). —?Jim Ryan,?Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
The agency gave Boeing 90 days — with a deadline in late May — to?come up?with a plan to address the issues. —?Lori Aratani,?Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
Anderson worked with her doctors to?come up?with a plan. —?Sandra Rose Salathe,?Peoplemag, 14 Sep. 2023
The 52-year-old, unsure the business would survive, scrambled to figure out how to?come up?with the cash to pay the taxes. —?Jennifer Williams-Alvarez,?WSJ, 24 Oct. 2023
Shelton?came up?on stage to give his stepson a proud hug following the song. —?Emy Lacroix,?Peoplemag, 29 Sep. 2023
The request?came up?because the city is getting ready to start work on an expansion of the center. —?Stacy Ryburn,?arkansasonline.com, 12 Dec. 2023
Fitzpatrick's company crunched the data and?came up?with the surname Miller. —?Morgan Canty,?CBS News, 21 Oct. 2023
But a legal deadline to?come up?with a more equitable social compact, at least in the eyes of the Supreme Court, now looms at the end of March. —?Mick Krever,?CNN, 8 Mar. 2024
For the last seven years, the state Department of Transportation has held a contest to?come up?with the best messages. —?Jonathan Edwards,?Washington Post, 19 Jan. 2024
On all previous films, the composer tried to?come up?with a strong central melody and derive a score from that. —?Tim Greiving,?Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2023
Buffalo, trailing by three,?came up?short on a fake-punt attempt in the fourth quarter at their own 32. —?Jesse Newell,?Kansas City Star, 22 Jan. 2024
Noisy engine?comes up?short on performance, rear bench belongs in a park. —?Frank Markus,?Car and Driver, 15 July 2023
Although the Kansas City team failed to score in the second half, the Miami Dolphins?came up?short by the end of the game with only 14 points in the third quarter. —?Anna Lazarus Caplan,?Peoplemag, 5 Nov. 2023
Nick?came up?with this idea that lip sync was best served by being very strong and exaggerated and big. —?Carolyn Giardina,?The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Jan. 2024
The 34-year-old explained that Reid?came up?to him after the incident and didn’t have any harsh words for him, even though Kelce expected some. —?Ben Morse,?CNN, 14 Feb. 2024
And then Veloz?came up?with the smoking gun: one of Morie Kimmel's relatives had a photograph. —?Maureen Maher,?CBS News, 23 Dec. 2023
Burton cracked the story, co-produced the film and?came up?with character designs, but Selick helmed the picture. —?Zack Sharf,?Variety, 2 Nov. 2023
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Origin
Here are some reflections in crossidioms.com regarding the history of this verb phrase ?“come up:”
Origins and Historical Context of the Idiom “come up”
The idiom?“come up”?has been used in the English language for centuries, with its origins dating back to medieval times. This phrase has evolved over time and is still commonly used today in various contexts.
The Evolution of “Come Up”
Originally,?“come up”?was used to describe something that physically rose or ascended upwards. As time passed, the meaning expanded to include non-physical concepts such as ideas or opportunities that presented themselves.
In the 19th century,?“come up”?began to be used more frequently in a social context. It was often associated with people who were trying to improve their social standing or gain access to higher levels of society.”
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Sources
“Cliff-hanger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cliff-hanger. Accessed 29 Jun. 2024.
“Come up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/come%20up. Accessed 29 Jun. 2024.
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