HoC
abbreviation

- "House of Commons”, the lower house of the Parliament in the United Kingdom and Canada.

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PHRASE ORIGIN

The term "Commons" in "House of Commons" has its roots in Norman French, specifically the word communes, referring to the geographic communities and the collective body of their representatives.

The origins of the House of Commons can be traced back to the 13th century when Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, convened what is considered the first English Parliament in 1265. However, it was not until the 14th century that the House of Commons began to take shape as a distinct entity within Parliament.

Initially, the House of Commons consisted mainly of knights and burgesses representing counties and boroughs respectively. Over time, its composition evolved to include representatives from various regions and constituencies across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

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WEIRD HoC FACTS

- No Armour Allowed = From the “Coming Armed to Parliament Act” of 1313, a continuing regulation still forbids the wearing of armour in Parliament.

- No Sword Fighting = The Commons still has two sets of red lines on the floor that members are traditionally not allowed to cross during debates. This was to discourage sword fights.

- Sword Hooks in Lifts = Elevators in the Commons still contain a relic from the past, wall hooks for members to hang their swords.

- Powdered Tobacco for Perking Up = A snuff box is still maintained near the entrance of the Commons for MPs, a holdover from when smoking was banned in the 17th century.

- Not Enough Seats = Despite having 650 MPs, the Commons chamber only has 427 seats, leading to a standing-room-only situation during important events.

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COMMON PHRASES

- Common ground = shared beliefs, interests, or opinions that people can agree on despite their differences (“We need to find common ground to resolve this conflict peacefully.”)

- Common sense = practical intelligence or good judgment that is based on ordinary experience rather than specialized knowledge (“It’s common sense to carry an umbrella when the sky looks threatening.”)

- Common courtesy = polite behavior or manners that are generally expected in social interactions (“Holding the door open for someone behind you is just common courtesy.”)

- Common touch = the ability of a person, especially a public figure, to relate to and connect with ordinary people (“Despite his high position, the chairman had a common touch that endeared him to all employees.”)

- Common as dirt = something extremely common or abundant (“In every country of the world, smartphones have become as common as dirt.”)

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SYNONYMS

- for the word "common":

Across the board, average, banal, bread-and-butter, COMMON (as dirt, muck, weeds), commonplace, conventional, customary, cut and dried, dime a dozen, everyday, familiar, garden-variety, general, habitual, middle-of-the-road, mundane, normal, nothing to write home about, ordinary, par (for the course), plain, pedestrian, prevalent, prosaic, quotidian, routine, run-of-the-mill, standard (issue), ten-a-penny, two-a-penny, typical, ubiquitous, unexceptional, universal, usual, vanilla, widespread

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

“Did you know that the abbreviation HoC stands for 46 different things in English? The ‘House of Commons’ however, is the most well-known.”

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