Here's a few theories on some the world's best known expressions brought to you by the letter 'B'. (For no apparent reason at all - I probably just watched too muchSesame Street when I was younger! )
BACK TO SQUARE ONE - It's believed this phrase originated with the playing of the board game Snakes & Ladders, where one misstep would mean sliding down a snake and back to the starting point, otherwise known as 'square one'.
BARKING MAD or simply BARKING - There have been 2 main theories over the years, one is simply that rabid dogs who have gone mad bark incessantly, while the other relates to the London suburb of Barking, where it is believed that the expression stems from the lunatic asylum that used to exist there in mediaeval times.
BITE THE BULLET - During times of war, and before the introduction of anaesthetic, it is believed that doctors preparing to operate on wounded soldiers would give their patients a bullet to bite down on in order to reduce the screaming.
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