THE CAT'S PAJAMAS XII

Tad Tuleja

 

A collection of the (mostly) true origins of familiar phrases

 

DOWN IN THE DUMPS

 

During the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella, when a person got into a snit, he or she would retire to a garden to pout. At that time, morning glories were all the rage in gardens. The Spanish word for morning glories was dompedros - shortened to the vernacular dompas. An upset or depressed was told to go the dompas to work things out. Eventually, a troubled person was said to be in the dompas - or dumps.

EASY STREET

Eduardo Zabaglione was a genial con man who constructed a palazzo-style mansion in what is now the heart of Little Italy in Manhattan. His high living there became legendary, and the street where the mansion sat became known first as Eduardo Zabaglione Street and then as E. Z. Street. Gradually. easy street became synonymous with great wealth.