I don't think of any in particular, but during our month's tour of Great Britain several years ago, the guide told us over the duration a great number of tales about where our common sayings came from--all originating in Britain, of course. My husband got quite exercised about it toward the end, asking if we didn't have any U.S.-based sayings. I'll have to tell him I have another Irish phrase, even if it was Irish-American.

Carolyn, don't forget we English and Irish have had many a hundred years head-start on expressions/sayings. Add to these the rich mix you in the US must have garnered from the influx of incomers from round the world especially if translated from German/Spanish/Polish/Jewish whatever.
Include in the mix all those nautical terms that cross international boundaries . . . there is no need for your husband's National Pride to have taken a knock. We are just one big happy family divided by our shared language (paraphrasing here) ;--)

Here is a link that might be useful: Nautical Phrases

Guff

The expression âÂÂdonâÂÂt give me any of your guffâ made me curious as to the origin of guff.

Apparently the word guff was once used in standard English and in Scots to mean a puff or a whiff of a bad smell. It may be linked through Old Norse to the Norwegian gufs, a puff of wind. But either way itâÂÂs basically imitative and doesnâÂÂt seem to be connected to gust, though that, too, has an Old Norse origin. So talk that was just idle chatter or nonsense was rudely said to be just a puff of wind (or perhaps a bad smell).

...so...you are politely trying to tell me that guff=fart?

I will definitely say this with more than the usual emphasis from now on!! :)

No.......
I was just adding another phrase to this link that has recently fascinated me .............one that I recalled from the past and wondered where it came from.

Perhaps this is the wrong thread for that?

I was teasing you though actually when you think of a puff and a bad smell...well...maybe it isnt so far off. And I am laughing here.
Acutally I remember long long ago, we had a similar thread and I think you may have started it, but I found it fascinating. Sayings I often used but never really understood. Like "He was three sheets to the wind." I think the Australians have their own dictionary of sayings, btw. Very colourful. I'll see if I can find a link to that.

"Three sheets to the wind" is an interesting saying.
Once when we were on Nantucket we were looking at an old windmill and a local explained to us that back in the day they had to whip big canvases to the blades of the windmill so that it could catch the wind and turn.
It was important to have all four sheets whipped onto the blades because if you only had three sheets on, the blades would wobble terribly and not be efficient.

Thus.....someone who has had too much to drink and is staggering is said to be "three sheets to the wind" !

Sounds right to me :0)

It seems to me that there was a thread awhile back about idiomatic sayings that noted "all redd up"--ie. to fix or clean up. I remember thinking I had not heard that before. But here I am re-reading for the nth time the last couple chapters of Jane Eyre--Jane to Rochester: "There, sir, you are redd up and made decent."
Never noticed this before!