making sense of idioms

An idiom is a collection of words and phrases that illustrate a point figuratively,  absent the literal translation of the words and phrases. On my recent visit to Passau, Germany, the guide pointed out the origins of several words and phrases that she claims came from the area.

Here is a pic of a door in a small alley in Passau, Germany. the door has a small door in the middle of it that opens to the outside. The legend is that during the black plague of 1693 the doctor would pass through the streets and open the little door at homes with the plague. Once open the doctor would step back and with a 10 ft pole, would extend bread and water to the person in the house, staying safely back away. Thus, we get the saying "I wouldn't touch it with a 10 ft pole."

"saved by the bell" - often when someone would die from the plaque, they might not be really dead. They found this when they opened coffins (they would bury more than one person in a coffin) and saw scratch marks on the inside of the lid. thus, they began putting beels on the fingers and toes of the deceased, wait three days. If they heard nothing, then the person was indeed dead. if they heard a ring they would open the coffin to a live person.

"bless you" - a symptom of the plague was sneezing. thus, when a person would sneeze, others would say, "bless you", placing a prayer of favor on the individual in hopes it would ward off the plague.

"the walls have ears" - the rooms of gathering for royalty were heated by coal and wood burning furnaces in the walls of the rooms. To reduce the soot and filth from the fire, there was a walk way between the walls that servants could walk to place the fuel. Often they would overhear conversations among the royalty, fueling gossip and rumor among the common people.

"not worth your salt" - the first known outpost of the Roman army that paid their soldiers a salary was in Passau, a part of the Salzburg region. Salzburg means salt fortress and was the most prominent source for salt. Thus, salary is from the same root ("sal") and is derived from the practice of paying with salt.

Whether these explanations of these idioms are in fact accurate is beyond me, but it is always intersting to ponder the source of our most used sayings ....