We give examples on how to use them . And sometimes we give you the origin – where the expression comes from . Today we are going to talk about a very small , sharp and useful object : a pin . We use pins when we sew clothes . We also use pins in some art projects . And we use pins to attach things to our clothing . The sharp point easily goes right through most kinds of cloth . And pin gives us our expression for today : To pin your hopes on something . If you pin your hopes on something , you hope very much that it will help you succeed . You attach your hopes to it . When we pin our hopes on something , we really want it to happen . It can also mean to have expectations connected to the success or performance of a person or thing . For example , a friend of mine really wanted to attend a well-known college . But the tuition cost a lot and she did not have much money . So , she pinned her hopes on winning a scholarship . When the scholarship fell through , she was pretty upset . On the same day , she got more bad news . A very old and very distant uncle had died . It was sad news , but there was a silver lining . You might ask , “What good could come from that ?” Well , this uncle left her a lot of money . Some word experts say the expression dates from the 1500s . It may have come from soldiers pinning their leader's insignia on their sleeves . This showed where they belonged and who they supported . By the 1800s , however , it took on its current meaning . Here is example . Listen to these two friends talk about saving money for the future . So , how much money have you saved so far . You know , for your retirement ? But I play the lottery every day ! I don't think it's a good life plan to pin all your hopes on winning the lottery . I should have a Plan B . I know I will get on a game show and win a lot of money ! I think you should talk to an expert . There are game show experts ?? I mean a financial planner . THAT kind of expert . Yeah , it is not a good idea to pin your financial hopes on a lottery . And in life it is probably not a good idea to pin all your hopes and dreams on other people . Instead , pin your hopes on you and what you can do to make things better .