QT 13 – Video Transcript and Bonus Info
Hey, everyone, I’m champing at the bit to share this QuickTake with Cate—that’s right, “champing.” But that’s not the only topic coming down the pike—that’s right, it’s “pike.” I’ve got to be kidding, right? You think I’ve just jury-rigged this episode with some made-up phrases—yep, “jury-rigged.”(That one’s for you, Mike.) So what gives? What are the correct phrases? And why do so many people say them differently?
Let’s start with “champing at the bit”: The word “champ” describes what horses do with their bits—they grind and gnaw on the mouthpiece of their reins—they don’t eat them. Horses chomp oats but champ their bits. “To champ at the bit” means to wait impatiently, eagerly, for something, like horses at the racetrack ready to bolt through the gates.
What about “coming down the pike”? The word “pike” is short for “turnpike,” a main road, usually one with a toll. As main roads connecting cities and towns before highways, turnpikes brought unexpected things, from visitors to freight. That’s how the expression “down the pike” came to mean “in the course of events.” So why do some people say “pipe”? Probably because they are confusing it with the phrase “in the pipeline,” which means something being developed or prepared. Mix the two together and you get “coming down the pipe.”
That brings us to jury-rigged. Originally used in a nautical context, “jury-rig” meant to construct, or arrange in a makeshift fashion. The word “jury,” from the Middle English word “jory,” referred to an improvised sail. The word “rig” in “jury-rigged” is a 15th century sailing term, with “rigging” referring to the mast, sails, lines, and chains used in operating a boat. Today, “jury-rigged” means to throw things together from whatever is on hand, to create a makeshift or temporary arrangement: for example, jury-rigging a kids’ outdoor theater from a closed garage door, folding chairs, and a projector.
So why do some people say “jerry-rigged”? They are probably confusing it with the term “jerry-built,” which refers to something built poorly and cheaply.
Now that you know these differences, you might expect editor Cate to insist on strict adherence to “correctness.” Neigh! Popular misuse has established these other forms as acceptable alternates. So if you want to say “chomping at the bit,” “coming down the pipe,” and “jerry-rigged,” go right ahead. Just make sure that I’m not within earshot.
The rest of the story:
Because we learn from how others use words and phrases, we often assume those uses are correct. But many familiar uses are actually incorrect. Here are some other commonly confused phrases:
Even professional editors sometimes fail to catch these slippery terms. Be sure to have a good usage dictionary handy to double-check how words and phrases should be used. Garner’s Modern American Usage is especially good, giving a thorough treatment of problems in word use, punctuation, and grammar. The Chicago Manual of Style is another useful reference.