In 1929, René Magritte painted “The Treachery of Images,” featuring an image of a pipe accompanied by a French phrase that translates to “This is not a pipe.” Carrying that logic over to the English language, we’re here to alert you that the idiom “down the pipe” actually has nothing to do with pipes at all — it’s always been “down the pike.” So, why are the words “pike” and “pipe” so commonly mixed up? Is it just a misinterpretation based on similar sounds? Let’s dive in and look at the history.
The term “turnpike” refers to an expressway on which tolls are usually charged. Throughout history, people have often used turnpikes to travel between cities, encountering new and unfamiliar things along the way. By the early 20th century, this gave rise to the idiom “down the pike,” which can be used in a couple of ways. You can say something “came down the pike” when referring to something that happened in the course of certain events, or you can say something is “coming down the pike” if it’s anticipated to happen sometime in the future.
One major historic event also contributed to the idiom’s popularity: the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. One of the main attractions was a mile-long carnival midway called “the Pike.” During the event, visitors were encouraged to come “down the Pike” to witness the many stunning exhibits and amusements. Thanks to the fair’s immense popularity, the phrase quickly caught on among those who attended the exposition or who perused newspaper reports about the proceedings.
That midway is long gone, though, and not everyone is familiar with the word “turnpike,” as those roads are located in only certain parts of North America. This has likely contributed to people confusing “down the pike” for the similar-sounding phrase “down the pipe,” which has come to be accepted as meaning the same thing. The confusion also may be a conflation of “down the pike” and “in the pipeline” — the latter of which is a similar idiom that refers to things in development. So even though it’s impossible to conclusively say exactly where or how “down the pipe” originated, some argue it’s the more popular option today.
But should you use “down the pike” or “down the pipe” going forward? Well, the former option is technically correct, and you’d be right to use it. But the English language is also constantly evolving, and “down the pipe” is widely accepted today. No matter which you choose, the people around you will likely understand what you mean.
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