Idioms and their Origins

MEANING: to start again; back to the beginning, especially after an unsuccessful attempt. Back to square one began in the 1930s when the BBC in Britain began broadcasting soccer matches on the radio. The Radio Times, which was the BBC’s listings magazine, published a numbered grid system which symbolically divided the playing field into eight rectangles. This allowed commentators to describe to listeners exactly where the ball was at any given time, allowing the listeners to follow the game without seeing it. Square one was at the goalkeeper, so whenever the ball was passed back to him and the play was about to resume, it was referred to as being back to square one. In Context: "We might all be back to square one – potentially back to 14 days in quarantine." The Guardian (2020) "Our planning decision was overturned, so it’s back to square one for the entire project." "At 42 and after two marriages, it's back to square one." The Guardian (2015)

MEANING: to be the center of public attention, or the focus of media coverage. IN CONTEXT: Ellen loves attention. She’s always putting herself in the limelight. The new actor was in the limelight after his award-winning performance. The politician's scandal kept him in the limelight for weeks. "In the limelight" has its origins in the theater. When calcium oxide, more commonly known as lime, is heated, it produces an intense white light. This process was first used to effect by Thomas Drummond in the 1820s. He was a Scottish army engineer who used heated lime as an aid in map making because the bright light was visible at a distance. The technique was then adopted in theaters to illuminate the stage, and was first used in Covent Garden in London in 1837. The actors who were the center of attention on the stage were said to be standing in the limelight. This saying now applies to anyone who is the focus of attention.” QUESTIONS Are you more introverted or more extroverted? Do you ever enjoy being in the limelight? Do you seek opportunities to be the center of attention?

Oh, yeah, I've had to do it several times. But the hardest was when I was 48 years old. My husband of 20 years came home one fine Wednesday and told me that he didn't know if he wanted to be married anymore. Good Lord...... Do you still want dinner? I found out that he had an affair and he left me for her. I was devastated. It's painful to be cast aside for a younger model, but we had our dream home and we worked our asses off to make it wonderful. We had a camper trailer and we had been traveling. We had everything we ever wanted. We reached lots of goals. We had tons of albums of pictures of so many fantastic memories. My family LOVED him to pieces. Everyone did. Gone. I knew I couldn't afford to keep my house. I was (still am) an online seller. I didn't make enough to keep a big house on my own. I couldn't keep our travel trailer for the same reason. I had to part with a lot of things because I couldn't fit them into the duplex I moved into. I didn't have the money on my own to get a divorce lawyer. Even if I wanted my husband to pay for it, I would have to petition for it AFTER I paid for it myself. I couldn't do it. You don't get a free lawyer just for a divorce. Yes, I wrote and asked pro bono from attorneys. No one took me up on it. I went thru a lot more than I feel like typing out. Just know that I did everything I possibly could. I was very good with the computer and knew how to research what I wanted to know. I would represent myself. Let me also mention, I'm a double amputee of both legs from the knees down. I walk on prosthesis, but I'm clearly not on a level playing ground as everyone else. I do have my limits, no matter how fiercely independent I am. It just puts me at a disadvantage in some areas. After 2 years of my husband being gone we were ready for divorce. We were not at each other's throats. We were not fighting over anything. We never had children together, either. My husband's lawyer sent the 'bill of complaint', even though it was a no-fault divorce. I had 30 days to file my answer. I contacted every lawyer I could and with that 'one hour free consultation' I picked their brains. I also talked to several paralegals. They all gave me great advice. I put together my 'answer', filed it with the clerk, and awaited my day in divorce court. I wanted to keep things simple. I did not use adultery against him. I had my say in the complaint (too much to go into here), but I still kept it simple. We met in court that September1st. I was dressed in my best 2 piece suit that I made. (I'm a tailor and make all my own clothes) I carried my brief case and I was ready. Because I represented myself I could talk to either my husband or his lawyer or both before court. My husband and I decided to negotiate, sans his lawyer. In court the judge read my 'answer' to the complaint and smiled at me. We did all the stuff we were supposed to do and say. When it was over she complimented me from the bench and said she didn't think an attorney would have done better. My husband's (now ex husband) lawyer reached out and shook my hand, smiled, and said I missed my calling. My ex looked at me from behind his lawyer and said he wishes he had hired ME. We all laughed. I got everything I asked for. I knew I couldn't afford to keep my home, but I did get the following: Everything inside and outside the home. The house was to have repairs if needed, sold, and I was to get all the equity. Alimony was to begin the month after I moved out of our home. I was to receive all of his 401K within 30 days and he had to pay all taxes and penalties. I was to receive a 'certain amount' of alimony on the 1st of every month for life, or until I remarried. If I ever lived with a guy the alimony would stop after 3 months. I wanted a life insurance policy on my ex for $250,000 in case he died. This way I wouldn't be cut off cold from alimony. My ex was to pay for the life insurance and show proof of payment every year. I wanted my maiden name back. No way I was going to carry the name of the man who cheated on me and left me. When we went outside to leave my ex gave me a big hug. He was crying. He had cried during our proceedings, too. I didn't shed a tear that day. This was my liberation. I was seeing a guy that I met just 6 months before our divorce. I didn't date or anything the first year and a half after my ex left. But now I was happily falling in love with someone. I came home, poured myself a single shot of Jack Daniels, and I played the Nina Simone song "Feelin' Good". It was on a Friday, my boyfriend was to visit for the weekend, I was a divorced woman, and all was great in my world. My boyfriend and I dated for 7 years. I lived alone, he lived alone. We spent every weekend together. We weren't in a hurry to get married or live together. After 7 years we bought a home together. We were married 7 months later. We were married in the courthouse and then went to Sam's Club to eat hotdogs. We loved it. My husband bought me a truck for a wedding present. So, that's what I drive now. I lost that dream home with my ex, but since then my husband and I now have 3 homes and some extra property. He's a professor at a wonderful university. We are in no debt, we live out in the woods with wildlife and peace. It's heaven. We love and cherish every moment we spend together. He can't wait to get home every day. I still sell online (almost 21 years now) and I'm more successful now than ever. My life not only got better, it's WAY better than it ever was with my ex. By the way, my ex is miserable. He married the woman he left me for. I'm still friends with my former brother in law. No one in their family likes her, and my ex is very unhappy. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.....but what goes around comes around. :-)