Where did 'It'll put some hair on your chest' come from?

[Naruzeldamaster]

I've been using this phrase jokingly for a while, I know what it means. (And I believe I've been using it correctly?) But I've been curious where phrases like this come from.
Stuff like knock on wood etc too, there are so many of these that I use. Another one I know about is 'you'll catch your death out there' when people are being chided for being in the rain etc stuff like that.

 

[pmmg]

All of those are easy to look up.

Putting hair on ones chest means itll make you more of a man.

 

[CupofJoe]

From ChatGPT...

How old is it?​

This is where things get murky. Some modern etymology sources claim a 19th-century origin, but the evidence for a precise 19th-century first use isn't particularly solid. A historical phrase dictionary dates the specific slang expression “put hair on your chest” to 1964 in Britain, particularly in connection with alcoholic drinks and food.


There are, however, related formulations such as “make hair grow on your chest”, which were clearly circulating in family folklore. For example, the USC Digital Folklore Archives records people using it for spicy food and difficult tasks.


And by 1999, “It’ll put hair on your chest!” was recognizable enough to be described in the Los Angeles Times as an old saying associated with uncles, soldiers, whiskey, and deliberately macho humor.


So the safest history is:


The idea probably grew out of the old association between chest hair and masculine adulthood, and the phrase evolved into a humorous way of saying that something is powerful, invigorating, or tough. It was particularly popular as something you'd say while handing someone a strong drink.


In other words, “Here, drink this—it’ll put some hair on your chest” = “This is strong stuff; it'll make a man of you.”


And notably, it wasn't originally specifically about alcohol—people have long used it for things like bread crusts, vegetables, spicy food, medicine, and unpleasant chores too.

 

[Mad Swede]

The expression is said to be Australian in origin, the first recorded useage is in the late 1890s (1898 I think). From there it spread to the US and later the UK. It's connected to puberty and the first strong alcoholic drink a young man has.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

Pig in a poke and cat out of the bag are my favorites.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

Pig in a poke and cat out of the bag are my favorites.

Cat out of the bag is an old one yeah.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

I just love that they're connected. I'm using them in lyrics that will appear somewhere in the next couple of books.

Cat out of the bag is an old one yeah.

 

[JBCrowson]

Cat out of the bag is an old one yeah.

I like that one too. I have a few scars to attest to the fact that getting said cat into the bag in the first place is hard enough. Fatal wounds await any foolish enough to trying to re-capture it once it has tasted freedom.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

I like that one too. I have a few scars to attest to the fact that getting said cat into the bag in the first place is hard enough. Fatal wounds await any foolish enough to trying to re-capture it once it has tasted freedom.

I think my other favorite one of these is one of the few british ones I know which is 'in for a penny, in for a pound'
The phrase is simple enough you can understand it at a glance, but it crosses cultural barriers easier than some of the other ones.
One of my characters kinda has it as his catch phrase when they end up fighting stupid stuff.
And this is in a show where even the weaker stuff is very stupid. (Stupid as in obnoxiously difficult)

 

[The Dark One]

The expression is said to be Australian in origin, the first recorded useage is in the late 1890s (1898 I think). From there it spread to the US and later the UK. It's connected to puberty and the first strong alcoholic drink a young man has.

We Australians are incredibly hairy.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

We Australians are incredibly hairy.

Really? Even the Ladies?? /silly (Had to put the /silly there so you know for sure I'm joking)
Honestly if I could picture any culture as hairy/manly it's probably the Scottish/Irish folk. (probably due to pop culture depictions)
Those people have a whole ass sport where you toss whole entire tree logs. Why? Nobody knows but it's awesome and I love it. It's like, extreme shot put (Not shot put but like, the olympic sport where you toss the metal ball)

 

[xena]

Where does it even originate from lol