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The saying “on the dot” refers to a side stitch, which can be caused by laughter. The term comes from Old English and means to puncture. Shakespeare used the phrase “in stitches” in Twelfth Night. Today, it is commonly used to describe something that is funny, but it is an example of hyperbole.
Being “on the dot” means laughing out loud or uncontrollably. The saying has been used in English for hundreds of years and even appears in a play by Shakespeare. It refers to a common physical ailment, a side spot, that occurs during times of high physical exertion. It is possible to experience a side point from laughter, which leads to expressions such as “point from laughing so hard”. Most people described this way aren’t actually experiencing side stitches from laughter; this is an example of creative exaggeration, or hyperbole.
The word “point” comes from the Old English root word “stice,” meaning to stab or puncture. “Stice” provides the modern words “stick” and “stitch,” which can both mean to puncture something with a sharp object. The lateral point was so named because the sensation is an excruciating pain. The cause of side stitches is a matter of medical conjecture. It is generally believed to be associated with stress on the diaphragm, the abdominal muscle that controls lung activity.
Since laughter involves the lungs and diaphragm, side points can be obtained from sustained laughter. Laughter is often a social phenomenon; people tend to laugh more when other people are laughing or if they have laughed before. Therefore, a particularly funny story or performance can make people laugh so much that they actually feel physical discomfort, such as shortness of breath or side stitches. Originally, this was expressed in sayings like “throw it in stitches.” It was eventually shortened to “in stitches”, side stitching is a common enough experience that no explanation was needed.
The first recorded use of the expression “in stitches” occurs in William Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night, written around 1601. After performing a joke, the character Maria tells her co-conspirators: “If you’ll laugh out loud, follow me . Shakespeare’s casual use suggests that the phrase has already been in conversation for some time. The actual date it was first used is unknown. It is one of many expressions used by Shakespeare that has the same meaning today.
Writers and critics will often say that a comedy performance or film kept audiences in stitches. Of course, this doesn’t mean that audience members were literally experiencing physical discomfort. This use of the phrase, probably the most common modern use of “in points”, is an example of hyperbole. Hyperbole is the deliberate use of exaggeration for dramatic or comedic effect.
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