The United States' upper Midwest has been feeling the winter's chill over the last few days. Enough so that certain idioms and colloquialisms have been shared, in an attempt to describe or quantify just how cold it has been.

This, naturally, gets the Writers and Polishers to wondering at the source(s) of some of these phrases. Being that information has never been easier to acquire than in the Internet age, we looked into a couple of the more common. We now share our findings with you:

The poor brass monkey
Since 1857, the brass monkey has been afflicted by cold, such as would freeze his tail off. This was the first such recorded use,  in Before the Mast (by C.A. Abbey). Interestingly, exactly a decade prior, Herman Melville assigned a phrase to a character in Omoo asserting that "It was 'ot enough to melt the nose h'off a brass monkey." Variously, excessive heat or cold has been said to cost the poor brass monkey his ears, nose, whiskers, throat, tail or fur, as well as other, less appropriate bits of the monkey's anatomy, which first appear in the written record by the 1930s.

And, the witch's bosoms?

In the matter of using a witch's tit (or teat) as a yardstick for the cold, what's clear is what is not the colloquial source of the phrase. Contrary to popular belief that it is a vestige of witch-hunting centuries past, in which some stray bit of flesh could be used to convict a woman of consorting, and possibly engaging in unholy congress, with Old Scratch, the phrase first appears in the written record in <drumroll> 1932. 

Yes, you read that correctly. 

Again, the esteemed experts at the OED have been unable to turn up any use of the phrase prior to that year, when F. Van Wyck [pronounced "Wike"] Mason employed it in his novel, Spider House. While it is generally accepted that such terms are probably being used in conversation before someone writes them down, it nonetheless beggars belief that it could have existed for four or six or eight centuries without a surviving written reference prior to Mr. Mason. As such, it seems that it was coined by a person and with an intent now lost to memory, but in the relatively recent past, and probably as a straight-up metaphor.

Fluvial

\ˈflü-vē-əl\  adjective

1. of, relating to, or living in a stream or river.

2. produced by the action of a stream, "a fluvial plain." 

Write and Polish was inspired to the Word of the Day by a journey along the Minnesota bank of the Mississippi River, enjoying the scenic fluvial panoramas, including that shown here. It contrasted with the pastoral terrain of much of the journey from Minneapolis to Milwaukee!

Though none of the Writers and Polishers took this picture (click on it to visit the website of the photographer), it very closely resembles what we enjoyed!

The turn of each year typically features a fairly predictable re-hash of resolution-making and self-help-inspired actualization pep talks.

Many people find this annoying.

Which has no bearing on how applicable it is.

The fact is, the opening of a new calendar is an excellent time to identify areas for improvement, both in our personal and professional lives.

Whether it takes the form of goal-setting (tips for doing that here!) or "resolutions" or updating a resume/business plan, there is enormous power in articulating your intentions -- especially in ways that are constructive and set you up to succeed.

Now, we at Write and Polish are a little biased on this point -- one of our primary foci in marketing is that the words you choose matter. So, of course we think that how you express your plans and needs and hopes has a bearing on the results that you see.

But, time again, our experience has found this approach borne out: words of negativity undermine the credibility of the speaker, and betray a mindset of low expectation. In contrast, the quotation above represents, in our opinion, easily half of the battle when it comes to success. It has been a favorite of ours for years.

A real estate agent friend recently shared some advice that she received years ago: no matter the market, when people ask, "How's business?" always answer, "Unbelievable!" That way, even if it's down, you've told the truth, but avoided surrounding yourself with a Pig Pen-like cloud of pessimism and bad feeling (which, by the way, is contagious).

Excellent advice!

So, if you are flirting with making resolutions this year, we suggest that one of them be to choose your words to be constructive, optimistic and collaborative whenever possible. Consider it a corollary to the old bromide about asking before speaking: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?

Though the vagaries of circumstance will always tend to hijack your long-range plans, each time you possibly can, choose to make 2013 a good year -- starting with the words you select.

Our best to you and yours!

These suggestions apply equally to business or personal improvement.

Goal-setting must be an intentional activity. Be formal about it if you are serious about being successful. When you set goals, you are best to:

1. Be realistic -- Setting outrageous goals merely assures that they won't be reached, and you may do more harm than good in trying (both in general terms of establishing a track record of failure and, more specifically, of taking on more than is healthy or prudent).
2. Make them measurable              and
3. Have a deadline -- It is often helpful to break a given goal down into increments, with measurable mid-points by different deadlines. After all, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!
4. Write them down -- Writing your goals and deadlines makes your commitment real, both to yourself and others. Revisit the list often; use it for motivation if you are having trouble staying on track.
5. Include rewards -- Over and above the achievement of the goal itself, other rewards keep you and others enthusiastic during the working and waiting part of the process. It also inextricably ties together, when one looks backward, the effort with the good feelings of the reward. That's healthy, particularly when you start setting the next goals!

Remember that having a group (your family, team, department or company) involved can help you realize the goals that you establish. In an environment with high levels of trust and cooperation, give others permission to respectfully hold you accountable for what you've said that you intend to do.

And, remember that falling short still usually means that you are farther ahead than you were when you began. If your goals need to be revised or re-enlisted, that may be part of "being realistic." And, just like climbing a hill, getting to the top often means you get to enjoy a whole vista of new goals from which you can choose.

Of course, when your goals are about growing your business, Write and Polish is often able to help. We'd be happy to discuss with you your goals, and your strategy for their achievement.

So, lace up those climbing shoes and start writing down what you want to achieve!