Right From the Get Go

Ever hear someone use the expression "Right from the Get Go"? What does that mean? Get Go? What am I supposed to be getting? Where have I gone? Well, after a little research, I have discovered the roots of this seemingly silly expression.

Turns out that just before the Renaissance, it was customary to start off large projects with gifts exchanged between all project members. These gifts would generally be of the exotic type - silk, exotic plants, even exotic animals. One of the most coveted gifts, usually only given on the eve of the most important projects, was the gecko. Yes, the little lizard of Geico fame. Soon it became so customary to receive one of these cute reptiles that the giving of a gecko soon became associated with the start of any substantial project - temples, major works of art, opera, etc. Over the centuries, the expression "Right From the Gecko" was transformed through translation and dialect (and perhaps lack of geckos) to "Right From the Get Go".

There you have it.