Phrase of the hour
The whole nine yards
Everything available or required; the full extent, complete story, or maximum effort.
Uncover the storyA curious dictionary of everyday English
Discover what peculiar British and American expressions mean, where they came from, and how people actually use them.
Phrase of the hour
Everything available or required; the full extent, complete story, or maximum effort.
Uncover the storyStart with a letter
Pulled from the drawers
Rushed or swamped, no stop.
Meaning & originTo stay quiet or hold back words, biting them down.
Meaning & originA clever, shrewd or quick-witted person, especially one with practical sense rather than book learning ('She is a smart cookie - she will spot that…
Meaning & originAn outcome regarded as absolutely certain or very easy. Dated and emphatic Regional use: United States, initially horse-racing slang.
Meaning & originHope for good luck or wish that something will succeed. The local equivalent of cross your fingers. It can refer either to the gesture or simply to…
Meaning & originA metonym for the cinema and the film industry: 'stars of the silver screen' are film actors, and a book 'transferred to the silver screen' has been…
Meaning & originA person's remarkably close look-alike or double. The word arrived in English with a ghostly sense - a spirit-double whose appearance was an omen -…
Meaning & originMaking money easily or unexpectedly, reveling in profit with smug glee.
Meaning & originLanguage has legends. Evidence matters.
Phrase origins are full of irresistible myths. We separate what historical sources can show from what remains disputed, and link the references behind researched entries.