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The expression makes sense in tough economic times and tough neighborhoods where fighting was common but a good shirt on your back wasn't. So you would take it off before fighting. (This also may have originated from prize fighting, where shirts were removed to avoid giving an opponent something to grab.)
"Keep your shirt on" advises you to be patient, or calm, until the situation is resolved. It is often used when individuals assertively clamor for attention.
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What is the origin of Keep an eye out?
It is just an idiom and has no history.
What is a sentence using the idiom keep your shirt on?
"They will try to make you mad, but keep your shirt on while I make the deal." "The waitress told the impatient customer to keep his shirt on, and that he would be served when it was his turn."
What is the origin of the idiom 'stuffed shirt'?
Stuffed Shirt - a self-important person who shows a lot of phony dignity Origin: This expression originates from the early 1900s. The expression initially meant: a person who has a falsely high opinion of his/her own worth and who shows it.
What is the origin of the idiom he will lend a hand?
Meaning he will help you out.
What is the origin of the idiom These walls have ears?
Palestinian and Persian
What is the origin of Keep an eye out?
It is just an idiom and has no history.
What is the origin of the idiom keep an eye on him?
About 400 BC in England , a
What is an idiom for he lost his shirt on that deal?
"He lost his shirt" IS an idiom.
What is a sentence using the idiom keep your shirt on?
"They will try to make you mad, but keep your shirt on while I make the deal." "The waitress told the impatient customer to keep his shirt on, and that he would be served when it was his turn."
What is the origin of the idiom keep an eye on you?
spying or looking someone all the time
What is the origin of the idiom 'stuffed shirt'?
Stuffed Shirt - a self-important person who shows a lot of phony dignity Origin: This expression originates from the early 1900s. The expression initially meant: a person who has a falsely high opinion of his/her own worth and who shows it.
How to say keep your shirt on in german?
German equivalents of the English idiom Keep your shirt on! are:Mach mal die Pferde nicht scheu!Ruhig Blut!Reg dich nicht auf!Blieb locker!
What is the origin of the idiom out on a limb?
To be exposed
What is the origin of the idiom 'eat at'?
Advertising
Where does the phrasekeep your shirt on come from?
The idiom 'Keep your shirt on is used to tell someone to calm down. The phrase was coined in the 19th century, when men wore shirts that were highly starched and to engage in a fight they had to remove their shirts. Therefore, when you told someone to keep their shirt on, you were in fact saying lets not fight.
What is the origin for the idiom dancing up a storm?
Origin "up a storm"
What is the origin for the idiom to keep one's powder dry?
The origin is in firearms. Old guns used black powder instead of cartridges, and if you let your powder get wet, your gun would not fire.
