I’ve been contemplating the word “put.” Etymonline.com says the word comes from the 1300s, when it meant, “to hurl, cast, propel” especially “to throw with an upward and forward motion of the arm. Hence the term “shot put” in track and field. However, other resources say its origin can’t be traced. Wiktionary thinks it probably had a North Germanic origin. Googling “put” yields more than 2.9 million results. It can be used as a verb, noun or adjective according to the Britannica Dictionary. Thesaurus.com gives 125 synonyms and antonyms for the word.
Through the years of language transition, this little word has taken on many meanings of its own. I wonder if there’s any other word in the English language with so many uses, creating such a variety of thoughts in so many different circumstances? Of course, there is the standard use of put, as placing something somewhere, but our language is full of idioms and colloquialisms.
Here’s the list that I have so far:
Put in a garden.
Put on a happy face.
Put up with the circumstance.
Put down his idea.
Put through a phone call.
Put a blanket around him
Put it in writing.
Put the plate on the table.
Put to task.
Put off doing it or put it off.
Put on a record.
Put it in the record that ... .
Put across your point.
Put under conviction.
Put your foot down.
Put her in a bad mood.
Put one foot in front of the other.
Put my money on it.
Put to memory.
Put in my two cents’ worth.
Put all your eggs in one basket.
Put it to the test.
Put him away for his crime.
Put two and two together.
Put another nickel in.
Put away for another day.
Put down roots.
Put out fires.
Put your nose to the grind stone.
Put the cart before the horse.
Put ideas in her head.
Put on a grand show.
Put change into motion.
Put something toward retirement.
Put his character on the line.
Put away your toys.
Put a hand to it.
Put a damper on it.
Put your right foot forward.
Put your finger on it.
Put that thought out of your mind.
Put you on the spot.
Put in time out.
Put it nicely.
Put him at ease.
Put a wet blanket on the idea.
Put them six feet under.
Put a song in your heart.
Put up or shut up.
Put a cork in it.
Put your life on the line.
Put a black mark on his name.
Put it all together.
Put him to work.
Put it in a different light.
Put some distance between us.
Put in a bad position.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Put your foot in your mouth.
Put on the gloves.
Did my list put you to sleep?
Isn’t it interesting that all these sayings are imperatives, which means it calls for action. “Put” actually commands you to do something. It can be used in present, future and past tense without a change to the word.
Oh how different our conversations would be if we didn’t have the word “put.”
That’s 60-plus ways to use the word “put.”
Now that I have put you though the mental wringer, if you can think of another use, put it in an email to me. I love to play with words.
Chase Hoseley is a freelance writer and retired kindergarten teacher who lives in Clarkston. She can be reached at shoseley8@gmail.com.
