Why Do We Say That

GET THE SACK
This comes from the days when workmen carried their tools in sacks. If your employer gave you the sack it was time to collect your tools and go.

HUMBLE PIE
The expression to eat humble pie was once to eat umble pie. The umbles were the intestines or less appetising parts of an animal and servants and other lower class people ate them. So if a deer was killed the rich ate venison and those of low status ate umble pie. In time it became corrupted to eat humble pie and came to mean to debase yourself or act with humility.

WIN HANDS DOWN
This old saying comes from horse racing. If a jockey was a long way ahead of his competitors and sure to win the race he could relax and put his hands down by his sides.

WEAR YOUR HEART ON YOUR SLEEVE
In the Middle Ages knights who fought in tournaments wore a token of their lady on their sleeves. Today if you make your feelings obvious to everybody you wear your heart on your sleeve.