Where words come from is a fascinating subject, full of folklore and historical lessons.

Dead ringer: To look like someone else.

Origin: There are two theories. One is the “substituted racehorse.” Unscrupulous racehorse owners have a fast horse and a slow horse that are nearly identical in appearance.

They run the slow horse until the betting odds reached the desired level and then they substitute the ringer, who can run much faster. (Dead in this case means abrupt or exact).

Alternatively, a gangster with a contract on his life hires a gullible person who looked similar to him, a ringer, to appear in a public places. The lookalike would often be convincing enough to fool the contracted killers; you can guess the part about dead.

Put my two cents in: To state one’s opinion.

Origin: This phrase originates from the older “put my two bits in” and has its origin in the game of poker.

When playing poker you have to make a small bet before the cards are dealt called an “ante” to begin play in that hand. This phrase draws an analogy to the poker ante (two bits) and gains your entry into the conversation.

Shoe in: A sure winner.

Origin: The phrase comes from horse racing lingo: corrupt jockeys conspire and agree to hold back their mounts and to “shoo in,” or urge forward, a slow horse on which they have bet. In such a phony contest, the shoo-in is the only horse in the race that is trying to win.

The buck stops here: To take responsibility for something.

Origin: Some card games use a marker called a buck. Players take turns acting as dealer with the buck marking the current dealer. When the buck is passed to the next player, the responsibility for dealing is passed. Stopping the buck is to accept responsibility for dealing.

When the chips are down: Tough times, when things are looking bleak.

Origin: From the practice of using chips as a substitute for money when gambling. When winning you accumulate a lot of chips. But when you lose, your chips dwindle down.

Loose cannon: A person who is out of control, unpredictable, who may do damage.

Origin: On sailing ships that had cannons, it was important that they be secured. Cannons are very heavy, and loose cannon on a ship’s deck in a rough sea could be thrown about in an unpredictable fashion, causing a lot of damage. The cannons were needed to be secured during usage, too, or else the recoil would send the cannon on its way causing injury or damage.

Flash in the pan: Something that shows great promise but disappoints by being over too quickly.

Origin: The phrase derives from the early gold prospectors who would literally see a flash of light as they panned for gold, but who would often fail to find the nuggets on closer inspection.