Why We Say the Things We Say by Karlen Evins
Blackmail
If there is such a thing as blackmail, is there such a thing as whitemail? The answer is “ You betcha!”
The origin of a word that otherwise suggests extortion or something threatening you to silence, can be traced back to Scottish farmers of the mid-16th century, who were said to have paid their landlords in either silver (whitemail) or produce from their farms (blackmail).
As the latter was the least preferred, some of the greedier landlords reportedly forced their cash-strapped tenants to pay far more in goods than they would have paid in silver.
From this, our word blackmail garnered the negative connotation it still holds today.
Sidekick
To understand this one, it might help to know what a kick is, so I’m here to tell you.
Traced to Old English, a kick was the side pocket of a man’s trousers (much akin to front pockets today, though somewhat deeper).
The opposite to this “front” or “side” pocket, was the pratt (back pocket), not unlike modern fashion designs today.
Curiously enough, early pickpockets knew the difference between their kicks and their pratts and stayed away from those front pockets because a kick was more difficult to pick.
If a person was smart, he kept his money close at hand, hence close to his skin as that would be easily detected were his wallet ever lifted.
By the same token, a sidekick was just as close: handy as a pocket, and ever by his side.