I often wonder about the idioms we use every day, how ludicrous some of them seem, if you actually think about what you are saying. For example,
He was beside himself with excitement
This conjures up amusing images of something physically impossible. It must really confuse foreigners trying to learn English.
I decided to look for the origins to see if they ever made any sense and this is what I found:
In ancient times people believed that when people were under emotional stress, their soul would leave their body. The phrase appeared in the New Testament (Acts 26:24):
Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning makes thee mad.
Sources:
Dictionary of Word Origins” by Jordan Almond (Carol Publishing Group, Secaucus, N.J., 1998)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
