Phrase of the hour
Cloud cuckoo land
An imaginary realm of wildly impractical or deluded notions; if someone lives in cloud cuckoo land, their beliefs or plans are hopelessly unrealistic…
Uncover the storyA curious dictionary of everyday English
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Discover what peculiar British and American expressions mean, where they came from, and how people actually use them.
1,849
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Plain-English meanings.
Folklore labelled honestly.
Folklore labelled honestly.
Start with a letter
Browse the cabinet
Pulled from the drawers
A few curious finds
The short end of the stick
To get the worst share of a deal or situation; to be treated unfairly or come off worse while others benefit. Mainly American and Australian usage -…
Meaning & originEgg someone on
To urge, provoke or goad someone into doing something, especially something risky, foolish or out of character. The 'egg' has nothing to do with hen's…
Meaning & originIt's not rocket science
A formula for saying that something is not really difficult to understand or do - used to deflate excuses, complaint about complexity, or the mystique…
Meaning & originOver a barrel
Helpless, trapped, or subject to another person's control. Current informal idiom Regional use: United States; now widespread.
Meaning & originGargantuan
Enormous, tremendous in size, volume, or degree; gigantic. Often used with humorous hyperbole, as of an appetite, a task, or a bill, the word keeps a…
Meaning & originMight and main
Using all available physical strength, determination, and sustained effort to achieve something. Often sounds literary, humorous, or deliberately…
Meaning & originMake a rod for your own back
To set up your own trouble, self-made.
Meaning & originTake the bull by the horns
To face a challenge boldly, grabbing it head-on.
Meaning & originLanguage has legends. Evidence matters.
Colourful story or documented history?
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.