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

(Today, we continue with phrases beginning with H) Head on a platter/plate - revenge; punishment Origin - This phrase derives from John the Baptist, who had spoken out against King Herod when he married his brother's wife, Herodias. According to the Bible, "When Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, so much that he promised her to give her whatever she asked. Having been prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist."

Head over heels - completely (often, in love) Origin - Literally, it means 'in a somersault'. It is a curious expression as head over heels is of course the normal posture of the body. It is a corruption of the earlier and more intelligible 'heels over head' (upside down), perhaps as a result of confusion with the proverbial 'over head and ears' (completely immersed) which is now usually expressed as 'up to the ears'.

Heap coals of fire (on someone's head) - make someone feel remorse Origin - The scriptural origin is an injunction to do good to one's enemies to make them feel embarrassment or contrition: 'If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee'. Here 'coals of fire', an old way of saying burning coals, is a metaphor of extreme discomfort.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned - Literal meaning.

Origin - A misquotation from William Congreve's tragedy The Mourning Bride (1697), III, 8: 'Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, / Nor Hell a fury like a woman scorned.

Hide a multitude of sins - conceal blemishes Origin - Of biblical origin, though with a slightly different meaning: 'he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins' (James, 5: 20). The variant cover a multitude of sins is also biblical (I Peter, 4: 8), but is now often used to mean 'include or mean all manner of things'.

High and dry - stranded; without resources or support Origin - A nautical metaphor: a ship that is beached or on the rocks is left high by the receding tide and dry by being out of the water.

High jinx - excited, high-spirited behaviour Origin - The phrase, of Scottish origin, goes back to around the turn of the 20th century and refers to pranks and frolics indulged in at drinking parties. It comes from a game of the same name. This game was one of forfeits and involved the throwing of dice to see who amongst the assembled company should drink a large bowl of liquor and who should then pay for it.

Hit and run - Applied to a driver who fails to stop after an accident Origin - The term is from baseball, describing a maneuvre when a base-runner starts to run as the pitcher throws and the batter attempts a hit.

Hit/knock for six - wrecked, defeated Origin - In cricket a ball that is hit over the boundary without touching the ground scores six - exceptional enough for the bowler of such a ball to feel a sense of failure. A person who is said to have been hit for six is seriously upset: a thing hit for six has been badly damaged.