Where did Term pushing the envelope come from?

It comes from the aeronautical use of envelope referring to performance limits that cannot be exceeded safely. The phrase was originally limited to space flight, before spreading to other risky physical accomplishments, and finally metaphorically to any boundary-pushing activity, such as art. A daring maneuver.

When was the expression push the envelope first used?

1979
The phrase was popularized in 1979 by Tom Wolfe in his book about astronauts, ”The Right Stuff. ” The phrase-sensitive reporter wrote: ”The ‘envelope’ was a flight-test term referring to the limits of a particular aircraft’s performance, how tight a turn it could make at such-and-such a speed, and so on.

What does pushing the envelope means?

Definition of push the envelope : to go beyond the usual or normal limits by doing something new, dangerous, etc. a director who has pushed the envelope in his recent films a new airplane design that pushes the envelope.

Who said that one of the purposes of art is to push the envelope?

What’s the origin of the phrase ‘Push the envelope’? This phrase came into general use following the publication Tom Wolfe’s book about the space programme – The Right Stuff, 1979: “One of the phrases that kept running through the conversation was ‘pushing the outside of the envelope’…

What does the idiom hold a candle to mean?

An expression describing a person or thing that is distinctly inferior to someone or something else: “Senator Nelson is extremely knowledgeable, but as a speaker, he can’t hold a candle to Senator Delano.”

What does egg on your face mean?

Definition of with egg on one’s face : appearing foolish usually because something one said would happen has not happened The unexpected election result left a lot of journalists with egg on their faces.

What does pushing the line mean?

phrasal verb. When someone pushes in, they unfairly join a queue or line in front of other people who have been waiting longer. [disapproval]

What does it mean to push the line?

: to move in front of other people who are waiting in a line He pushed in at the head of the queue.

What does mud on your face mean?

“Mud on your face” means a worker in the lower classes, but it’s not in the Oxford English Dictionary as an established phrase. Perhaps relevant is the title of the American gangster film Angels with Dirty Faces (1938). “Here’s mud in your eye” is another possibly related saying.

What does the expression “to push the envelope” mean?

To push the envelope means to surpass normal limits or attempt something viewed as radical or risky. It comes from the aeronautical use of envelope referring to performance limits that cannot be exceeded safely.

Why do we say pushing the envelope?

Why do we say “Pushing the envelope”? Pushing any type of boundary. This phrase comes from the aeronautical industry where the envelope refers to the safe performance limits of an aircraft – the envelope is the collection of curves that describe the maximum performance of an aircraft.

What is the origin of the phrase “pushing the envelope”?

The term “pushing the envelope” originally comes from the field of aviation. It is a reference to the flyable portion of the atmosphere that envelopes the earth. Pilots would push the envelope when they were testing the speed or elevation limits of new aircraft. The term entered the mainstream by way of Tom Wolfe’s novel The Right Stuff.

What does pushing the envelop mean?

quot;Pushing the Envelope” means that a person (or mechnaical device or anything) is doing something at the very limit of it’s designed performance capability, risking failure if they try to do more than it is designed to endure… trying to do more than anyone thought they could.